THE QUESTION
International scientists have raised a new alarm about the dangers of global warming. Should care for the environment be a major priority for people of faith? Why or why not?
Posted by Sally Quinn and Jon Meachamon February 7, 2007 7:02 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Rabbi David Saperstein is the Washington representative of Judaism's Reform Movement as Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a position he has held for 30 years. The "On Faith" panelist also co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way. In 1999, Saperstein was elected first chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom created by Congress. The Religious Action Center advocates for a broad range of social justice issues and provides extensive legislative and program materials for synagogues, federations and Jewish community relations councils nationwide. It also coordinates social action education programs that train nearly 3,000 Jewish adults, youth, rabbinic and lay leaders each year. Also an attorney, Saperstein teaches seminars in First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown University Law School. He co-authored Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice: Tough Moral Choices of Our Time (1998).
Desecrating What God Entrusted to Us
Think of it: There are over 300,000 houses of worship in America! If every one of them engaged in a serious effort to care for the environment what a transformation we would see!
David SapersteinDirector, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism |Feb 13, 2007 at 4:57 PM
"On Faith" panelist James Anderson is a retired Episcopal priest, an almost full-time volunteer in the community, a part-time farm manager, and independent writer. Anderson is the author or co-author of three books on ministry in the local church: To Come Alive (1973) and The Management of Ministry (1978), co-authored with Ezra Earl Jones, have been widely used in the training and education of clergy. Anderson, who has wide experience as an adviser and consultant to a variety of religious organizations, also served as assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and director of Field Studies for the Cathedral College of the Laity at the Washington National Cathedral. Anderson was one of four founders of the Alban Institute in Washington, D.C., and served as first president of its board.
Religious Bureaucracies Sometimes Hinder Environmental Activism
James AndersonRetired Episcopal Priest |Nicholas Thomas Wright is Anglican Bishop of Durham, England. The "On Faith" panelist taught New Testament studies for 20 years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities before becoming Dean of Lichfeld in 1994. He was named Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey in 2000, and consecrated bishop in 2003. He has written hundreds of articles and more than 40 books, including Judas and the Gospel of Jesus (2006) and Evil and the Justice of God (2006). He has served as Visiting Professor at numerous institutions including Harvard Divinity School, Gregorian University in Rome and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr Wright holds four degrees, including a divinity doctorate from Oxford University, and honorary degrees from several universities and colleges.
God's Power Does Not Excuse Human Despoiling
Nicholas T. WrightAnglican Bishop of Durham, England |Marcus J. Borg holds the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University. A fellow of the Jesus Seminar, he has served as national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and co-chair of its International New Testament Program Committee, and is past president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars. The “On Faith” panelist is the author of 14 books, including Jesus: A New Vision, The God We Never Knew, God at 2000, The Heart of Christianity and the best-selling Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Borg also is a regular columnist for www.beliefnet.com. His work has been translated into nine languages. His latest book, Jesus: The Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, was published in November, 2006.
For God So Loves the World
Marcus BorgFormer president, Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars |READER RESPONSE
» Concerned the Christian Now Liberated | To get a contemporary update on the OT and NT, I recommend many of the books of JD Crossan, e.g. The Historical Jesus, Excavating Jesus and In Search ...
» Evanel L. | Personally, I believe global warming is directly relevant to faith, because I cannot imagine Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, or any other high-level spiritua...
» victoria | fern thanks for bringing that to our attention- you are totally right- we can express our collective opinion with our consumer choices too-
i imagine ...
Blogs and Columns

» The Faith Divide: By Eboo Patel.
» Religion from the Heart by Timothy Shriver
» Praying Fields by Kathy Orton
» The God Vote by Jacques Berlinerblau
» Catholic America by Anthony Stevens-Arroyo
» Under God by David Waters
» Belief Watch by Lisa Miller
» Finding Faith by Christy McKerney
Guest Voices
VIDEO: Divine Impulses

» Ashley Judd: The actress talks about her own personal hell.
Watch Sally Quinn's other interviews with:» Ayaan Hirsi Ali
» Tim Russert
» Desmond Tutu
» Richard Gere
» Christopher Hitchens
» Karen Armstrong
» David Saperstein
» Dwight Hopkins
» Deepak Chopra
» Peter Gomes
» All Videos



