Dear Friend,

On Friday, Sept. 20, people from all backgrounds, traditions, and corners of the world will join together for the largest climate demonstration in human history. Climate change is an unprecedented crisis in our history, so it requires an unprecedented response. Christians must play a critical role in the movement, providing the moral leadership to call for bold action in addressing the climate crisis.

Energized by 16-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, millions of students across the world have led walkouts and protests. On Sept. 20, for the first time, youth activists are calling for adults to join them in a climate strike. This action is an opportunity to show the world a united front, bringing together people of every age and background and demanding that we address the climate crisis at the scale and scope it requires of us.

Responding to climate change is a moral imperative for two reasons. First, Genesis is clear that we have been entrusted by God with the keeping of all God’s creatures and the earth itself (Genesis 1:26). Yet we have too often confused dominion for destruction. The biblical concept of dominion is a responsibility for the well-being of all creation. When we pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, or rely on oil that leaks and destroys life in the Gulf of Mexico, or allow mountaintop removal and fracking that devastates local water sources, we are not being responsible stewards of God’s earth.

Second, Christians are called to climate action on behalf of caring for other people. Jesus is clear: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 22:35-40). Today, entire island nations like Kiribati are threatened by sea level rise and could disappear, hurricanes regularly upend life in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, and asthma rates keep rising in black communities. Global patterns of disparity compound this: Communities in the Global South are on the frontlines of climate change, hit first and worst, even though they have done the least to cause climate change. How are we loving our neighbors if we know that climate change is intensifying all these patterns and do not respond to our neighbors’ suffering in a time of deep need?

Sept. 20 will not be just one day of demonstration, but the start of a movement that will emphasize the importance of climate action throughout the 2020 U.S. elections and beyond. As Christians, we cannot remain on the sidelines. To stand with the poor, oppressed, and lowly, as Christ teaches (Luke 1:52, 4:18), we must take action. We have an opportunity to act on our biblical values and join an international network demanding climate justice for all. Join us in caring for God’s creation and God’s people by attending or creating a local action here. As Greta says, “I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.” How will we, as Christians, respond?

In Faith,

Melody Zhang, Sojourners & Young Evangelicals for Climate Action 

Matthew Groves and Tori Goebel, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action