A Lenten Fast from Plastic 2: Going Plastic Free
Since 1950, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced, and 4 billion of that was in just the last 15 years. Only about 9 percent of all plastic…
A Lenten Fast from Plastic 1: Recycling
“Repentance,” as Jesus seems to have understood it, does not mean hair-shirts and grief. It means coming to a realization that one is going the wrong way and then “turning…
Lenten Reassessment
Since the beginning of the year I’ve been focusing on Creation Care as a spiritual discipline. Scholar Sallie McFague believes that the climate crisis “is really a spiritual problem—a problem…
Lobby Your Representative and Your Community
Dear Representative . . . Perhaps you’ve written a letter to a bank by now. What’s the next step? Getting political. In the Columbus area we have three congresspersons, two…
Help Save the Earth – Change Your Bank
Last week I wrote about how some banks, including those doing business in Columbus, are major investors in fossil fuel development. I suggested ways you might take action to express…
From Prayer to Mission
Now that we’ve begun to follow Jesus in praying for the good of creation, the next step is to follow Jesus in action. For Jesus did not use prayer as…
Becoming “Prayer Warriors” for God’s Creation
Here’s where we left off last week:"Not only is the myth of consumerism not true, it is destroying our earthly home. In attempting to satisfy our consumer culture, the earth…
Kenosis – The Spiritual Heart of Creation Care
“Kenosis” is one of those first century Greek words we use in our Christian spiritual life and worship, like “epiphany” and “eucharist.” Kenosis means “self-emptying” as praised in the ancient…
Needed for Creation Care: A Great Religious Awakening
How do we create the kind of changes that will keep our world’s climate at a tolerable level? Sallie McFague argues that it requires a world-wide cultural conversion, from consumerism…
Three Environmental Resolutions You Can Make for 2022
Happy New Year! I’m a committed environmentalist. But during the last few weeks I’ve often just let my standards lapse. Maybe that’s happened to you, too. Now, with the holiday…