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EPA Clean Power Plan Hearings: Days 2-3

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

Yesterday, Lutherans continued their testimonies at the Environmental Protection Agency. Our speakers were notably engaging, energized and forthright in their discussion on how climate change is an important matter in their community. Their testimonies gave an excellent impression, demonstrating how Lutherans are active and concerned about protecting God’s creation. Here are some excerpts of their testimonies:

7/30 Washington D.C. Hearing

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Policy

…We know that climate change has many other public health impacts, and that those impacts fall hardest on those who are most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, and particularly hard on vulnerable people who live in poverty. And we are already seeing the impact that a changing climate can have on food production and food security, with the drought in California as only the most recent example.

…The arguments of economic impact and job loss also ignore the costs of doing nothing, of allowing global temperatures to continue their upward trend and earth’s climate to become less and less predictable.  Losses in productivity, increases in food prices, dwindling supplies of water, will all have steep costs and huge economic impacts, together with the continued cost of responding to ever more frequent weather disasters.

We are faced with an important choice—we can act now, and help to protect future generations and God’s creation from the worst impacts of climate change, or we can fail to act and let our children and the earth suffer the consequences. This rule is a critical step in the right direction.”

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​Mary Minette testifies before the EPA pannel 

7/31 Pittsburg, PA Hearing

The Rev. Paul Lubold

I share their concern about the impacts of global climate change, especially as it takes its largest toll on “the health of young children and their families, disproportionately affecting the poorest among us,”

The Bishops [Elizabeth Eaton] wrote: “Multi-year droughts, sea level rise, extreme weather events and increased flooding dramatically affect communities internationally, from the… north slope of Alaska to Midwestern farming families to our brothers and sisters in the Philippines… We recognize with concern that climate change particularly harms low-income communities.”

I also want to speak personally in support of the Clean Air plan… As a Christian, I believe that God created the earth, sky and seas.  And that as creation was happening God declared that it was “good.”

God then entrusted humans with “caretaking” responsibilities… But unfortunately, we’ve not been all that ‘responsible.’ Rather than use natural resources, like fossil fuels, in a sustainable way, we have often squandered them for selfish, profit-driven reasons… If we who were entrusted to be “care-takers” of creation have an opportunity to make changes that would insure an environment that is ‘more healthy’ for our children and grandchildren, then we have a moral imperative to do just that.

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​Lutheran Advocactes show support in Pittsburg​

8/1 Pittsburg, PA Hearing

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, PhD

“…Yes, the new EPA rules will force Pennsylvania to reduce its air pollution and burn less coal. But how we adjust to less coal will make all the difference.  If we build more renewable energy infrastructure and increase energy efficiency, our airwill be cleaner and greenhouse gases will be reduced. But if we replace coal with fracked gas, we will only be making our air and atmosphere worse.  These rules, as written, only codify the transition from coal to gas that is already underway. As well, the rule gives implicit consent to burn more trash, tires, coal sludge, and other forms of toxic waste for electricity.  So while I believe the proposal is a good first step, it is not only inadequate, it will have the unintended consequence of replacing one source of dirty fuel with many others.

I am committed to helping people of faith learn how to do their part to care for God’s Creation and support eco-justice issues.  I call for the EPA to not only stand its ground with this rule, but to actually strengthen and expand it in order to put in place the strongest protections possible to defend public health, the fragile atmosphere of our planet, and the communities that will bear the costs and suffering from our addiction to fossil fuels and greenhouse gases.”

The Rev Dr Leah Schade_headshot_speaking (2)

Rev. Schade speaks on the Clean Power Plan

Pittsburg, PA Hearing

Cricket Eccleston Hunter, Executive Director, PA IPL

“Climate change magnifies ills that faith communities have long responded to: food insecurity, water insecurity, disease, conflict, and many natural disasters, and we are stepping up again.   We know that the EPA’s charge is to protect the health and welfare of Americans.  We also know that the health and welfare of other beings and other peoples is at risk.  We act for them as well.

