[ECO]Lutherans Mobilizing for Climate Justice

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Lutherans Mobilizing for Climate Justice

“The battle to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees will be won or lost in the 2020s.” These are the words of UN Secretary General António Guterres, echoed by Michael Pryse, former bishop of the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran ******* in Canada (ELCIC), in his report to our assembly last June. The theme of the synod’s assembly was Let There Be Greening, and with this in mind, the Eastern Synod felt compelled to act.

The Eastern Synod is vast, with member churches spanning from Sault Ste. Marie in the west to Halifax in the east. Our organization covers so much of Canada’s geography, population, and economy, making it uniquely situated to organize climate action. 

Inspired by the ELCIC’s Task Force on Carbon Neutrality and in light of the planet’s urgent need, the synod voted overwhelmingly to create a group to help address the climate crisis. This group met shortly after the end of our assembly, and we have been consistently working since then to do our part in creating awareness and opportunities for advocacy in member churches. 

Starting in September and ending on October 4th, the Season of Creation is a time marked by Christians to reflect on our planet and its ecosystems. This is why it was immediately identified as an ideal time to spark climate action and advocacy in the synod’s churches. The timing was even better because the organizers of the Season of Creation had decided to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT), which calls for an end to fossil fuel exploration and exploitation. In preparation for this month of environmentally focused ******, we prepared a series of resources to be used and actions that could be taken across the Eastern Synod.

In terms of kick-starting advocacy action among churchgoers, we thought the best place to start, apart from incorporating Creation themes into worship through prayers, sermons, and songs, was to have conversations on the issue. For centuries, churches have served as places of worship and spaces where people can step out of their daily routines to contemplate the ******* picture and ask questions about how they fit into that mosaic. This makes the ******* the perfect place to reflect on our imperilled climate, which is as all-encompassing an issue as it comes and is still easily ignored in day-to-day life.

To get these kinds of conversations going, we made a guide to assist people in hosting structured conversations about climate change and how people of ****** can respond. This guide was shared through the Eastern Synod newsletter and

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and has three main parts:

First, it takes an unflinching look at the future in a business-as-usual scenario and guides participants in understanding and feeling the scale of the climate calamity. It may be emotionally taxing, but it is necessary—making a strong commitment to climate action doesn’t make sense if we don’t first feel the emotional gravity of the situation. 

Then, the discussion looks at examples of how churches faced injustices in the past and, specifically, how ****** was a guiding light and motivation for many involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Prominent leaders of that struggle, such as Martin Luther King Jr., were known to draw on the ****** to ground their activism. For example, King’s seminal Letter from a Birmingham Jail draws parallels between Old Testament accounts and contemporary context to communicate his vision of justice to a ********** audience.

In a similar vein to seeking to apply Biblical texts to our current climate crisis, the discussion turns to exploring parts of the ****** that speak on themes of environment and environmental degradation.

Finally, we recognize how conversation without action is a pattern that has too often hampered progress on the issue. As such, these conversations were also meant to provide people with action pathways. When we hosted a climate conversation at St. John’s Lutheran ******* in Montreal, for example, participants were encouraged to take on three advocacy activities: endorsing the

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, writing to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in support of this treaty, and also writing to their local MP on the issue. These are the sorts of activities that people often struggle to find the motivation for alone, but they can be fun when done as a community!

Beyond conversation and letter-writing, congregations were also willing to walk the walk: this September, clergy and lay people alike joined the Grassy Narrows River Run in Toronto, the Climate Culprits March in Ottawa, and the Pour la suite du monde (“for the future of this world”) march in Montreal. 

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Members and friends of St. John’s Lutheran *******, including Pastor Katherine Gohm (second from left) and Étienne Eason (right), both of whom are on the Climate Justice Committee, attend a climate demonstration in Montreal on September 27th, 2024. Image: Rafael Rodriguez

In the latter case, Rev. Katherine Gohm of St. John Lutheran ******* took the initiative of organizing an “art-build” for members of the community to come together and make signs for the march. Of course, no movement is complete without an alliteration-heavy catchphrase, and so “No ****** in Fossil Fuels” and “Lutherans for a Livable Future” became our impromptu slogans. In Ottawa, St. Peter’s Lutheran ******* partnered with Fridays For Future by hosting the latter organization for an art-build ahead of the Climate Culprits March. Churches lending their spaces to existing climate groups is one of the most direct ways the ******* can support the broader climate movement.

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Posters with the slogans “No ****** in fossil fuels,” and “Lutherans for a livable future,” were made at St. John’s Lutheran ******* in Montreal ahead of a climate demonstration on September 27th, 2024. Image: Rafael Rodriguez

To conclude, the *******’s response to the climate crisis is not just in adherence to the Biblical mandate to care for the environment and the people who depend upon it—it is also part of a

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that we need to be seeing–of every organization, group, family, and individual making it their business to put time and energy into stopping this crisis that we have co-created. The climate crisis is no longer just an environmental issue.

It’s more than a social or humanitarian issue. It is our reality now, a new frame of reference around which society and individuals must now chart their destinies. This reality comes with a moral imperative to both advocate for and embody the solutions that have the potential to save countless lives.

About the authors:

Étienne: Étienne Eason is a student, writer, and activist based in Montréal. Born and raised in Ottawa, Eason is passionate about the intersection of ****** and social justice issues, namely the climate crisis. Having worked with climate justice campaigns like Last Generation Canada and the Ashes to Action coalition, he now hopes to take what he has learned as an activist to *******, believing that there is a Biblical, spiritual, and moral mandate for the ******* to take on climate action through advocacy. Eason looks forward to continuing to work with the

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Climate Justice Committee and sits on the Eastern Synod Council of the ELCIC.

Rafael: Rafael Rodriguez is the Director of Public Policy and Service Ministries for the

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of the ELCIC. Born in Waterloo Region to a pastor and single mother, Rafael spent much of his life learning about ****** and justice. After attending the University of Waterloo for 4 years, pursuing a degree in legal studies, and no longer feeling he could create the change he felt necessary through the legal system, he changed his focus away from law when an opportunity to shape policy in the Lutheran ******* became available. He now hopes to actively shape policy within the Eastern Synod to tackle pressing issues such as climate justice, ******* justice, and truth and reconciliation.

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