November 23, 2010

CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined 56 denominations and faith-based organizations in calling on the U.S. Senate to leave intact the power of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, including ozone emissions.

The denominations and faith-based organizations released a joint letter to the Senate Nov. 23 in which they stated they "are called to protect and serve God's great creation and work for justice for all of God's people."

"We believe that the United States must take all appropriate and available actions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. We therefore urge you to oppose any efforts to undermine the authority of the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions," according to the letter. In particular, the religious groups noted challenges to the Clean Air Act from U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., who has proposed delaying regulation of greenhouse gases by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We urge you to protect the Clean Air Act and allow the Environmental Protection Agency to use the full strength of the law to ensure that God's creation and God's children remain healthy," the letter stated.

With the release of the letter, representatives of four denominations and faith-based organizations addressed a Nov. 23 conference call with news organizations. The Rev. Wm. Chris Boerger, bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, Seattle, was among the speakers. He is convener of the ELCA Conference of Bishops' special interest group on the care of creation.

Boerger said that it is "blatant sin" for human beings to fail to protect creation, and called upon the Senate not to move to curtail the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Boerger told reporters that the ELCA adopted a social statement on the environment in 1993, Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice. The statement "reminded ourselves and the world that the creation we have received was created good," and that it is a primary task of human beings to care for creation, he said.

"We are ultimately accountable to God for our use or misuse of God's creation," Boerger said. It is important to continue to regulate pollutants that affect human health and the balance "of created order."

It is clear that human activity is changing Earth's weather patterns, he said. "Melting glaciers in my home area in the Northwest can be seen retreating. New patterns of drought and climate changes can be seen across the world. This misuse of the creation is affecting all life forms," Boerger said.

Boerger said he worries about the world his grandchildren will inherit because not enough people are being faithful stewards of the environment. He said he had a responsibility to God, his grandchildren and to the rest of creation to speak out on this topic.

"Greenhouse gases are polluting the world. The efforts to remove the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate these gases would continue our failure as stewards of the creation. From a scientific perspective this would be a poor choice. From a theological perspective this is blatant sin. It is for this reason that the church I serve is engaged in caring for creation, and I am forced to speak out today," he said.

During a question-and-answer session, Boerger said he and other colleagues in the ELCA Conference of Bishops are addressing the issue. "This is a matter of great concern," he said.

The topic of controlling greenhouse gas emissions and other emissions is an issue of great significance to the ELCA, though he said members would most likely have many different viewpoints on the topic.

"It is important for us to say this is an issue of faith," Boerger said. "This is an issue of life. This is an issue we care about."

Others speaking on the conference call with Boerger were the Rev. Harriet Olson, United Methodist Church; the Rev. Michael McClain, National Council of Churches USA; and Rabbi Daniel J. Swartz, Temple Hesed, Scranton, Pa.

The text of the letter to the U.S. Senate is at http://nccecojustice.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service