…Coal representatives will tell you that acting responsibly on carbon pollution will steal jobs from communities on the economic edge.  They won’t say that those jobs have never driven executive decision-making.  They won’t mention that those jobs are already in a decades-long decline, or that the decline is about bottom lines, not about federal policy nor even booming gas.  Combined coal output from West Virginia and Kentucky has held nearly steady since 1983, but mining jobs have dropped by half.  We do need to help generate new paths for employees and communities that currently depend on fossil fuels.  Holding tight to the diminishing fuels of the 18th and 19th centuries instead of reaching forward to the power of the 21st is not the way to do it.

Like our faith communities, the United States is explicitly founded on values.  As such, we have a unique opportunity to lead according to those values.  When we don’t, as we have not on climate change, our silence is deafening.  When these proposed standards were announced in June, the world took note. China immediately began hinting at an absolute cap on its own carbon emissions, and has since created 8 pilot carbon trading markets.  Christians talk about acting as a “city on a hill” — when we act as we should, using the gifts we’ve been given, the example shines, and draws others in.”

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You can add your voice to the conversation too! Send your comments to the EPA through our Action Center, and tell them that you support the new Carbon Rule on Existing Power Plants to protect our children’s future! 

EPA Clean Power Plan Hearings: Day 1

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

This week, several ELCA Lutherans have testified before the Environmental Protection Agency about the proposed rule to cut carbon emissions from power plants. Together, they affirmed why they believe protecting the earth and fighting climate change is a spiritual and moral issue. From concerned pastors to professors and engaged congregants across the U.S., their testimonies demonstrate why we all should be concerned about climate change.

Rev. Robert Moss, ELCA Lutheran

7/29 Denver, CO Hearing

“For us as Lutheran Christians, addressing environmental concerns is part of what it means to live as responsible caretakers of the earth. We are pleased to join the conversation from an economic, scientific, political, and spiritual perspective, as these are all aspects of joining God in God’s mission of caring for and renewing the earth. I believe that support for the Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule to regulate and reduce carbon emissions is part of our responsibility.

In addition to so many other reasons why this matters, I want to remind you that climate change is already affecting global agriculture, and therefore food supplies and prices. Through no fault of their own, impoverished people, who are the most vulnerable because they rely solely on growing and selling a small crop for daily life, are losing their ability to do so. Alleviating hunger and global poverty are major concerns for me as a person of faith. Carbon emissions directly and adversely affect the hungry and poor we are so deeply concerned about. Continued climate change makes hunger and poverty issues an even larger challenge to deal with.”

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Rev. Moss testifies before the EPA pannel

Dr. James W. C. White, University of Colorado-Boulder

7/29 Denver, CO Hearing

“…at its core, climate change is a moral issue, and it is to this that I wish to speak. The first moral issue is how we treat our children. We live on a water planet, and again simple physics tells us that it will take decades for the ocean to warm and fully express the climate that goes with our current, high levels of greenhouse gases. This creates an intergenerational inequity. What we do, our children will have to deal with, and what they do, their children will have to deal with, and so forth. We all say that we love our kids. But how do we truly show it? Until one generation can set aside the lure of short-term gains for the long-term profit of our children, the cycle will never be broken. We need to express our love for our children in the very tangible way that this regulation provides. A second moral issue to consider is the disproportional impact that climate change has on the poor, both internationally and here in the US. Poorer nations and poorer people have less capability to adapt to issues such as sea level rise, access to clean water, and access to secure food supplies, as well as dealing with obvious problems such as heat waves and droughts. How do we, the rich, square this with our ethical obligation to those in need? Christ was clear: “…whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

The proposed regulations will not fully address the problems that create the moral struggles we now face. But they are a start, a start that is achievable and promises to break the current stranglehold that keeps us from facing our obligations, both to our fellow humans, and to our God. And let us briefly ponder the moral costs. By taking action we show our love for children and grandchildren, we care for those in need, and we care for God’s creation that He has lovingly provided for us. Not bad outcomes for doing the right thing. So let’s do it.”

​Rev. Edward Wolff, ELCA Lutheran (TN)

7/29 Atlanta, GA Hearing

“What is happening to the earth, and therefore to us, cannot be explained in a brief period of time.  Suffice it to say, briefly:

  • Last April, the average CO2 concentrations in the earth’s atmosphere exceeded 400 parts per million on a sustained basis for the first time in 800,000 years.
  • Thirteen of the fourteen hottest years ever measured with instruments have occurred in this century.
  • A trigger of the civil war in Syria has been identified as the drought from 2006 to 2010, where sixty percent of the farms and eighty percent of the livestock were destroyed.
  • A Pentagon advisory committee has described the climate crisis as a “catalyst for conflict” that may cause governmental and societal collapse.

