April 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 19 items:
- Religious Leaders Silently Believe in Climate Change;
- Across the Cosmos for April 2025: An Einstein Ring from the JWST;
- Deepening the Conversation on Science and Religion;
- Still Searching for a Clergy Member from Utah;
- Oklahoma Sues Atheists;
- Katharine Hayhoe on Climate Change;
- The Erosion of Democracy;
- West Virginia Legislators Come to Their Senses;
- How LGBTQ-Friendly Churches Are Tackling the Trump Era;
- Jesus is Better than a Psychologist;
- Safeguarding Sound Science;
- The Voice of Public Theology;
- Revisiting the Butler Act 100 Years Out;
- Creative Uses of Congregational Spaces;
- National Survey of Religious Leaders;
- Episcopal Church Accused of Human Trafficking;
- The March Issue of Covalence;
- An Important Clergy Voice; and
- Fearing Deportation, Scientists Withdraw Paper on Evolution.
1. Religious Leaders Silently Believe in Climate Change
A fascinating study was just published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) detailing the beliefs and actions of religious leaders with respect to climate change. The title of the article explains the research’s most saliant conclusions: “Most Christian American religious leaders silently believe in climate change, and informing their congregation can help open dialogue.”
The article explains its significance in the following manner: “Nearly 90% of U.S. Christian religious leaders believe in anthropogenic climate change, with most believing human activity is a major contributor. Yet roughly half have never discussed it with their congregation, and only a quarter have mentioned it more than once or twice. U.S. Christians substantially underestimate the prevalence of their leaders who believe in climate change. Providing the actual consensus level of religious leaders’ belief in climate change reduces congregants’ misperception of religious leaders, increases their perception that other church members believe in and are open to discussing climate change, and leads Christians to believe that taking climate action is consistent with their church’s values while voting for politicians who will not take climate action is not.” You can read the full article here.
Please help break this cycle by adding your signature to our Climate Crisis Letter if you haven’t yet done so and by addressing this issue with your congregation. You can add your signature simply by dropping me a note.
2. Across the Cosmos for April 2025: An Einstein Ring from the JWST
Due to pressures out of her control, Grace Wolf-Chase wasn’t able to share a column this month. Recognizing it’s second best, by a long shot, I thought I’d provide a link to the picture of the month from the James Webb Space Telescope.
The picture “features a rare cosmic phenomenon called an Einstein ring. What at first appears to be a single, strangely shaped galaxy is actually two galaxies that are separated by a large distance. The closer foreground galaxy sits at the center of the image, while the more distant background galaxy appears to be wrapped around the closer galaxy, forming a ring.”
You can read more about Einstein rings as well as view the spectacular photograph here.
3. Deepening the Conversation on Science and Religion
Rabbi Geoff Mitelman, founding director of Sinai and Synapses and a member of The Clergy Letter Project, recently participated in a discussion with Taylor Thomas, the host of the Tillich Today podcast. Their conversation touched on the benefits of constructive disagreement, the distinctions between religious, philosophical, and scientific methodologies, and the parameters of contemporary Zionism. You can listed to their exchange and/or read a transcript here.
4. Still Searching for a Clergy Member from Utah
I’m still searching for a clergy member from Utah who is willing to sign the Climate Crisis Letter. As I mentioned last month, this is the only state which isn’t represented by at least one clergy member. Please help me fill this lacuna either by adding your signature or by encouraging someone you know from Utah to sign on. Similarly, clergy from 15 countries are represented on the Climate Crisis Letter, but it would be wonderful if that number were larger. Please help make this a reality by reaching out to colleagues in countries that are not yet represented. Together we can make it clear that clergy believe that taking action to combat climate change is critical at this point in time.
5. Oklahoma Sues Atheists
An article in Newsweek offers some distressing news: “Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters and the state's Department of Education have sued the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), claiming that the organization is conducting a ‘blatant attack on the religious freedoms ... of Oklahoma students.’" At issue is the fact that FFRF asked an Oklahoma school district to stop permitting students to pray during school hours over the school’s public address system. You can read the full article here.
