Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart

"As rich and thoughtful as all of Brian McLaren's work, but with a particular urgency!" —Bill McKibben

"Riveting. Challenging. Brave. Devastating. Hopeful." —Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR, author of The Amen Effect

A deeply insightful exploration of how to live with wisdom, resilience and love in our turbulent times

For the last quarter-century, author and activist Brian D. McLaren has been writing at the intersection of religious faith and contemporary culture. In Life After Doom, he engages with the catastrophic failure of both our religious and political leaders to address the dominant realities of our time: ecological overshoot, economic injustice, and the increasing likelihood of civilizational collapse. McLaren defines doom as the “un-peaceful, uneasy, unwanted feeling” that “we humans have made a mess of our civilization and our planet, and not enough of us seem to care enough to change deeply enough or quickly enough to save ourselves.”

Blending insights from philosophers, poets, scientists, and theologians, Life After Doom explores the complexity of hope, the necessity of grief, and the need for new ways of thinking, becoming, and belonging in turbulent times. If you want to help yourself, your family, and the communities to which you belong to find courage and resilience for the deeply challenging times that are upon us — this is the book you need right now.

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Published May 14, 2024

304 pages

Average rating: 4

1 RATING

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Community Reviews

ArtStardust
Oct 31, 2025
4/10 stars
DNF. I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the subject and was willing to engage despite the Christian aspect. I appreciated the author’s compassionate and inviting tone. I had to put it down because he kept referring to the bible as if it was historical, specifically calling the Old Testament Israelites “indigenous people who were faced with oppression and colonization.” This striking inaccuracy about history was difficult to take in alongside his acceptance of old-universe creationism and the urgency of climate change. I agreed with a lot of it, but was left wondering what exactly he believes that makes him consider himself to be a Christian. Ultimately I found myself more frustrated than comforted, and decided against finishing the book because I wasn’t gaining anything new.

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