Honestly and personally, I’m scared, but the fear is not about me.  I will not be here to see the results of a scarred earth if we continue down the same path.  I am concerned for my grandchildren, all seven, and the great grandchildren that will come after.  I am also concerned for this great nation.  Catastrophic events, caused by climate change, can weaken and/or destroy any democracy, for all democracies are fragile, at best.”

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​You can add your voice to the conversation too! Send your comments to the EPA through our Action Center, and tell them that you support the new Carbon Rule on Existing Power Plants to protect our children’s future! ​

Veterans: Breaking the Gridlock

Rev. Stacy Martin, Director of Advocacy

Isaiah 41:18
I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.

I believe it’s safe to say that hope does not abound in Washington, DC. Partisan gridlock has produced a desert of sorts, for Members of Congress and advocates alike, in which no change can be accomplished and no hope resides. But, as the book of Isaiah reminds us, God’s promises extend far beyond our inability to imagine springs of water bursting forth in the desert.

At a time when many of us considered Congressional compromise a veritable relic, this week a spring of water burst forth from the desert of vitriol and gridlock that has, regrettably, come to define Congress.

On Monday afternoon, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Jeff Miller (R-FL), the chairpersons of their chambers’ respective veterans’ committees, announced a $17 billion compromise bill to address many of the problems that appear to affect the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ​

This bill, a compromise between opposing philosophies about the role of government as well as government spending, would allow veterans, who either live far away from VA facilities or who are unable to secure an appointment with the VA within a certain number of days, to access medical services beyond the VA system. The bill attempts to further address the VA’s issues by:

  • Including funding for additional doctors and facilities
  • Extending a treatment program for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
  • Extending the GI Bill, which would help veterans more easily access and afford college tuition.

The bill appears to be a good first step in ensuring that veterans receive the kind of care that individuals who sacrifice so much should receive. And for that, Sen. Sanders and Rep. Miller should be commended.

However, that the bill was introduced – even after much wrangling – as a bi-partisan compromise is worth more than mere commendation; it is worth celebrating. Rep. Miller commented Tuesday that he expects the House to support it with “a wide bipartisan vote,” and the Senate is expected to quickly sign off on the House’s vote if scheduled quickly enough.

In the desert of impasse and contempt that for too long has defined this town, there is hope that this beacon of cooperation and compromise can extend beyond the VA. Senator Sanders and Representative Miller have given us a long-awaited sip of the waters of cooperation and compromise we have so long thirsted for. They have given us reason to hope. We may still be in the desert, but springs of water are beginning to burst forth.

Living Earth Reflections: Called to Action

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

July 2014

​”We are called to act with justice,

We are called to love tenderly,

We are called to serve one another,

To walk humbly with God.”

                        David Haas, “We Are Called”, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 720

​​​As Christians, we think and talk about what we may be “called” to do out of faith for our families, ourselves, our neighbors and our communities.  You may be called to work against poverty and hunger, and out of that call you might work in a food pantry or send a letter to your member of Congress about cuts to federal nutrition programs. You likely signed up for these emails in part because you feel a call to care for God’s creation.

If you are concerned about the future of God’s creation, and in particular about the threat of climate change to our planet and to future generations, and if you feel called to act out of that concern, this summer offers a number of opportunities to act and to advocate.

Here are just a few:

Send your comments on the EPA’s proposed carbon rule today!  The EPA’s proposed rule will limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from power plants, improving public health in our communities and protecting future generations and God’s earth from the threat of climate change.  If you’d like to comment, our action center has tools to help you. If you’d like more information about the rule, here’s a link to fact sheets that may help.

​Write a letter to the editor of your local paper in support of the EPA’s proposed rule (or if you’re feeling really ambitious, write an op ed for the opinion page).  For help in writing a letter to the editor, click here and for fact sheets on the proposed rule click here.  If your letter gets published, let us know!  Send a note to washingtonoffice@elca.org and include a link to your letter if you can.

