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articles & talks

Photo © Robert A. Jonas
Photo © Robert A. Jonas

Faith & Science Joint Appeal for Climate Action

The Faith & Science Joint Appeal for Climate Action was released in Boston on May 23, 2018, and on May 29, Episcopal News Service published Margaret’s article about science and religion joining forces to fight climate change. [Episcopal News Service] Bishop Alan Gates of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and Bishop Doug Fisher of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts joined Cardinal Seán O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston and other local faith leaders and scientists on May …

Small Island States Imperiled by Climate Change

Margaret is extensively quoted in “Responding to Small Island States Imperiled by Human-Forced Climate Change: An Ethical Imperative for Christians,” by Jame Schaefer, Anglican Theological Review, Winter 2018 issue (Volume 100, Number 1).  A sample: “God’s love and presence are everywhere—not just in church, not just inside a sanctuary built by human hands, but also outside, in the sea and sky, in the humble tomato plant valiantly trying to grow …

The Episcopal Church — standing up to climate change denial?

Margaret contributed to a collection of essays, “The Episcopal Church — standing up to climate change denial?”, assembled by Margaret Daly Denton and published in SEARCH: A Church of Ireland Journal, Spring 2018. The other contributors are Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry, the Rev. Fletcher Harper (GreenFaith), and Nathan Empsall (Yale Divinity School seminarian). To download the essay, click on the title: TEC Standing up to Climate Change Denial. The Website …

To love God and neighbor, put a price on carbon pollution

As summer drew to a close, the hearts of Americans were with the millions of people in Texas and Louisiana who were pummeled by Hurricane Harvey, an unprecedented deluge that in one part of Southeast Texas dropped more than 4 feet of water, setting a rainfall record for the continental U.S. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Irma was tearing through the Caribbean and up through Florida, displacing millions, causing …

Earth Matters: Reverence, resistance and the climate crisis

Suppose you deeply loved this planet and were also deeply concerned for its future. And suppose you wanted to hold an event to give voice to those feelings. What would you call it? Let’s say it was a large, outdoor, interfaith festival of music and prayer to celebrate the Earth. Let’s say you had everything planned — a date: Sunday, June 11. A time: 2 p.m. A place: a big …

Radical Forgiveness

A reflection written for Wednesday in Holy Week (March 23, 2016) for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts   I find it intriguing that John’s account of the Last Supper, unlike the versions told in other Gospels (; ), does not include the institution of the Eucharist. Instead, the Fourth Gospel tells the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, a story we re-enact on Maundy Thursday. Then, right before …

Beauty and Advocacy

The intricate, beautiful natural world into which you and I were born is undergoing massive and unprecedented assault. Climate disruption, species extinction, population growth, deforestation, environmental toxins – it seems overwhelming. How should Christians respond? What can we do? Where should we begin? How shall we bear witness to the risen Christ who proclaims that life, not death, will have the last word, and who gives us power to roll …

How to Start a Green Team at Your Church

This guide will help you set up a Green Team at your church and will equip your congregation to become more effective in caring for God’s Creation. Green Teams expand environmental activities in our churches and help congregations to connect their faith with sustainable living. This guide offers a variety of specific activities from which you can select the ones that best match your church’s level of energy and engagement. …

Cultivating a Heart for Hope

When we think about climate change, we often focus on the outer landscape, such as how the rising level of greenhouse gases affects the planet’s oceans and continents, its animals, plants and human societies. Gazing at the landscape outside us, we know that the news is grim. The web of life is unraveling. As Bill McKibben succinctly puts it, “Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and …