“We trust in Your promises, O God, that “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).”
—A Christian Prayer for Those Suffering From Wildfires, Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise, GreenFaith US, Jan 2025.
As I write this in mid-January, Los Angeles is on fire. Nearly 30,000 acres have burned (twice the area of Manhattan); 10,000 buildings have been destroyed; 130,000 people have been displaced, and 11 people have died. When finished, the fires will be one of the costliest disasters in history, with estimates currently more than $50 billion and rising.
The wildfires of Los Angeles are deeply personal for me. It’s hard to watch places we’ve experienced and loved going up in flames. Melissa and I spent our residencies living in LA, and fondly recall taking in an evening concert at the Hollywood Bowl, hiking the hills of Griffith Park, and strolling the boardwalks of Hermosa or Manhattan Beach.
But the world is a different place that it was twenty years ago when we lived there. The reasons for this are not mysterious or political: they are scientific. Human-attributable warming of our planet has resulted in less rain leading to drought, more intense heat, and fiercer winds. A predictable recipe for the heartbreaking disasters we have seen unfold in the City of Angels.
Of course, we are seeing the impacts not only in places like California, but right here in New Jersey as well. Rising seas are reclaiming land from our coastline and riverfronts. Severe, protracted droughts are impacting viability of our family farmer neighbors.
It’s time to recognize that the benefits of continuing to use extractive fuels no longer outweigh the risks. Better – and cheaper – low-carbon alternatives exist, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and even nuclear.
So, if it’s not a question of science, technology, or economics, then it must be a moral and ethical – and even religious – one. Do we believe that our continued use of fossil fuels, to the detriment of literally millions of people, is right in the eyes of God? Or is there a better way, one that still provides for us while also lifting us all up in God’s image? The ELCA Social Statement “Caring for Creation” reminds us that being made in the image of God comes with an urgent call to care for the earth, and that includes a call to congregations to advocate for moving away from reliance on fossil fuels. St. Matthew supports this statement of the ELCA.
Fortunately, there are many Lutheran and Interfaith groups who are bearing witness, bringing us hope that we can move to a more righteous path. If you are interested in learning more, or becoming involved, here is a sampling of the organizations carrying out God’s ministry of caring for creation (including humans) during this time of climate crisis:
Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR)
LDR is a global organization that is part of the ELCA, focused on long-term recovery efforts for victims of natural disasters. Long after a disaster has occurred, LDR stays at work in affected communities for the duration of the difficult months and years ahead. Learn more.
Interfaith Power & Light (IPL)
Formed in 2000, IPL is a national organization whose mission is to inspire and mobilize people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change. Active in all 50 states, the group coordinates Faith Climate Action Week each April during Earth Month. IPL also organizes the Faith Votes Campaign, a nonpartisan initiative to inspire and mobilize people of faith and conscience to express their faithful values of caring for our common home and living out mutual love and respect for one another through the power of voting. Learn more.
World Council of Churches (WCC)
Founded in 1948, the Council comprises 352 member churches representing more than half a billion Christians, including the Lutheran World Federation. The WCC Programme, “Care for Creation and Climate Justice,” conducts international advocacy and coordinates the annual ecumenical Season of Creation. Learn more.
GreenFaith
Initially formed in New Jersey in 1992, GreenFaith has evolved into a worldwide multi-faith climate and environmental movement seeking to support a just transition away from extractive fuels and toward green jobs and economies. GreenFaith seeks to empower communities around the globe in advocacy and activism, through outreach events, contextualized eco-theology education, and organizing/campaigning skills training. GreenFaith is active in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Learn more.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
With the issuance of the Social Statement “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice” in 1993, and more recently the 2023 Social Message “Earth’s Climate Crisis,” the ELCA declared the moral imperative of Lutherans taking action to end exploitative practices against nature, and the urgency to address global climate change through a just transition away from fossil fuels. Through its ELCA Advocacy Ministries, the ELCA instructs us to act as “servant kings” through individual, congregational, and community actions and advocacy. The ELCA has also formed or supported several groups focused on environmental & climate advocacy, including Lutherans Restoring Creation, Lutheran Disaster Relief, and more recently, Creation Justice Ministries. Learn more.