Sign a global climate change petition.  This September, world leaders will gather in New York City for a Climate Summit in preparation for a year of international negotiations on a new global climate change treaty.  Sign an interfaith petition on climate change asking our leaders to take strong action to combat climate change before it’s too late. Add your voice to a growing chorus of people of faith who are holding our leaders accountable on this critical issue.

Join the People’s Climate March Sept. 21, 2014 in New York City. Join thousands of other concerned citizens marching to ask world leaders to act on climate change.  If you can’t make it to New York, find (or plan) an event that weekend in your own community (here are some tools to help you plan a prayer vigil or other event in solidarity).

Want to learn more about ELCA’s commitment to advocating for public policy that supports the care for creation?  

Visit our website

Like us on Facebook

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Living Earth Reflections: Do We Really Need to Choose?

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

June 2014​

“Neither economic growth that ignores environmental cost nor conservation of nature that ignores human cost is sustainable.  Both will result in injustice and, eventually environmental degradation.  We know that a healthy economy can exist only within a healthy environment, but that it is difficult to promote both in our decisions.”

Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice (1993) 

In early June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule that will require states to work with power companies to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants.  Power plants are a major source of carbon pollution, which scientists say is causing the earth’s climate to change, posing a danger to the future of God’s people and to all of God’s creation.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton joined with Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schiori of the Episcopal Church in issuing a statement praising the new rule, noting that it will help to protect many of our neighbors and ensure a safe and healthy world for future generations.  The ELCA Advocacy office is also working to engage our network over the course of this summer to speak out in support of these rules by sending comments to the EPA, speaking at a hearing, sending a letter to the editor of a local paper, or teaching others about the importance of this rule.

But we’re getting some questions about the potential impact of this rule on the economy and on jobs.  Some groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, argue that this rule will eliminate jobs in the power sector and in fossil fuel industries, particularly coal mining.  They say that electricity prices will increase dramatically, harming low income people and businesses.

Their argument is not a new one: frequently when new environmental rules are announced business and industry representatives claim that the harm to the economy will be enormous and that the cost is not worth the impact.  The power industry made that claim in the 1990s, when the EPA moved to regulate power plant emissions to reduce acid rain.  They made that claim two years ago when the EPA finalized a rule to reduce mercury emissions.  These arguments are based in a belief that we need to choose between a healthy future for our children and economic growth.

But this is not only a tired argument, it also poses a false choice.  For example, between 1970 and 2011, emissions of common air pollutants dropped 68 percent, primarily due to the federal Clean Air Act.  At the same time, U.S. gross domestic product grew 212 percent and total private sector jobs increased by 88 percent. Because of the Clean Air Act, our air is cleaner, our economy has grown, jobs have been created in new and innovative industries, and dire predictions about the high cost and economic impact of environmental regulation have proven to be false time and time again.  In fact, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, historically the cost of complying with environmental regulations is nearly always less than estimated at the time the regulation is proposed.

Under this proposed rule, states will have flexibility in meeting the emissions standards for carbon dioxide—they will have the option of investing in renewable energy sources, promoting energy efficiency measures, and switching from coal to less polluting fossil fuels (such as natural gas) to generate electricity.  They will be able to work regionally to reduce emissions, which will help states with a heavy reliance on coal to reduce their emissions over time.  And many states are already taking these steps to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, such as California and many of the northeastern states.  Many of the states that are already reducing their emissions have actually seen their economies grow since taking those steps, even in the midst of a global recession.

Arguments that energy costs for low income Americans will increase dramatically are equally questionable—one way that power companies will be able to comply with the carbon rules is by increasing the energy efficiency of homes and businesses.  This means that they will need to provide incentives for landlords to make rental properties, including those in low income neighborhoods, use less electricity.  Businesses, including manufacturers, will also have incentive to reduce energy use, which will keep costs to consumers from rising significantly as well.  Under the rules it’s certainly possible that electricity could cost somewhat more, but we will be using less, and our air will be cleaner.

Assertions that these regulations will be too costly today also ignore the future economic costs of climate change.  A recent, bipartisan report outlines the significant future economic risks associated with climate change and extreme weather.  Sea level rise, changes in temperature and rainfall, and increases in hurricanes and other extreme events will wreak havoc on the economies of coastal states and farm states alike; increased heat across the U.S. will reduce worker productivity and require significant investments in increased energy production.  Failure to act now is a recipe for billions in economic impacts in the future.

