LAWRENCE JENNINGS of Infinity Mennonite Church in New York City has been involved in community and economic development for more than three decades. Since 2013, he has been affiliated with GreenFaith, first as a Fellow, and currently as a lead organizer of the new Restoration Nation faith communities/green jobs initiative. A member of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College, he was one of the key organizers of the People’s Climate March faith contingent, and has ongoing involvement with the People’s Climate Movement, the organizing body that took shape after the March. In these involvements, as well as his work with The Groundswell Group and Moral Mondays, he works closely with faith communities and inner city and “frontline” groups that often are overlooked or excluded. He authored the Open Letter from African American clergy on Climate Change as part of the “Our Voices” campaign, and is on the Steering Committee of Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, both of which aim to encourage people of to speak out about the moral and scientific urgency of the environmental crisis. Lawrence was asked by GreenFaith to write a response to the Pope’s newly released environmental teachings from the Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective. His article originally appeared in two parts on the Mennonite Church USA website (here and here).
Facing Reality
Only hours before the Vatican released Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ recent ecology encyclical, a young white man murdered nine black people inside their Charleston, South Carolina, church. To my profound dismay and disappointment, American environmental groups, churches and politicians proceeded with pre-planned responses to the Encyclical without so much as even passing acknowledgement of the horror in Charleston.
I suppose that’s not surprising, because the prevailing, sadly narrow view of “the environment” doesn’t encompass racism and violence and poverty and mass incarceration and police brutality and failing schools and … But that must change. It is vital that we consistently acknowledge and address the full scope of what people are affected by and react to – what they experience in the course of their daily lives.
Far too many of our brothers and sisters remain disregarded, marginalized, and patronized by “do-gooders” who act like they have all the answers.
In that respect, the church and the environmental movement have something in common: We don’t always listen and, when we do, we don’t always understand what we’re hearing. Moreover, the impulse to be prescriptive or absolute can be detrimental to establishing productive, honest communication.
Pope Francis calls for an “integral ecology” that both responds to human needs and cares for the natural world: “A deep sense of communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion, and concern for our fellow human beings.” Those are piercing words. And they are true.
And I am convinced that we Mennonites need to speak and act with the same clarity and boldness that Pope Francis exhibits in his ministry.
In recent months I’ve been thinking a lot about the approach to faith that theologian Drew G. I. Hart calls “AnaBlacktivism”: a combination of Anabaptism, Black church/liberation theology, and activism. His thinking resonated with me immediately – and all the more so, after serving as a delegate at the most recent Mennonite Church USA Convention. As we met together, the funerals continued for the Emanuel AME victims, and nine Black churches in the South were burned down. The African American Mennonite Association brought forward a Resolution that was embraced by the delegates. The introduction to Expressions of Lament and Hope closes with this exhortation: “Let us model for our neighbors, communities and the greater global community more than just commitment to non-‐resistance and peace but also a call to nonviolence.”
But what exactly does that mean to us? And what do people outside our church doors know about what we believe and how we live?
We believe that as followers of Jesus, we are called to be manifestations of the living Gospel, God’s representatives on earth, and stewards and caretakers of all of creation. Taking seriously the call to care for all of creation means that we do not have the luxury of being “the quiet in the land.”
The political discourse is too raucous, the needs are too great, and the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants is being compromised at an alarming rate.
We Must Act
The Mennonite Confession of Faith includes the following statements: “We believe that everything belongs to God, who calls us as the church to live as faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us,” (Article 21) and “As followers of Jesus, we participate in his ministry of peace and justice. He has called us to find our blessing in making peace and seeking justice.” (Article 22). And the Creation Care Resolution adopted by Mennonite Church USA in 2013 calls members to “commit to growing in their dedication to care for God’s creation as an essential part of the good news of Jesus Christ.”
Our challenge is to bring those words to life, to work for the common good and express God’s will for shalom, peace.
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis takes on that challenge with vigor. And concurrent with the release of the Encyclical, a series of tweets from the Vatican summarized and expanded on two themes that are completely congruent with Anabaptist-Mennonite theology: Climate change is a moral issue. And Christians are called to take seriously the needs and experiences of others.
In the midst of the events unfolding in Charleston that day, two @Pontifex tweets were especially powerful: “At times more zeal is shown in protecting other species than in defending the equal dignity of human beings,” and “The teachings of the Gospel have direct consequences for our way of thinking, feeling and living.”
Sisters and brothers, we need to embrace and emulate the direct language and willingness to agitate for change that Pope Francis demonstrates.
After all, following Jesus is a radical journey! Let’s find more ways to visibly engage in the struggle for every kind of environmental justice – everything from fair wage jobs and reduced gun violence to clean air and water. It is our call as Christians. And let’s embrace opportunities – create them, even – to let others know where we stand.
As a GreenFaith Fellow, I was one of the organizers of the faith contingent of the Sept. 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City. The tagline for the March, “to change everything, we need everyone,” described the broad participation that organizers desired (and accomplished). Everyone who wanted to call for action on climate issues was welcome – the “big green” organizations, the Environmental Justice groups, indigenous peoples and frontline communities, labor unions, people of faith. Individual Mennonites and congregations participated but, to my surprise, Mennonite Church USA did not sign on as an official supporter of the March. Neither did Mennonite Central Committee nor Mennonite Creation Care Network. Why so hesitant?
One reason I heard was that we had no system in place for processing how we all felt about the March. But the delegate Assembly had adopted a new Creation Care Resolution just a year before! And we have an excellentCreation Care curriculum created by Mennonite Creation Care Network! Surely this reflects a collective commitment to speaking and acting on behalf of creation. Another concern: Perhaps “officially” participating in this event would somehow link us to groups whose beliefs are not congruent with ours. But within our own denomination, we can choose to work with each other without reaching unanimity on all things – so why not lend our support to broader collective efforts to protect creation – a value that is central to our beliefs as a peace church?
I also sensed surprise that it would actually matter to anyone whether or not we were officially present. I assure you: It does. People who are familiar with Anabaptist-Mennonite thought and practice are eager to have our partnership and hear our perspective.
And in this era of social media and unrelenting news coverage, it makes sense to engage in the public sphere in positive ways that will introduce those who don’t know much (or even anything) about us can learn about us, from us.
By avoiding, rather than engaging in, an event that brought together hundreds of thousands of people to demand urgent action on climate change, we missed a chance to “officially,” visibly advocate for creation care, to share our belief that everything – and everyone – belongs to God.
When Pope Francis visits the U.S. and speaks before Congress in September, there will be a plethora of statements issued and public actions held. Right now, planning is underway for a Week of Moral Action on Climate Justice in Washington, DC. Let’s not miss this opportunity to lend our name, our voices, our presence, and prayers to the cause.
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis pleads, “Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future.” More than 160 years ago, Frederick Douglass’ speech on The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro included a similar call to urgent action: “For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes must be proclaimed and denounced.”
How sad that those words are still so relevant today. How fitting that Douglass invokes the natural world to describe the need for urgent action. And how vital to future generations that we take heed – and act.