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Environmental Justice
This section includes articles with themes that include environmental stewardship, Creation, ecology, eco-justice, land, and related topics.

Can the Human Being Be Fixed?

Latin American theologian Leonardo Boff is concerned about the rapid rate of global warming and the loss of biodiversity. If trends continue, he warns, the human species will soon be the latest casualty of “natural selection.” [posted 2/4/05]

Global Warming Is a Moral Value, Too

The U.S. has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, leading the world to wonder about the Bush administration's commitment to address climate change. Sally Bingham argues there is no greater “moral value” than saving creation. [posted 1/3/05]

The Spiritual Implications of Global Warming

While the Bush administration continues to debate the existence of climate change, it may soon be too late: rising oceans and other huge problems threaten the earth. Peter Kreitler disparages the American religious focus on personal salvation, and challenges us to act for the creation. [posted 12/2/04]

A Comprehensive, Dynamic Energy Policy

Environmentalists derided the Bush administration for its energy policy during its first term in office. Joyce Wilding discusses how it can regain credibility, and asks if nuclear energy, one of the most sensitive issues, is a key to the equation. [posted 12/2/04]

Ideology, Ecology and Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw his government driven by a violent ideology that was aided by the Christian community. Willis Jenkins says this lesson can help us address current divisions between religious progressives and evangelicals, as well as environmental concerns. [posted 11/19/04]

Bush, Church Are Environmentally Challenged

As the second Bush administration prepares to outline its “mandate,” one question is how environmental issues will be addressed. Franklin E. Vilas says the president can't ignore this topic – but neither can the church, which has been similarly silent. [posted 11/18/04]

The April 2001 issue of The Witness magazine The Politics and Spirituality of Weather Global Warming and Climate Change have become part of our everyday lexicon, but with many governments refusing to acknowledge a crisis, what is the responsibility of communities of faith to this issue? Articles that feature Terry Tempest Williams, Bill McKibben, and the Episcopal Power & Light highlight this in-depth look at how weather truly does run our lives.

All Things, All People

This week in Alabama, a huge gathering will honor the lives of civil rights activists who died in the struggle. A large group of environmentalists will attend too, and some would wonder why. Mark Andrus, commenting on the Gospel of John, explains the connection. [posted 8/12/04]

Toxic Land

Like many former industrial communities, Long Branch, New Jersey, has fallen on hard times. Public housing projects sit next to abandoned plants, and kids play in bleak, bare lots. Fletcher Harper tells the story of local citizens who came together to face the health threats in their front yard. [posted 5/6/04]

Kyoto and Beyond

Some people believe “acid rain” was a problem solved years ago. Eric Beresford, writing from Canada, knows that's false. Although he admits that the Kyoto climate change guidelines aren't perfect, he says the church should use them to face the urgency of global warming, as well as acid rain. [posted 4/22/04]

Eyes Wide Open

Ellen Meloy's book The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky is “one long prayer of the senses, celebrating and mourning humanity through nature's mirror,” according to reviewer Jonathan Callard. [posted 4/22/04]

A Planetary Crisis: Water and Sustainable Development

Many people argue that water is the most basic human right – the source of life itself – yet around the globe, water is being privatized at the expense of the world's poorest. Jeff Golliher says water is not just a right: it is the “primordial manifestation of the sacred on earth.” [posted 4/22/04]

Christianity's Covenant with Creation

While some consider ecological concerns to be side issues for the church, Claire Foster and David Shreeve argue they are rooted at the very core of Christian tradition. Their work in the U.K. cites four principles as evidence of the centrality of this mission for the faith. [posted 4/22/04]

AIDS and Environmental Health in India

Health workers in India are struggling against mighty odds: HIV/AIDS is spiraling out of control, with tens of thousands more cases reported every month. Karuna Roy reports on the efforts of the Church of North India to face this crisis head-on, through care, prevention, education, and advocacy. [posted 4/22/04]

The Allure of Alaska

At Earth Day 2004, Wanda Copeland feels disillusioned about the prospects for God's Creation. In Alaska, she recently saw one of the last vestiges of pristine wilderness. As Alaska undergoes rapid changes due to development, she says the state represents the environmental challenges facing the world. [posted 4/22/04]

Practical Ways to Care for God's Creation

We know that environmental degradation is a critical challenge, but what can we actually do about it? Joyce Wilding suggests a list of ways that individuals and congregations can help serve as stewards of the earth. [posted 4/22/04]

The Environment's Role in Deconstructing and Reconstructing Theology and Religion

Matthew Fox, renowned leader of the creation spirituality movement, names and analyzes errors in modern theological thought. He finds the loss of the Creator and Spirit images of God to be heretical, and calls for a renewed understanding of the Cosmic Christ. [posted 4/22/04]

Noah Revisited

The story of Noah provides an early scriptural context for our understanding of humanity's interconnections with the fullness of God's Creation. Roger Wharton provides a short theological reflection on this classic biblical tale. [posted 4/22/04]

Changing Strategy for Economic and Environmental Justice

Steven Charleston, widely considered a prophetic church leader, feels fellow justice activists should abandon the “prophetic” advocacy style. People in the wider church are not apathetic, he says, but victims of information overload. Instead, liturgy can help them connect the justice dots. [posted 4/ 22/04]

The Energy Dilemma

Consumption of fossil fuels, particularly in the U.S., continues to rise unabated, despite dire scientific warnings. Sally Bingham is ashamed of the general lack of concern about global warming, yet finds small measures of hope in some faith communities. [posted 4/22/04]

Facing Easter and the Sun

In Australia, all new houses have strict environmental standards, so many are built facing north for maximum solar exposure. George Browning compares this practice to the Christian spirit of Easter: looking hopefully ahead despite the tragic mistakes of our past. [posted 4/22/04]

The One Commandment

Peter Kreitler despairs at the state of the environment, and wants the Ten Commandments to be reduced to just one: to preserve God's garden. He says "Earth Day is every day," and that we need to speak truth to power, starting with the Bush administration. [posted 4/21/04]

Indigenous Spirituality and the Creation

We must choose between profit and life, argues Tom Trimmer. Offering a Native American perspective on environmental issues, he believes that the church bears great responsibility for the problems we face today. [posted 4/21/04]

A Different Use for the Book of Leviticus

The word “Leviticus” has become a lightning rod for many Christians, a sign of deep divisions on sexuality issues. But Mark Andrus calls us to reexamine these scriptures because they offer some of the most radical theology on the stewardship of the Creation. [posted 3/18/04]

Progressive Missiology? AIDS, Biodiversity, and Evangelism

Christian progressives have ceded the field of international mission to conservative evangelicals, argues Willis Jenkins. Ironically, the monumental challenges of AIDS and environmental degradation may now help progressives reclaim "mission work." [posted 2/5/04]

The Ants Who Went Underground

Globalization and ecumenism both speak of one world, but their effects are radically different, according to Rex B. Reyes. Writing from the Philippines, he calls us to increased sensitivity towards God's creation -- and finds the journey of a tiny ant worth noticing. [posted 1/15/04]

An Open Letter to the Bishops on Hunting

Hunting foxes is considered "sport" in the United Kingdom, but is it actually a form of cruelty? Andrew Linzey issues a Christmas plea to the bishops in England to carefully consider the theological implications of hunting, not just the legislation that is being reviewed by the nation's Parliament. [posted 12/4/03]

The Anglican Communion’s Prophetic Role
As chair of the international Anglican Consultative Council, Tanzanian Bishop Simon Chiwanga holds a powerful position in the worldwide church — perhaps second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He speaks to the church’s mission and its responsibility to advocate for justice. [posted 12/6/02]

Les Ami(e)s de la Paix Défient les Frontières
In West Africa, Exxon is building an oil pipeline through pygmy villages, the church is stealing money intended for AIDS, and gays & lesbians continue to be oppressed. Sybille Ngo Nyeck uses the biblical story of Jonah as a lens to view these social conflicts. [In French and English.] [posted 11/26/02]

Approaching Burn-out Ten Years after the Earth Summit
The 1992 Earth Summit ignited a fire of environmental activism around the world, and Elizabeth Sedlins joined a group in Virginia committed to creating change in the church. While many positive steps have been made since then, she feels that the movement has now stalled. [posted 9/02/02]

Expanding Our Theological View of the Created Order
In 1992, Skip Vilas struggled to get institutional church support to attend the UN Earth Summit. Ten years later, he sees more attentiveness by church people to the environment — but even worse governmental obstacles.[posted 9/01/02]

Tenth Anniversary Musings
In 1992 the UN Earth Summit caused the world community to pay greater attention to environmental issues. The church also took notice, and a fledgling new organization called Earth Ministry was born. Founder Carla Pryne reflects on ten years of challenges and love. [posted 8/12/02]

Creation’s Collapse Demands a New Form of Patriotism
The 1992 Earth Summit challenged the world’s leaders to face massive environmental problems. Over the past decade, Peter Kreitler has lost faith in government and church leaders to meet this challenge, and calls for a grassroots form of "true patriotism" to be a catalyst for change. [posted 8/12/02]

It May Be Earth Day But We Don’t Have to Be Sheep
Earth Day 2002 offers people of faith a special opportunity to reflect on our relationship with all of God’s Creation. Christians often turn to the theme of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Elizabeth Kaeton takes issue with that metaphor, recalling instead the plaintive cry of a wolf. [posted 4/26/02]

Marginal Christianity
How does one reconcile one’s Christian identity in the political arena? Judy Scherff says Jesus would be considered very liberal in modern day American politics. She contrasts His teachings with the legislative records of two conservative Christian members of the US Congress to drive her point home. [posted 01/30/02]

Creation: The Persecuted, Adulterous Woman
The story of the adulterous woman in the gospel of John is fascinating to Sybille Ngo Nyeck. This little-cited passage seems to her to be a metaphor for the many ways we mistreat Creation. [posted 11/09/01]

Call Her Jordan!
Crossing the Jordan River serves as a metaphor for our relationship with God, writes Sybille Ngo Nyeck. Citing "cruel doctrines," she names the Church’s silence on social issues as the type of discomfort and hypocrisy as that which leads to protest movements. [posted 10/30/01]

Special Report: Human Rights Versus Oil
by Julie Wortman Few non-Native people accept that fighting oil drilling in ANWR is a human rights battle.

ANWR: Worth My First Arrest
What leads to your first participation in civil disobedience? Attending a protest against proposed oil drilling in Alaska, Sally Bingham was moved to stand up — by kneeling down — for what she believes.

Jubilee Reflections on Mordechai Vanunu and Samuel Day
In reflecting on the diverse meanings of "Jubilee 2000," Middle East advocate Patti Browning honors Israeli nuclear protester Mordechai Vanunu and the deceased activist Sam Day.

The Church Up to Its Ears in Chicken
Having chicken for dinner? Think twice. Outspoken labor activist and Episcopal priest Jim Lewis reports on labor, environment, and social problems in the poultry industry.

Word as Idol
Examining the concepts of idolatry and fundamentalism, Sam Portaro is reminded that "a life of faith is a risky business."

Money: God’s Principal Rival
Visiting the U.S., and looking at how money directs its role as the "world superpower," Peter Selby argues that the international debt crisis is not something that has gone wrong with the system — it’s intrinsic to the system.

Oppose Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Jack Winder from the Episcopal Environmental Network calls the church to stand in solidarity with the Gwich’in Nation in its stuggle against opening ANWR to oil drilling.

A Plea for Wild Religion
Environmental philosopher Norman Wirzba laments the "irrelevance" of God, and calls us to let creation be our measure rather than making ourselves the measure of creation.