Finally, the E.P.A. estimates that the carbon rule will have significant public health benefits, worth an estimated $55 billion to $93 billion per year in 2030. This includes avoiding 2,700 to 6,600 premature deaths and 140,000 to 150,000 asthma attacks in children. These climate and health benefits far outweigh the estimated annual costs of the plan, which are $7.3 billion to $8.8 billion in 2030.

Climate change poses a threat to our most vulnerable neighbors, as well as to the future of God’s children and all of Creation.  Unless emissions of carbon dioxide are reduced dramatically and soon, the threat of climate change will only grow worse; power plants account for nearly 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and the U.S. is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world.  Unless our country acts, along with other major emitters, the rest of the world will suffer the consequences, and so will our children.  This rule is a key way to show leadership on a critical problem and deserves our strong support.

Tell the EPA what you think! Register your comments in our Action Center​!​

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Want to learn more about ELCA’s commitment to advocating for public policy that supports the care for creation?  

Visit our website

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My 7- and 9-Year-Old Gurus

Rev. Stacy Martin, Director of Advocacy

June 23, 2014

“Mom, are you mad at me?” my 7-year old asked, a little cautiously. The way I’d been communicating – terse sentences in a not-so-warm tone – her question was a legitimate one. And she was a brave little soul to even ask the question.

Except I wasn’t angry. And certainly not with her.

Stacy

In answering, I apologized for making her feel that way and told her that I wasn’t angry, just annoyed. “At me?” she asked with worry. “No, no, love bug.” “At what, then?” she asked in an exasperated tone that reminded me a bit too much of myself.

This second question gave me more pause than the first. For the life of me, I couldn’t put my finger on the source of my general state of annoyance. And, well, that just annoyed me all the more.

Why was I so annoyed? After all, it was the weekend.  The weather was perfect and the forecast promised pleasant weather for the remainder of the weekend. I’d gotten most of the tasks I’d set out to do accomplished.

And then it occurred to me. I’d gotten my list accomplished at an expense. Both of my girls had asked me at some point over the weekend to play with them. There had been a time when I took playing with them for granted, but as they have gotten older, I’d thought I knew better than to squander those precious opportunities, as they get fewer and fewer.

I was annoyed that I had chosen to use my time in the opposite manner I had hoped I would.

When my daughter pressed me, I realized I had yet to heed the advice of the wise grandparents in our lives — who constantly remind us to slow down – to take those opportunities as they come. Even if it means a few more dust bunnies in the corners of the living room and a few more chores left undone on Sunday evening.

It occurred to me that I let the momentum of the too-busy work week get the best of the days set aside to rest, rejuvenate, reconnect. I try to make up for lost time, just not with the most important people in my life. It’s cliché, I know. But I suppose it’s cliché for a reason.

So, I went from feeling annoyed to feeling guilty. And guilt does very little in the way of making one more amicable.

I happen to be a member of a Lutheran church and it was at this point in our weekend that I reminded myself how grateful I am for my faith heritage and life. Lutherans have a thing or two to say about guilt. Mainly that guilt makes for bad company, so get over yourself and move on so that you can love and serve. Lutherans also have something to say about the fullness of the human experience. In short, Lutherans say you’re more than your profession and certainly more than a perfectly-kept house, so, again, get over yourself so that you can love and serve.

At my most frail and selfish moments, I find that my children lead me with the kind of perceptive and valuable questions I’d expect from a guru. I just hope I don’t let the frenzy of the work week and all those bothersome dust bunnies keep me from hearing and learning from them over and over again.

This blog was originally posted by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism​. ​

2014 UN Convention on Climate Change in Germany

Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Advocacy

Backsliding

​​Fri. June 6, 2014

My hotel in Bonn has a “green roof”–this is the view out my window of the tiny plants that are keeping stormwater from running off the roof and polluting the nearby Rhine River.  Germany has a lot of environmental initiatives underway–I’ve seen tons of solar panels on rooftops, for example–but a German colleague tells me that the laws and policies that have encouraged investment in solar and other renewable energy technologies are under fire from politicians who consider them a waste of taxpayer dollars. Sounds familiar!