6. Katharine Hayhoe on Climate Change
Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist who has worked closely with religious communities to increase their understanding of climate change. She recently conducted an interview with Yahoo News that’s well worth your time. You can read the interview here.
7. The Erosion of Democracy
The Reverend Marty Toepke-Floyd, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, has written an essay describing and decrying the erosion of democracy he sees occurring. He points to the erosion of trust, justice, transparency, compassion, faith, and truth among other critical attributes that he believes we are in the process of losing. You can read his powerful statement here.
8. West Virginia Legislators Come to Their Senses
I reported last month that a bill was introduced in the West Virginia legislature “to recognize the Holy Bible as a foundational text in West Virginia.” The proposed legislation was designed to recognize the religious text as an “inerrant foundational document for our society and government, an accurate historical record of human and natural history, and the utmost authority for human moral behavior.” I’m delighted to say that this ridiculous proposal failed to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee. You can read more about the situation here.
9.
A recent article in Religion Unplugged profiles two congregations in Los Angeles and discusses how they are dealing with problems arising from increased homophobia and the rise of Christian nationalism since Donald Trump’s inauguration. You can read the article here.
10. Jesus is Better than a Psychologist
An article in AZ Mirror opens by saying, “Republican politicians who accuse public school teachers of indoctrinating students with a 'woke agenda' are pushing to bring religious chaplains into the same schools to provide counseling to students. ‘I think Jesus is a lot better than a psychologist,’ Rep. David Marshall, R-Snowflake, said during a March 11 meeting of the Arizona House of Representatives’ Education Committee.” (Please note the irony of Marshall representing the town of Snowflake.)
Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) made the outrageous claim “that the existence of any requirement for the separation of church and state in U.S. law ‘was a myth,’ adding that she sees no harm in bringing religion into public schools.” You can read the full article here.
11. Safeguarding Sound Science
The National Center for Science Education has initiated a new podcast entitled “Safeguarding Sound Science.” Its goal is “to combat misinformation, disinformation, and misconceptions with actual science.” You can read more about this exciting initiative here.
12. The Voice of Public Theology
This has been a very busy month on Substack for Rev. Ted Peters, pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Tiburon, CA, emeritus professor of Systematic Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and a member of The Clergy Letter Project. He has written extensively, passionately and thoughtfully about how the actions of those in power in Washington are threatening all of us, our rights, and our futures. Please take a look at what he has to say here.
13. Revisiting the Butler Act 100 Years Out
Glenn Branch, a good friend of The Clergy Letter Project, the deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, and a prolific writer and researcher about all things related to the topic of creation/evolution, recently published an op-ed essay in The Tennessean which discusses the history of the Butler Act, the law which John Scopes was convicted of violating 100 years ago. He notes that "from the Scopes era to the present, people of faith who accept evolution — scientists, clergy, and laypeople alike — have sought to explain that acceptance of evolution is not intrinsically a threat to religion." You can read the article here.
14. Creative Uses of Congregational Spaces
A recent article in Convergence explores ways congregations can use their spaces to help deal with the crisis being created by the current administration. The article offers ideas beyond the traditional good and important ways congregations have used their facilities. Historically congregations have helped to create “economic opportunities for the neighbors who live in their area. Usually, this looks like starting a small-business incubator in unused classrooms, offering your large communal space for yoga or dance classes, or reappropriating land/space into housing that is affordable for seniors and those historically marginalized.”
The new reality requires new ideas, and the piece suggests many from creating banned book libraries to providing emergency childcare and from hosting a law or finance clinic to providing shelter and hygiene supplies. You can read the full piece here.
