This issue of A Public Witness reports on three unconventional Ash Wednesday services focused on environmentalism, death penalty abolition, and slavery reparations. Each one serves as a glimpse into how this season of spiritual reflection can inspire public action.
White conservative evangelicals, who make up most of the religious right movement, largely oppose government regulation to protect the environment, including efforts to curb human-caused climate change. Contrary to popular perception, however, this hasn’t always been the case.
Many reasons have been suggested as to why highly religious Americans are less likely to be worried about climate change or work to try to stem it. But in the end, a new Pew Research survey concludes, it’s all about politics. Massive gaps in views
With the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference beginning this coming Sunday in Egypt, we are offering a piece originally published as the cover story of Word&Way magazine in October 2019 but which has never been published online. In addition to making an argument for
The community-based air quality monitoring initiative, AirWatch St. Louis, has been keeping track of what’s in the city’s air since December 2021. Low-cost sensors are placed on the roofs of Metropolitan Congregations United churches spread throughout the city to measure particulate matter, a mixture of
The National Association of Evangelicals unveiled a sweeping report Monday on climate change, laying out what its authors call the “biblical basis” for environmental activism to help spur fellow evangelicals to address the planetary environmental crisis. But the authors admit persuading evangelicals is no small
Symbolically and spiritually, the river is of mighty significance to many. Physically, the Lower Jordan River of today is a lot more meager than mighty. By the time it reaches the baptismal site, its dwindling water looks sluggish, a dull brownish green shade. Its decline
A prominent mainline Christian denomination plans to divest from five oil companies it believes are not doing enough to address climate change. The vote to divest from Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero Energy comes after years of debate in the Presbyterian
Colombia and the Brazilian Amazon remain two major hotspots for deadly attacks on environmental defenders, a new report from human rights and environmental NGO Global Witness reveals. Read full piece
A recent report from Washington University outlined how African Americans in St. Louis face greater environmental risks than white residents. Green the Church Summit is an annual conference aimed at promoting environmental justice and sustainability among black churches.