​Green RoofEarth

 

 

 

 

 

Although a number of U.S. states have led the way in pushing for wider adoption of renewable energy technologies like solar and wind, efforts are underway to undermine state renewable standards. Just last week in Columbus, the Ohio legislature passed legislation that proposes to freeze all the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency standards.  A similar effort to roll back a state renewable standard is underway in Minnesota, which has been a regional leader in fighting climate change. ​

Renewable energy standards like Ohio’s are one way that states could implement the carbon standards for power generation that were proposed this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency–expanding sources of clean, renewable energy is one way to reduce the use of coal and other fossil fuels to generate power.  The proposed carbon rule is getting a lot of positive attention in Bonn this week–it’s seen as the U.S. showing real leadership in the fight against climate change and a positive step as parties begin to negotiate a new climate treaty.  However, if states (and countries like Germany) scale back their commitment to renewable power it sends an unfortunate message–that we don’t consider renewable energy an important investment in our future–and jeopardizes our leadership on climate change.

bonn​

​​​Skyline of Bonn, Germany

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The “High Level” Meeting That Wasn’t

Wed. June 4, 2014​

​Today marks the beginning of what’s known as an intersessional meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.  Generally the annual Conference of the Parties to the convention is held in December and the location varies; these intersessional meetings happen in Bonn, where the UNFCCC secretariat has its offices.  This meeting is considered critical because the parties need to begin to agree on targets and measures for a new climate change agreement by the end of 2015, so these interim meetings are taking on a greater role.

​Or are they?

Conference Room

This meeting was supposed to begin with a two day “high level” meeting of ministers–senior government officials who are able to make pledges on behalf of their countries.  However, it turns out that very few ministers will be in attendance and many of the people gathered here in Bonn for the next two weeks are concerned that this signals a lack of commitment to the ongoing negotiations.  Oh, and the U.S. is one of the list of countries that hasn’t sent a minister (or minister equivalent) to Bonn–Special Envoy Todd Stern will not be here.

Does this signal a lack of commitment to global action on climate change by the U.S. government?  In a week where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its strongest proposal to date to cut US carbon dioxide emissions, maybe not.  But it certainly means that people who are concerned about climate change need to continue to push our leaders to make the issue a priority.

Living Earth Reflections: Fear and Hope

Mary Minette, ELCA Director of Environmental Advocacy

​May 2014​

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​”Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” – Matthew 8:26

Like the disciples in Matthew, we are only human and often fear the unknown, the disruptive, the strange. But as the disciples learned, faith in God can help to still our fears and generate hope even in the midst of disruption and storm. ​

Recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first and second parts of their fifth assessment on the current state of scientific research regarding climate change. The first part of the report once again confirmed that the majority of that research supports the conclusion that global average temperatures are increasing as a result of human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels to generate energy, and that temperature increases are driving significant changes in earth’s climate.

The second section of the report, titled “Climate Change 2014: Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability” confirms for the first time since the IPCC began releasing these assessments more than two decades ago that impacts of this human-caused climate change are now observable around the globe, and highlights the extreme vulnerability of low income people to these impacts both now and in the future. The IPCC report predicts with a high degree of certainty that climate change will have significant, negative impacts on global food security unless emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are cut dramatically. Rising temperatures and increased drought is already impacting staple crop yields in some regions, and those impacts will continue; the report also predicts declines in fish populations as ocean temperatures grow warmer — between 40 and 60 percent in tropical regions. It also outlines how freshwater resources are already under strain in many areas as glaciers retreat, endangering the water supplies that billions depend on for drinking, sanitation and growing crops.

Adding to this sense of urgency, on May 6 the White House released the third National Climate Assessment, a report summarizing contributions from scientists working for government agencies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations around the United States. The report outlined the current impacts that climate change is having around the country, ranging from coastal flooding to extreme drought.

These reports are pretty frightening, and they could lead us to the kind of hand-wringing fatalism engaged in by Christ’s disciples in the story told in Matthew: before Jesus wakes and calms the waters, they are loudly proclaiming their imminent death, having lost sight of the fact that they have the Son of God on the boat with them.

