Waco Tribune Herald Archives
Bee Moorhead, guest column: Global warming as Christian concern? Of course
Published July 13, 2008
It takes quite a leap of faith to see Texas as a national leader in global warming solutions.
But if there's anything Texas has plenty of, it's faith — from Protestant evangelical fervor to contemplative Catholic spirituality to Eastern mysticism and beyond.
And in growing numbers, communities of faith across Texas are moving by leaps and bounds to respond to the moral imperative of global warming.
They're moving out of their traditional activities and comfort zones to study, pray and take action, because at its core, global warming is a moral and spiritual hazard. It's about relationships gone wrong — relationships between people and the natural world, between the privileged few and the disadvantaged many, between believers and God. Taking steps to address global warming means more than cutting carbon emissions—it means claiming our responsibility to restore broken relationships and "mend the world."
Texas faith communities have taken big steps lately, all the way from the giant Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, which implemented energy efficiency measures that are preventing the release of 10.5 million pounds of CO2 annually, to the small-but-mighty Austin Quaker Meeting, whose members now tout a huge new solar electric system that is powering their place of worship while sending clean, renewable power back into the grid for the rest of Austin to enjoy.
Other faith communities across the state, such as Houston's 10,000-member Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, are seeing the light when it comes to cost-benefiting energy efficiency measures, and they are encouraging their members to improve efficiency at home. Austin's Congregation Beth Israel held a unique youth fundraiser — instead of selling breakfast tacos, they sold compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Congregations are also weaving environmental stewardship into their other mission programs: San Antonio's Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is one of many churches distributing CFLs together with food and other assistance for low-income families.
Texas faith communities are choosing in increasing numbers to power their houses of worship with clean, safe, renewable power — through their own solar installations and through electric providers' green purchasing programs. The North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church made headlines last year as the first denominational body in the U.S. to make a bulk contract for green power on behalf of its member churches.
Many Texas faith communities are engaging global warming through their participation in Texas Interfaith Power & Light, one of 28 state "IPL" programs across the United States helping faith communities provide a religious response to global warming that includes both reflection and action. We're taking direct action to reduce our own global warming emissions, but we're also advocating for just public policies because we believe that part of caring for the creation means participating in the discussion about public policies affecting it.
We were encouraged to see Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett taking a significant step last week by introducing the "Climate Matters" Act. It is cause for celebration that a member of our Texas congressional delegation is taking a leadership role in this issue in which Texas looms so large, both as a past offender but even more importantly as a key source of clean energy solutions for the future.
The act addresses global warming, laying out a plan to reduce U.S. emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, in part through investment in clean technology and renewable resources. As people of faith, we are glad to see Congressman Doggett balancing the very real environmental protections in his bill with equally real protections for the disadvantaged, especially low-income families.
Addressing global warming is a daunting project for Texas and the U.S. It's going to take more than science and technology to navigate the next few decades — it's going to take courage and hope and faith. It's good news for everyone that Texas faith communities are on the case.
Bee Moorhead is executive director of Texas Interfaith Power & Light and a member of University Presbyterian Church in Austin.
(c) 2008 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - Waco Tribune-Herald