Amidst LA fires, religious leaders gather for ecological sustainability

With wildfires blazing in California, the Los Angeles Symposium on Ecologically Informed Theological Education took place from Sunday to Tuesday, Nov. 3-5, at American Jewish University’s Brandeis Bardin Campus near Simi Valley. Participants include faculty from Fuller Theological Seminary, America’s largest; Hebrew Union College; Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School; and Seattle School of Theology, among others of the 85 registrants. Speakers include priests, pastors, rabbis, imams, theological school professors and environmental scientists.

Religious institutions have suffered the impacts of climate change in California, along with residents and businesses. In 2018, wildfires destroyed multiple churches in Paradise and caused the temporary closure of the Pepperdine Christian University campus. In 2017, wildfires destroyed three Jewish summer camps. The Symposium will take place 5 miles from the Easy Fire, 20 miles from the Getty Fire, and 12 miles from the recent Saddleridge Fire. These fires, along with the larger Kincade Fire, have forced evacuations, and the closing of houses of worship.

“The timely Symposium offered faculty and deans from California and Western religious seminaries resources to train emerging religious leaders to reveal the connection between religion and ecology and mobilize congregants to act,” said Rabbi Yonatan Neril, founding director of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development.

Professor Tim van Meter of the Methodist School of Theology in Ohio said, “Educational institutions are rethinking their curriculum in response to the needs of their students and the need of our warming world. We’re grateful to have the resources provided to offer this conference as a call toward that change.”

“Now more than ever, religious leaders are being called upon to shift our cultures. We are called to boldly respond to the challenges of our time, especially to this climate emergency. We are proud to be part of a symposium that will help train future leaders to do just that.” rev. abby mohaupt, director of the Green Seminary Initiative.

A growing number of people, especially youth and young adults, are turning to their pastors, priests, rabbis, imams and others for wisdom and guidance on ecological sustainability. Awareness of the injustice and inequity of pollution and climate change impacts is growing.

The Symposium was held as part of The Seminary Environmental Leadership Initiative, which was funded through a grant from the Luce Fund for Theological Education, an initiative of the Henry Luce Foundation’s Theology Program. Additional support was provided by The Julia Burke Foundation and the Martin Gang Institute and was co-organized by The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, The Green Seminary Initiative, and AJC.