Was a week ago now that I dropped in on the RIIPL conference in Providence. It was billed as the "second annual interfaith conference on developing a religious community response to climate change in Rhode Island."
For the faith-based community! A leading national speaker on stewardship of Creation, 16 exhibitors 8 workshops RI - IPL presents: Faith Lights Our Way... toward a sustainable future La SALLE ACADEMY, 612 Academy Avenue, Providence, RI Thursday January 8, 2009, 5 pm - 9:30 pm. A conference for clergy, lay leaders, parents, educators, business people, students and other interested persons.
Plenty of green stuff there, and lots of discussion on climate change including keynote speaker [Reverend Canon] Sally Bingham, patron saint of Interfaith Power and Light. I must also say I thought the whole event was extremely well run and organized. So kudos to RIIPL and the organizers.
But since this is an inter-faith eco conference, did faith really "light the way?"
I'll get to that. First, some reporting...
UPDATE: Howie Brown emailed to say The Rhode Island Catholic ran two favorable stories on last week's conference. The feature news story is here. An article from the student's perspective here.
UPDATE: No dissent allowed.
THE LA SALLE ACADEMY campus venue was convenient to south Mass and Rhode Island. I saw folks from other areas of New England too. The student environmental club provided the horsepower for the event, and we got a friendly greeting from them.
Having a Christian university host an interfaith ecology conference gave a sense, at least initially, that both faith and practicality were on the agenda that night. Obviously La Salle was also chosen as neutral ground. Hosting RIIPL at a church might dampen the whole inter-faith thing for non-Christians in attendance.
The schedule afforded folks a couple hours in the school cafeteria to interact with environmental groups, energy companies like National Grid, and green product vendors. I've found I get more out of these trade show type things when I skip the sales pitch and try to connect with the people in the crowd and behind the counters.
One of those I found enjoying her free stuff was Keri Carvalho. She's the Director of Religious Ed at St Judes, Lincoln RI. She liked all the great ideas, "Things you don't think of."
I told her I thought that was a good point. A lot of greening churches now is common sense, and the same sorts of things most folks are already doing at home. Somebody that evening mentioned getting rid of the old refrigerators that seem to plague rectory kitchens. I need to look at the one at our church this weekend.
I wandered over to Mary Gilbert's table at Quaker Earthcare Witness. I've had a blogroll link to their homepage for a couple years now and wanted to see what she had to offer. Most of her handouts (she had a bunch!) were pretty earthy stuff like organic gardening. Since I'm a member of Evangelical Friends in Newport we ended up talking mostly about the history of Quakers and Friends churches in New England, as subject she knew a ton about. I asked about her stance on ecology as a Christian. Her response: "I've made no success in not being eco-involved."
I had about 20 minutes before the keynote speaker and saw Mary Welsh and Matt Martinelli standing by their
Lights Out Green-In table. Their pitch is rather simple: Convince corporations and other large office spaces to turn off their lights during lunch hour (11:00-13:00) to save energy.
Matt's got a blog post of his impressions from RIIPL here. "Preaching to the choir" indeed!
Speaking of preaching, I asked random folks about faith and ecology. Most were ambivalent. Yey, great to see religious folks interested in the environment, that sort of thing. Many like me were pleased/surprised at the number of green industry groups with displays. Most of the religious groups were there sorta incognito, unlike other Christian ecology conferences I've been to. Here's the list of sponsors (from their handout):
- People's Power and Light
- New england GreenStart
- Rhode Island State Council of Churches
- NationalGrid and Rhode Island Housing
- Jewish Federation of RI
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence
- American Baptist Churches of RI
- Episcopal Diocese of RI
- United Methodist Church
- United Church of Christ
- Rise Engineering
- Glacial Energy
- Blarney Stone Energy
- Quaker Earthcare Witness
- SolarWrights
- Apeiron Institute
- Interfaith Community Gardens,
- Barrington Books
- Wilson Educational Services
- US Green Building Council (RI Chapter) and RI State Office of Energy Resources
- RI Audubon Society
- Several churches, including Beneficent Congregational, Newman Congregational, Channing Memorial, Providence Friends, and Smithfield Friends.
The exhibits were fine, folks were nice, and the information (including free CFLs) was generally helpful. I hope they recycled what wasn't given out.
~
THE KEYNOTE speech kicked off about 7:00pm with the introduction of Rev. Bingham, following right behind a convocational prayer by La Salle Academy's Br. Mc Kenery.
Bingham is infamous in religious climate change circles. Folks like (former NEA Veep) Rich Cizik and Al Gore wax fondly of her. Her introduction by Rabbi Amy Levin of Temple Torat-Yisrael noted her leadership of the Regeneration Project generally and Interfaith Power and Light specifically, and her board membership of the Environmental Defense Fund, the sometimes alarmist Environmental Working Group, and the open-minded (but staunchly global warmist) Union of Concerned Scientists.
I recorded her speech by shorthand instead of by laptop. My notes of her speech - less the stuff in quotes - is a thought capture rather than a transcript of what she said. As influential as she is in religious ecology, her thoughts are still important whether you agree with them or not.