15. National Survey of Religious Leaders
A report entitled “Clergy in America” just released by the National Survey of Religious Leaders presented some fascinating findings. Evangelical Protestant clergy view climate change dramatically differently than do members of other religions. While 78% of evangelical Protestant clergy reject the scientific consensus that the climate is changing and that human actions are a major cause of that change only 21% of Mainline Protestant clergy and 29% of Roman Catholic clergy reject the scientific consensus regarding climate change. (Please note that the data were collected about five years ago, even though they were just released, so I’m cautiously optimistic that the 78% figure may be a bit reduced since then, although one of the study’s authors said that he has no reason to believe that is the case.) You can read the full report here and you can read a very nice summary here.
16. Episcopal Church Accused of Human Trafficking
The US Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande accusing them of human trafficking for aiding migrants legally in the US. Perhaps the most amazing part of this despicable situation is that for years the Dicese’s efforts were supported and funded by the US government. None of that matters in today’s world, however. Bishop Michael Hunn responds in a wonderful statement, setting the record straight. What’s even more depressing than the actions of Homeland Security is that it appears that Bishop Hunn’s statement has received remarkably little, if any, attention in the press. You can watch his response here.
17. The March Issue of Covalence
The March issue of Covalence is filled with material you’ll not want to miss. There’s a piece on the Women in Science and Humanities (WISH) Project's work identifying some of the barriers holding back women from greater participation. There’s commentary by editor Susan Barreto about the damage being done to US science by recent irrational funding decisions. And there’s a moving tribute to the life and work of Karl Peters. You can read the full issue here.
18. An Important Clergy Voice
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has shared two additional short essays of his with us, both originally published in his local Montana newspaper. The first is entitled “Speaking Truth to Power” and encourages clergy members to speak out about injustices. This essay ends with a moving quote from the Rev. William Sloane Coffin: “I am an American patriot who loves his country enough to address her flaws. All preachers worth their salt need fearlessly to insist that ‘God ‘n’ country’ is not one word. ...How do you love America? Don’t say ‘My country, right or wrong.’ That’s like saying, ‘My grandmother, drunk or sober;’ it doesn’t get you anywhere. Don’t just salute the flag, and don’t burn it, either. Wash it. Make it clean.” You can read the full essay here.
The second essay is entitled “Signs of Strength, Fake and Real.” This piece discusses what it means to be a strong, competent leader. You can read the full essay here.
19. Fearing Deportation, Scientists Withdraw Paper on Evolution
The Washington Post just released a deeply disturbing article about two scientists who decided not to publish a paper on the topic of evolution, fearing retribution from the federal government. One of the two already lost a job because of a canceled government grant and the other feared he might be next if the paper appeared. Additionally, although both are in the country legally, they worried they might be deported if they were associated with a “controversial” paper. You can read the article here.
Concluding Thoughts
From where I sit, the state of the country and the world continues to deteriorate. So much is going on that the deaths in Ukraine and Palestine seem to be ignored. Science is under attack, immigrants in the United States legally are under attack, religion is under attack, transgender individuals are under attack, the rule of law is under attack, higher education is under attack, the legal profession is under attack, human rights broadly are under attack, the environment is under attack, our health care system is under attack, and global trade is under attack. To make matters worse, entities that should know better, that have the resources to fight back, are capitulating to demands that appear more like extortion than public policy. Universities are capitulating. Large law firms are capitulating. Large corporations are capitulating. I am heartened by the fact that many religious leaders have opted to speak out rather than capitulate. They are articulating what their religious convictions demand of them, and they are doing so in the face of very real threats, but by doing so they are helping the neediest among us. And I am heartened by what so many of you are doing in these troubling times. Thank you for that and for reaching out to me to share your thoughts. We are in this together and we are stronger together.
Finally, as I do every month, I urge you to take one simple action. Please share this month’s Newsletter with a colleague or two (or post a link via any social media platform you use) and ask them to add their voices to those promoting a deep and meaningful understanding between religion and science. They can add their signatures to one of our Clergy Letters simply by dropping me a note at mz@theclergyletterproject.org. Spread the word; change the world. Together we are making a difference.
Michael
Michael Zimmerman
Founder and Executive Director
The Clergy Letter Project
www.theclergyletterproject.org
mz@theclergyletterproject.org
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