When something big and momentous (and scary) is about to happen in Scripture, God often sends a messenger to those who will be most affected. He sends an angel to Mary to tell her that she will bear the Son of God — and his first words to her are, “Do not be afraid.” Mary responds positively to this message, praising God and rejoicing in this gift. In contrast, when her kinsman Zechariah prays for a child, and God sends an angel to tell him, “Do not be afraid,” and that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a child, he rejects the message and God strikes him mute until the event comes to pass. Zechariah, like the disciples, gives in to his fear.

So how should we respond to the big, scary news in the IPCC reports? Do we let our fear rule and throw up our hands, proclaiming that the end is near? Do we ignore the message (and the messengers) like Zechariah and fail to see that God offers us hope in the midst of troubles?

Or do we put our faith in God and live in the hope of the risen Christ, rejoicing in the abilities that we have been given to adapt and respond to this challenge? Instead of giving in to despair, can we welcome the opportunity to change our hearts and our ways, embracing what can be done to use less energy, to move to a fossil-free energy future and to help our most vulnerable neighbors adapt to weather extremes and other climate impacts?

Climate change is happening, but do not be afraid. God is with us.

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Want to learn more about ELCA’s commitment to advocating for public policy that supports the care for creation?  

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Lutheran Pastors Travel to D.C. to Advocate for the World’s Most Vulnerable

Tia Upchurch-Freelove, ELCA Advocacy Office

May 14, 2014

​Last week, faith leaders from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak out in support of f​​unding for life-saving humanitarian and poverty-focused development assistance (PFDA) programs.

Two ELCA pastors, the Rev. Amy Truhe and the Rev. John Backus, joined these leaders on Capitol Hill to share their commitment to promoting the dignity of all people, including the world’s most vulnerable. The Rev. Amy Truhe serves as pastor for Scherer Memorial Lutheran Church in Chapman, Kan. The Rev. John Backus visited from Trinity Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., where he co-pastors with his wife, the Rev. Liz Backus.

I met with Pastor Truhe and Pastor Backus before their day on Capitol Hill to ask why they felt compelled to advocate for policies that provide support to those living in poverty and suffering from hunger.

Pastor Amy Truhe_Pastor John Backus

Pastor John Backus: My son is from Thailand and is 29 years old. When I adopted him he was between 3 and 5 years old. When I got him he was dying of malnutrition. It was a year of having enough to eat every day and having all the things he could ask for as a child growing up in rural Minnesota before he stopped hiding food in his room … before I could get him to stop stealing from his playmates. … That changed him and he is still repairing the damage done. Every child on the face of the planet that goes to bed hungry is a threat to the safety and security of those who have enough to eat.

Pastor Amy Truhe: We are so immensely gifted that we don’t understand what we have. My sister [who was adopted from Korea] was left in a box because her mother didn’t have enough and couldn’t take care of her child. How horrible for a mother to have to make that decision! I am here because I feel passionate about this.

Pastor Truhe went on to describe that even after working with children who live in the U.S. and have experienced extreme poverty here, it is still difficult to imagine living in a place where those who are hungry cannot even attempt to scrounge for food because there are no extras.

After the pastors met with congressional offices, I caught up with Pastor Backus to ask how his experience has helped shape or alter the way he views advocacy in the ELCA.

Pastor John Backus: I am glad that the ELCA is involved in advocacy for those who have less than they need. It is important, as we give aid to people and help them become more food-safe, that we ask [those in] power the question, “Why do hunger and need continue to exist on a planet of abundance?”

I will be telling other ELCA Nebraskans what a positive experience we had in D.C. … I will also encourage people to speak with their representative[s] and senator[s], [to tell] those folk of their concern for the world’s poor. 

We thank Pastor Backus and Pastor Truhe for their hard work and dedication to ELCA’s advocacy efforts.

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Visit ELCA World Hunger to donate today!​

“Our God Shows Up to Fight for Justice” – Reflections on Advocacy Efforts Throughout the World

Lauren Blatt, MDiv Student, Lutheran Theological Seminary – Pennsylvania

​May 12, 2014​

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Last week, the Lutheran Office for World Community (NY) hosted the 2014 Nolde Seminar on Theology and Human Rights. The seminar explores questions about the dignity of human life, its relation to Christian and spiritual values, and the challenges facing the international community. ​This call to focus on international human rights was inspired by Dr. Frederick Nolde​ and his family. Dr. Nolde was Dean of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and taught Christian Education from the 1940’s through the 1960’s. He helped influence the UN Charter in promoting global human rights, and wrote the Religious Freedom section in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  ​

​Lauren Blatt, ​who is presently attending the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia to achieve a Master’s of Divinity, gives us her insights into the 2014 Seminar below.​

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​Finding God’s Work

The thing about God is that you can never be quite sure what God is up to… As people of faith, we look at the entire world through theological spectacles even when we don’t try. It’s not a conscious recollection of what God has done in our lives or a realization of what God is doing in our lives. This is just how we see the world and how we see God. That is not to say that we don’t get angry or throw our hands toward the heavens in exhaustion and wonder at times why God has yet to make things right. We expect quick answers, we expect our infinite and intimate God to topple the systems of oppression in our society, but that is not quite who our God is…Our God is a God who shows up in the suffering. Our God shows up in the last reasonable place we would ever think to look. Our God shows up in a stable, walking the dusty roads, and on a cross to die the death of a criminal.

What is more, our God shows up to fight for justice with us. Our God accompanies us as we consider the evils of our society. Our God opens our eyes and breaks our hearts when the least, the last and the lost experience great upsets—Suddenly we realize that WE ARE the least, the last, and the lost. We realize that we have nothing more than the marginalized, the downtrodden, or the heartbroken. We have what they have, namely Jesus the Christ.

​Over a three-day stint we met with members of the United Nations community. We met with people affiliated with faith-based organizations, and we met with individuals who worked on a strictly secular basis. We heard speakers from across the world and within various different disciples. We heard about apartheid in the Holy Land, the reconciliation efforts in South Africa, the global food crisis, and many other important topics. We were exhausted, not simply because we were jam packed with speakers, but because we were moved and propelled by the Holy Spirit to consider action. Our hearts were moved by God through the mouth of every speaker to seek justice and love mercy, all the while knowing that Christ walks with us in our times of great triumph and immeasurable pain.

Nolde_4_Ambassador Mashabane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We began to recognize the myth that our church is dying—that all churches are dying. We were moved to realize that our God is doing something amazing in this world, our God is doing something incredible in this world, our God is doing something in this world—it is so bright. God is not finished with this world, and our God loves us more than anything we could ever imagine. Our God is a God of abundance—abundant love, blessing, perseverance, and above all abundant accompaniment—our God will never leave us. ​

Living Through Christ

The author of the Gospel of Luke writes (referring to Jesus), “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel…” There is nothing that gets to the heart of disappointment, the heart of what it meant to be human than to say, “We had hoped”. It refers to the disciples’ hope that Jesus was the one that they had waited for throughout history—the one who would finally take away the pain. The disciples knew what it was like to live in a world of sin and death. Even after Jesus is raised from the dead, it is clear that the disciples and the rest of the human populace still live in a world of sin and death—they still live in a field of crosses. Each and every one of us is still hanging on the cross because we have not yet been raised. A life lived for Christ, a life propelled by Christ, is a life that is lived cruciform. We live in relationship to God (vertically), but the only way that this relationship works is through the relationships that we have (horizontally) with our brothers and sisters on earth. It is through our love for our neighbors that we are able to love God. When we realize that Christ is in every person our hearts burn in the knowing, but our hearts also burn with justice—knowing that the grace that God has given us is one that demands a response. This response remains separate from our salvation, but it is a response that happens when the grace of God overflows from our cups.

The reality of the United Nations is one that we, as Christians, and as humans can be proud of… like Mother Theresa writes, “We have forgotten that we belong to one another”. We belong to each other. We are all one. We must take action against sin, death, and the devil—we must take action against injustice because every human has inalienable rights that reflect the human’s relationship to God. We are made in God’s image and because of this reality we are bearers of God. God resides in us, our faces reflect the face of God, and actions against humanity—crimes against humanity, against human dignity are against God. There is much work to be done in our world, and we recognize how easy it is to throw our hands in the air after pure exhaustion, but the reality is that our God calls us to action. To steal the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s phrase, “It’s God’s work, our hands”.

Jonathan, Trena, Joshua, Theresa, Jessica, Daniel, and I were honored to spend time with representatives to the United Nations and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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