- She led in with a story about a recent Christmas pageant. There was a "ring of joy" and an awareness in the world; a new hope she said hasn't been around for a while. Children were relating what they were thankful for, and the most memorable was one kid who was thankful because we "elected a smart president." It's a new kind of hope, "not because of the Christ child - there was some of that - but there was a mysterious wave of hope" related to Obama's election. "Hope is a verb with your sleeves rolled up" she said, and we should work to this end. "We have to make the world that we live in."
- We are part of nature. We have to re-define our role in creation. [I wonder if she sees how incongruent those two thoughts are. ed]. We are stewards of what we have been given.
- Based on the IPCC's work, climate change is real, global warming emissions are rising faster than predicted, arctic ice is disappearing, tropical storms are worse, 20,000 species a year are disappearing, etc. Our "inter-connectedness of life and biodiversity will be the next priority for the religious community after climate change."
- "Scientists are today's prophets. We need to listen to them." Scientists, in turn, are recognizing we have a "moral obligation" to the planet and need religion to play a role in this. These scientists say we have a scant few years to turn this around. Maybe 2-3 at best. Failure to respond is "insulting to God and to our relationship with other people." The good news, she said, is things have shifted from convincing people we need to do something to "what to do."
- Historically, she said, the relationship between science and faith on ecology began with Carl Sagan in 1990. Folks started re-reading the Bible and struggling with what it said about ecology. Until about 10 years ago the church ducked its responsibility. "This is about the well-being of the entire life communion." She compared that generation to Doubting Thomas skeptics. Religion plays the most important role in changing behavior, even more than politics and science. [Actually that's 100% right, which is why a global religion - not global political or economic systems - are the greatest indicator of the end of the age. ed] She cited Rich Cizik's trip to visit Sir John Houghton, the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew condemning pollution as sin, and Matt Sleeth's Dominionism 2.0 as watershed discussions within green religious circles. She compared the slow uptake of religious people to climate change as akin to putting up with slavery [wasn't it Christians who decried slavery? ed] and the tobacco industry. War, terror and poverty are bad, but they all pale compared to the threat of climate change.
- Why wait? "Think about something or someone you love, and then that it or they are terminally ill. There is a cure, but you have to wait 2 or 3 years to administer it." This is equivalent, she says, to the pace of global warmist legislation. "We have all the technology but no political will. People are dying!" She notes that much of this technology will advance our economy/prosperity/security, so again, why, she says, are we waiting?
- I didn't catch if it was Thomas Berry she was talking about, but she referenced a theologian who asked whether or not the human species was still viable. This rolled into a stunning series of statements about her reason for renewed hope in mankind: "Enough are aware" of climate change. "We are evolving as a species, maturing as a society." Through the internet our intellect is expanding and "collective consciousness" is "evolving" to a more mature state.
- Turning to politics, the whole room swooned whenever she mentioned The O. Obama is "putting carbon cuts in economic stimulus." She mentioned RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's political stance on CO2 reduction. And then there was a reverent mention of Al Gore's Nobel Prize. With the religious community now engaged, there is a "creative liturgy" among lawmakers to turn the discussion away from abortion and same-sex marriage to global warmism. "Stewardship of the planet is our greatest moral responsibility" and a generational priority ahead of war, poverty and terrorism.
- She wrapped up with examples of parishes and church buildings that were leading in green construction and technology, including her own parish in San Francisco, the Vatican, and a group in Pennsylvania [Andy Rudine? - didn't catch it. ed].
~
DO I HAVE TO say it? There was lots that evening about politicians leading, lots about sincere green people doing, lots about scientists prophesying, and plenty of important theologians discussing.
But ya know, Jesus wasn't mentioned once.
Not even by a Canon of the Christian Church. I was waiting for her to say His name, and I honestly don't think she ever did. If somebody was there and heard it, drop me a note. Send me an audio clip. To be fair neither Mohammad nor Buddha came up either, which was sort of a short-change for those two guys, since even Al Gore got a mention. Maybe Jesus' presence was simply understood by the fact that La Salle was hosting the event. Strangely, not even God came up much. Brother Mc Kenery quoted St. Francis, who gave the Lord credit for critters.
Caveat: I did head out before the workshops. If somebody attended one where this sort of thing came up, let me know.
Obama got his due though. In a conference on faith and ecology I though that was out of place. I got a thrill down my leg - and not the good kind - when she told that story about the kids and the manger scene. It sounded to me like the hope of the world has more to do with a Chicago politician than a baby born in Bethlehem. If somebody had spoken along the lines of Obama's faith leading him to make his decisions on the environment, I'd be OK with that. Nope. It was the incoming president as a man larger than life, not a man who credits Someone larger than himself.
This whole interfaith groupthink boggles me. There doesn't seem to be any "faith" in the "inter." I would rather see respectful debate and honest disagreement between a Christian and a Muslim and a Jew and a Buddhist on whether somebody needs to be saved to be one of God's ecologists. Instead, everybody seems to hang up their faith spurs at the door. Maybe folks are too worried about offending. I get it. But what it leads to is a whole discussion about faith and environmentalism that never gets to the most important issue: Faith in What?
