These collected essays celebrate the joy and serenity found in nature, especially in the wild vistas of northern Minnesota and North Dakota. Jones' eloquent offerings contemplate states of being (peace, failure), aspects of daily living (marriage, companions), and explorations of intangibles (faith, God). Each themed chapter comes across like an especially engaging sermon. There's an introductory thrilling or amusing anecdote, some autobiographical tie-in, a quote from a contemporary author, conservationist, or religious scripture, an engagement with secular reality, and a strong encouragement for self-examination. Jones comes by his passionate entreaties naturally. He grew up in the Christian church and was an ordained minister with his own congregation for over a decade. As his religious belief and self-image began to crumble, he found first escape and then solace in the outdoors. Today a self-described outdoors person, theologian, and nature writer, Jones offers thoughtful observations, rich inner conversation, and insightful spiritual musings. Whether outdoor enthusiasts or not, readers will find much to ponder.

Booklist

In this book, theologian and outdoorsman Jones embarks on a transformative journey, poignantly exploring loss, reflection, rejuvenation, and spiritual discovery. His narrative intricately weaves together personal experiences, highlighting the profound connection between humanity and the natural world—particularly the relationship between humans, dogs, and hunting. He offers a candid portrayal of his own religious and spiritual evolution; he spent formative years in the church, became a minister, and later grappled with the collapse of his ministry and marriage. This introspective book delves into how he learned to accept failure as a catalyst for growth and navigate his changing understanding of God. He skillfully shows how the divine can speak through traditional mediums (e.g., sermons) but also through nature—a shift underscored by his own immersion in the wilderness. Drawing on classic philosophy, the book emphasizes the overwhelming yet grounding nature of the wild, where humans confront their fragility. The book includes notes and bibliography. A compelling, thematically rich, and deeply personal book, for readers exploring spirituality, personal growth, and the intricate relationship between faith and the natural world.

Library Journal

Tony Jones’s meditative memoir The God of Wild Places is about leaving the ministry but remaining alive to spirituality through outdoor adventures in Minnesota and further afield.... The God of Wild Places is a pensive, personalized primer to developing a nature-based theology.

Foreword Reviews

I have read a lot of books in my life, but never one like this. Wherever you are on the food chain--a passionate hunter like Tony or a cauliflower steak eater like me--this captivating memoir will take you places you might never have gone on your own: into the elemental mysteries of life, death, creatureliness, and divinity with someone who has turned from the orderliness of religion to find salvation in the God of the Wild. I'm glad I went.

Barbara Brown Taylor, Author of Leaving Church and Learning to Walk in the Dark

Decades ago, a wise man told me that the best writing is honest writing. The God of Wild Places is exactly that, honest writing—beautifully honest. So pure, so true—reading it was like breathing the fresh, crisp air of Tony Jones’s cherished wildlands. It is at once a theological history lesson and an autobiography, a rare work that inspires, teaches, and entertains. I loved it!

Jim Shockey, host of Jim Shockey's Uncharted and author of Call Me Hunter

Tony Jones speaks into the harsh reality of an increasingly churchless world and how the Creator can be found in unexpected ways in the glorious, wild creation. By giving us a glimpse of his own journey toward a more holistic and deeper faith, Jones is sharing his own experience of seeing God as bigger than our encultured expectations. As one who has also found peace and connection with the Divine among the wild places, I resonate with Tony’s contemplations in this beautifully written memoir. I love this book as I am sure many others will.

Pete Enns, author of Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming