“Greening” the faith: an ordinary revolution
Last week, I spotlighted my pastor after he advocated for creation care in a newspaper article. I felt proud to be part of a faith community seeking to understand how its beliefs interact with all areas of life.
Today, I feel the same pride but to a much greater degree. I just finished reading Faith in Action, the Sierra Club’s first national report on how people of faith are confronting environmental issues with courage and grace. The report highlights the work of one group from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The simple fact that the Sierra Club, viewed as a “secular” group (the report states almost half of Sierra Club members attend church monthly), released the report is reflective of just how valuable the faith community is becoming in combating environmental problems. Multiple faiths are represented, each group has found a unique, and ultimately prophetic, way to live responsibly within their community.
Faith in Action displays a beautiful tapestry of activity, some endeavors tremendous in scope, others more routine. From conservation tips in the church bulletin to constructing a green building, opposing ANWR drilling to passing out reusable shopping bags, all point to care for the planet as an act of worship.
People of faith already pursuing environmental justice will be both encouraged and inspired by this report. It also has an underlying message for those who are reticent to move forward for fear of political entanglement: Creation care is an essential spiritual action that transcends our political boundaries. That point, vital for every faith, is best made in a discussion of how pastor Joel Hunter uses the Bible to motivate his church:
In doing so, he encourages his congregants to see that God cared about creation long before environmentalism became wrapped up in politics.
In his writings, Christian author and activist Shane Claiborne speaks of “ordinary radicals.†That seems a fitting designation for the groups in this report. Megachurch pastors and nuns, Eagle scouts and Jewish farm directors, they are everyday people who understand that their faith gives them a bigger vision for how we should treat our planet. Ordinary radicals furthering an ordinary (and crucial) revolution.