Dear “Earth Talk”: What are religious
leaders and organizations doing to communicate the importance of
safeguarding our natural environment? — Peter Toot, Taos, N.M.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that those who care
for God’s creation take environmental issues seriously. But only in
recent years have Sunday sermons and other religious services put green
topics front and center. Much of the credit for increases in such
“faith-based” environmentalism goes to the National Religious
Partnership for the Environment, which was founded in 1993 to “weave
the mission of care for God’s creation across all areas of organized
religion.” NRPE has forged relationships with a diverse group of
religious organizations, including the U.S. Catholic Conference, the
National Council of Churches of Christ, the Coalition on the Environment
and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network. These organizations work with NRPE to develop
environmental programs that mesh with their own varied spiritual teachings.
For instance, some 135,000 congregations — Catholic parishes,
synagogues, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox churches and evangelic
congregations — have been provided with resource kits on
environmental issues, including sermons for clergy, lesson plans for
Sunday-school teachers, and even conservation tips for church and synagogue
building managers. Even evangelical Christians, known for their
conservative take on most issues, are going green. The Colorado-based
National Association of Evangelicals is urging its 30 million members to
pursue a “biblically balanced agenda” to protect the
environment in addition to fighting poverty. Indeed, it was an evangelical
minister, the Rev. Jim Ball, who started the influential “What Would
Jesus Drive?” campaign, promoting hybrid cars, back in 2003. More
recently Ball has worked with like-minded evangelicals to craft a
faith-based policy statement on global warming. Another key organization is the Forum on Religion and
Ecology, which holds conferences that bring religious leaders together from
all over the world to discuss religion’s role in ecological matters. Earth Ministry, an association of 90 churches around
Seattle, takes a more hands-on approach. It organizes hikes, book parties,
and volunteer support for local agricultural projects, helping educate
thousands of people along the way. Some congregations also conduct church
“greenings,” such as replacing church light bulbs with
energy-saving compact fluorescents and virgin copier paper with recycled
paper. Some more hard-hitting environmental actions have
sprung up at the congregation level as well. In Mississippi, Jesus People
Against Pollution brought together local churchgoers to pressure
authorities to clean up local toxic-waste sites, and, in Detroit, the
Sisters of the Immaculate Heart turned a former crack house into a
community vegetable garden. Meanwhile, New York’s Hamburg
Presbyterian Church “adopted” a nearby creek and won it
designation as a protected habitat. Just like good environmentalists
everywhere, Hamburg Presbyterian’s parishioners continue to monitor
the creek to ensure that it remains vibrant and healthy.
For more information: National Religious Partnership
for the Environment, www.nrpe.org; Earth Ministry, www.earthministry.org;
National Association of Evangelicals, www.nae.net.
Send questions to “Earth Talk” in care of E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or e-mail
earthtalk@emagazine.com.
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2006.
