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Liberal Nebraska Pastors OWH article for 12-20-09 on Climate-change challenge
this was in this morning's Omaha World Herald and what a shocker.
the "Bishop" Joe Burnett and "Pastor" Jane Florence are involved in this.
I have mentioned both before and they are both Universalism and New-age promoters pretending to be christian leaders.
at least we now know Carlos Schneider is a liberal pastor.
he has been someone along with his ELCA church I have been suspect about for some time.
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Midlands Voices: Climate-change challenge emerges as issue of faith
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Editor's note: The following essay was authored by several Nebraska clergy:
— The Rev. Kenneth Moore, regional minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Nebraska and board president of Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light.
— The Rt. Rev. Joe Burnett, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.
— The Rev. Roddy Dunkerson, conference minister of the Nebraska Conference of the United Church of Christ.
— Father Chuck Lintz, SSC, director of the Columban (Catholic) Retreat Center, Omaha.
— Father Bert Thelen, S.J., senior pastor at St. John Catholic Church in Omaha and director of the Creighton University Campus Ministry.
— Father Albert Utzig, SSC, senior associate pastor at Holy Cross (Catholic) Church, Omaha.
— The Rev. Betsy Blake Bennett, deacon at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Grand Island.
— Father Jason Emerson, rector at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Omaha.
— Father Jerry Thompson, rector at St. Mark’s on the Campus Episcopal Church, Lincoln.
— The Rev. Carlos Schneider, senior pastor at Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, Omaha. (a ELCA church)
— The Rev. Jane Florence, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church, Omaha.
— The Rev. Stephen Griffith, minister to the community at St. Paul United Methodist Church, Lincoln.
— The Rev. Galen Wray, Blue River district superintendent, Nebraska United Methodist Conference.
— Father Chris Margaritis, presiding priest at Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Omaha.
— Father James Dank, presiding priest at St. John of Kronstadt (Orthodox Church in America), Lincoln.
— Omaha Friends Meeting (Quakers).
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Despite apparent disunity among American Christians on many other issues, there is a growing consensus that our shared biblical faith calls us to address the challenges of extreme climate change.
Here in Nebraska, Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox alike share a common belief that God created the Earth and expects us to protect and care for creation. Genesis 1:31 tells us, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”
We believe it is better to care for that which God calls good rather than destroy it.
Environmental scholar and Methodist Bill McKibben writes that God does “not understand dominion to include thoughtless destruction for short-term gain.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has similarly said, “At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God's creation and the one human family.”
Our faith tells us that we are to love and care for each other, especially for those that Matthew 25 refers to as “the least of these.”
If we are serious about seeking justice for all God's children, then we must lend our voices in support of those working to address this problem, which is already having a devastating effect upon the sinking Bangladesh Plain and the islands of the Maldives.
Here in the United States, we watched in horror as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf Coast during one of the warmest years on record. Our country cannot handle several such storms a year.
The impacts of climate change are not limited to developing countries or the American coast. According to a recent study by the Nature Conservancy, the Midwest will warm more than any other region of the country. The resulting droughts will not be kind to Nebraska farmers or those who depend on their products for daily sustenance.
Unfortunately, Nebraska's primary energy source, coal, is the dirtiest form of energy in use today. As much as 30 percent of global warming is a result of burning coal.
In addition, our insatiable appetite for coal has devastated mountaintops, increased mercury poisoning and in some areas led to elevated rates of asthma and cancer. Nebraska needs to move away from its dependence on coal and develop its potential for renewable energy sources.
Scientists at NASA and the University of Nebraska have shown that global warming is real and that we have only a few years left to address it. Fortunately, there is still time to act.
The passage of a national clean energy bill would provide for a more hopeful future for planet Earth and its people. This bill would create as many as 11,000 new jobs here in Nebraska.
We understand that this legislation could result in a slight increase in energy prices and taxes in the short term, but if we fail to make these sacrifices now, the long-term costs could be devastating.
It is our prayer and hope that Congress will pass clean energy legislation soon.
Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Columns - Midlands Voices: Climate-change challenge emerges as issue of faith
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Originally Posted by WartHog
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