Lutherans to Observe Earth Day 2005
The nation’s largest Lutheran denomination will join millions around the world in observing Earth Day 2005 on April 22, 2005.
The nation’s largest Lutheran denomination will join millions around the world in observing Earth Day 2005 on April 22, 2005.
Earth Day, which began in 1970, is a “worldwide movement to protect our planet, our children, and our future,” according to the Earth Day website. This year, the holiday takes on the theme “Protect Our Children and Our Future,” similar to the one adopted by ecumenical churches around the world under the “Decade to Overcome Violence” campaign. The DOV campaign, coordinated by the World Council of Churches, places a special emphasis in protecting women and children from violence between 2000 and 2010.
The five-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a member of the WCC, will be observing both initiatives this year.
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In a statement released publicly in early April, the ELCA’s presiding bishop Mark S. Hanson urged Lutherans to reclaim the earth for Christ so the “least of these can live in health and safety and enjoy the blessings of God’s good creation.”
“I am writing, first, to thank those of you who have made plans to remember God’s good Earth in your prayers, praise, and proclamation on the Sundays before and after Earth Day, April, 22, 2005,” Hanson wrote. “I encourage many more of you to do so as well. I also would like to urge each of you to translate your celebrations of Earth’s Easter hope into concrete acts of public witness and advocacy.”
Hanson also turned toward the denomination’s social statement on “Caring for Creation,” which warned against the ills of global warming, as an expression of the church’s stance on Earth Day.
“We know that we are complicit in the evil we decry. We are committed to repent of our own sinful misuse and abuse of the Earth, direct and indirect, when we confess our sins,” Hanson wrote. “But we also are bold in our faith and hope, knowing that God calls and empowers us to confront these issues of life and death. We do this especially for the sake of the poor of the earth, working on their behalf, even as we contend with entrenched political, economic, and social forces.”
For more information on Earth Day, visit:
To view the full text of Bishop Hanson’s statement, visit: http://www.earthday.org/ http://www.elca.org/bishop/m_earthdayletter.html