The whole point of faith-based ecology is a relationship with God that establishes ones credibility as a steward of creation. The Christian (and I believe the Reverend Sally is one) believes that one comes to a relationship with the Creator through what Jesus did on the cross. The core of what makes us green Christians should be a new life, full of the Holy Spirit, exercising the love of God out in the world.
Did "faith light the way" at that conference? I'd say most certainly. But by and large it was heavy on faith in politicians and religious people and a little thin on faith in God.
Great writeup - thanks!
What a great perspective you have.....and communicated! I could not have wrapped it up any better than you. Very insightful. God is THE reason to be good stewards.
Andy
www.safespray.com
www.kickstartgreen.com
God was mentioned seven times and Jesus once. It is an interfaith ministry and I try not to focus on Christian doctrine with an interfaith audience. Muslims and Buddhist were both mentioned. too bad you didn't catch that. Also the first and great commandment. Love God and love your neighbor are the grounding principles of the talk I gave. Nowhere was Obama mentioned in the story about the Cathedral Christmas pageant. That is an assumption that you made, not me. I said that with all the darkness in the world now (that children were aware of) there was still a strong sense of hope. "Yeah, tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, tho art with me". That was the deeper message that you missed.
I believe that if you received my talk with the notion that politics was more important than religion, other must have also. I will have to be more pointed and firm when I say that this is a religious issue, not only a political one. How we respond to climate change is a reflection of our relationship with GOD. something, I did say-twice. Thanks for your critic-it is helpful.
Thanks for the write up. I'm not sure how you could report the speaker's introduction by a rabbi and then criticize that Jesus' name wasn't mentioned sufficiently -- to repeat Sally's comment, this is not a Christian ecology conference, but interfaith. Not sure of the meaning of your commment that exhibitors were incognito. Not clear why you perceived that faith was insufficiently present -- every notice was sent out through a congregation or denomination office, with only a handful of small-scale exceptions, no secular advertising is done at all -- it is the global warming conference of and by the faith-based community. That there is a convergence of interfaith ecology and political power-shift at the time of this year's conference is a simply a fortunate coincidence. It would be simply unrealistic to ignore politicial developments for an organization committed to bring about change, even though the motivation for that change is faith-based.
Writing as RIIPL director, we appreciate your perceptions and coverage.
Sally (and Howie),
Honored by your thoughts, and share your affection for dogs. :-) Mean that sincerely. By your kind words it's clear we can agree to disagree and remain in fellowship.
A decade ago I was the environmental director for Naval Air Station Misawa up in northern Japan. Every Earth Day weekend I led a large group of folks from the base on a clean-up of Lake Towada Park. We were usually joined by a hundred or so people from the surrounding area.
It wasn't uncommon for the locals to track me down afterwards to talk about how great it was that a bunch of Americans were picking up trash at a Japanese park. Atsiko-san was one of those. She was a devout Buddhist. She said Buddha would like what I was doing.
I said I was a Christian, and asked if we could talk.
As we sat under that pink canopy of Japanese cherry trees, I told her Buddha's teaching didn't explain why we should take care of creation. Buddha told us to attain enlightenment and be one with nature, but there's no way sinful people can do that. Just looking around, I said, it's obvious that people are natural polluters. If they weren't we wouldn't be there picking up trash.
I shared with her Genesis 2, how the earth and everything in it was created by God to be perfect, and how people were created in His image. I told her the earth was cursed by mankind's sin in Genesis 3. I told her Jesus came to die for the sins of the world, and when He did that, he also broke the curse on the earth. I told her what Paul said in Romans 8, that all creation groans for the salvation of mankind, because only a new heart could understand God's heart. And I told her the only way she could be free of that curse herself and truly desire God's heart for creation was to ask Jesus to be her savior.
She sat quietly for a moment. She said she'd never heard a Christian say something like that before. She sat quietly again. Then she asked me how she could become a Christian. We prayed together and she accepted Christ as her savior.
My observations posted here are aimed less at you both as keynote and organizer than they are at the Christian community who call themselves ecologists. Most are concerned with interfaith harmony. Not nearly are concerned enough with the fact that those around them recycling their trash and cutting their CO2 are on their way to hell. We are ashamed of the Gospel at the exact moment when our very act of loving creation affords us the opportunity to share Christ with people who would never darken the door of a church.
Every act of healing Christ did addressed both the physical and spiritual need. His life was given to draw all men and women unto His Father, whether Jew or Samaritan or Roman, pantheist or atheist. If we are bent by His Spirit to engage in healing the earth, shouldn't it be clear that we're after the same thing?
Grace and peace,
db
Keri Carvalho does a great job at St. Jude church as the religious ed director. Do you know that before working at St. Jude's, she worked at the Disney Store at the Emerald Square Mall. Fr. Bernard Lavin, the pastor of St. Jude church in Lincoln, RI, used to tease her from the pulpit from time to time. He would call her "Keri from QVC," alluding to the fact that she could sell anything to anyone.
How very nice that you featured Mrs. Carvalho.
You do a really great job with this site. It is FANTASTIC!
It's GREAT!