February 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 18 items:
- Religion and Science Weekend 2025;
- Across the Cosmos for February 2025: Living in Awe;
- Bishop Budde Speaks Truth to Power;
- New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States;
- Visualize Land Temperature Changes;
- Breaking the Wall Between Church and State;
- Causes and Consequences of Climate Change;
- No Separation of Church and State in Texas;
- Protecting Science;
- Congregational Guidance for a Time Without Precedent;
- Working on Science and Religion;
- Gordon Burghardt on the Scopes Trial;
- Evolution is Leaving Iowa;
- Living Well During Climate Change;
- The Climate Crisis Letter’s Personal Statements;
- A Reality Check;
- Religion News Trends to Watch in 2025; and
- Sermons for Religion and Science Weekend.
1. Religion and Science Weekend 2025
Religion and Science Weekend, 14-16 February 2025, is quickly approaching and I am confident that many of you who have not yet been added to our list of participants are actually planning to participate. Please check the list and if you’re not yet included, drop me a note and let me know. I’ll get you added immediately.
If not now, when? Religion is being redefined into an extreme version bordering on hatred and intolerance – and is tarring all religious individuals with its noxious taint. Science is being discounted, and expertise is being dismissed. We’re losing ground on the public health front, and even the small advances we’ve made in combatting climate change are being rolled back.
We don’t need to promote a secular, political agenda to explain how religion and science working together can help us build a better, fairer, more truthful, more humane world based on truth and respect.
This month’s newsletter includes a large number of resources that you might find helpful in planning your Religion and Science Weekend event. Please think about participating!
_____ Yes, the time is now. Please sign my congregation up as a participant in Religion and Science Weekend 2025
Name:
Congregation (or other entity):
Location:Together, let’s help shape the future we so desperately want and fear we are losing.
2. Across the Cosmos for February 2025: Living in Awe
In this month’s essay, Grace Wolf-Chase, Senior Scientist and Senior Education & Communication Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute as well as a Clergy Letter Project consultant, offers a fabulous slide show for Religion and Science Weekend as well as some Valentine gifts.
This month’s column is a brief tribute to the theme of Religion and Science Weekend 2025. I invite you to check out, and use as you see fit, the “Living in Awe” slideshow I recently placed on my YouTube channel.(1) I haven’t put much else on YouTube, except several recordings of St. Paul Lutheran Church(2) choir performances. If anyone is interested in a copy of the Keynote presentation from which the movie slideshow was created, let me know – I may be able to share it with you on Google Drive.
The slideshow is an update of one I created years ago for background “eye-candy” during adult education, public events, science and religion meetings, etc. It includes astronomical images overlaid with quotes by scientists, theologians, and philosophers, and is set to the Jupiter movement from The Planets by Gustav Holst.(3) Some of you may be aware that the central part of this movement has been used in many church hymns, including “O God Beyond All Praising.”(4) I can’t think of a more appropriate piece to accompany the grandeur of the images!
If any of you have suggestions for other quotes to use in the future, please don’t hesitate to email me – the ones included in the slideshow are skewed primarily toward physical scientists and some prominent Christian and Jewish scholars and theologians. I’m well aware that this is just a small subset of the rich expressions of awe by scientific and religious thinkers alike.
As part of “Living in Awe,” I encourage you to “look up.” The Royal Observatory in Greenwich has some great suggestions for February night-sky viewing: since St. Valentine was the patron saint of beekeeping, they suggest checking out the Beehive Cluster, and they remind us that February 15 is Galileo’s birthday.(5) You might also want to check out the NASA Astrophysics Valentines(6) you can download, and the February 14, 2022 Astronomy Picture of the Day, the Heart Nebula.(7) In other words, Religion and Science Weekend is a particularly appropriate time to stand in awe of the cosmos!
Until next month,
Grace
Grace Wolf-Chase (she/her/hers) (gwolfchase@gmail.com)
Senior Scientist & Senior Education & Communication Specialist, Planetary Science Institute (www.psi.edu/about/staffpage/gwchase)
Vice President, Center for Advanced Study in Religion and Science (CASIRAS: www.casiras.org)1. https://www.youtube.com/@gracewolf-chase4809
2. https://www.stpaulwheaton.org/
3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Planets
4. e.g.,https://hymnary.org/hymn/ELW2006/880
5. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/astronomy/night-sky-highlights-february-2025
6. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13556
7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220214.html
3. Bishop Budde Speaks Truth to Power
Although I suspect there is little, if anything, that you don’t already know in this item, I still believe it is essential to devote space to it. The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington and, I’m proud to say, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, called for the president to show mercy towards those who are scared that their parents will be taken away and those who are fearful for their lives at the interfaith prayer service in the Washington Cathedral on inauguration day. This is an event that has concluded every inauguration since 1933. Bishop Budde spoke passionately, using scripture to bolster her points. As I’m sure you’ve seen, the response from those currently in power was disgraceful. The president called her “a so-called bishop” and “not very smart” and demanded an apology, which was not forthcoming. Bizarrely enough, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) called for her to be deported, despite the fact that she was born in New Jersey. Bishop Budde deserves our heartfelt praise. I hope more of us have the courage to speak truth to power as she did when/if the opportunity arises. You can listen to her sermon here.
4. New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States
Climate change will likely transform the United States in myriad ways. ProPublica published a striking analysis of what those changes might look like, including dynamic maps. Do take a look at their informative and frightening piece. You can read it here.
5. Visualize Land Temperature Changes
NASA has released a graphic depiction of the changes in land temperatures from 1963 to 2023. The changes are dramatic, visually gripping, and should be shared broadly, especially with anyone you know who still has doubts about climate change. You can view the data here.
6. Breaking the Wall Between Church and State
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case from Oklahoma addressing whether it is legal for the state to subsidize religious charter schools. As an article in The 74 noted, this is a very serious moment for the principle of separation of church and state. The piece quotes South Carolina law professor Derek Black as saying, “The stakes really couldn’t be higher….The issue is whether a religious entity can operate a charter school that teaches religion as truth.” You can read the full article here.
7. Causes and Consequences of Climate Change
As part of their Scientists in Synagogues program, our good friends at Sinai and Synapses have shared an informative and nuanced presentation from Dr. Jake Grossman, assistant professor of biology and environmental studies at St. Olaf College, entitled “Climate Change: Causes and Consequences.” You can watch his presentation here.
8. No Separation of Church and State in Texas
I find this report from the Texas Tribune to be truly frightening. It is entitled “Texas GOP chair claims church-state separation is a myth as lawmakers, pastors prep for ‘spiritual battle’” and includes the following amazing sentence: “Two hours after Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock was elected Texas House speaker on Tuesday, Christian worshippers gathered in a Capitol meeting room to prepare for ‘spiritual war’ and protect lawmakers from demonic forces.” You can read the full, depressing article here.
9.
Popular Mechanics, of all places, just published an article entitled “50,000 Scientists Beg Congress to Protect Science As Trump Prepares to Take Office.” The piece’s subheading notes, “Project 2025 and growing anti-science sentiment threaten to undermine several critical scientific institutions.” Take a look at this call to action even as so many of the concerns outlined are already taking place. You can read the article here.
10. Congregational Guidance for a Time Without Precedent
Third Act has published an essay by Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Special Advisor on Climate Justice to UCC General Minister and President as well as a member of The Clergy Letter Project, entitled “Congregational Guidance for a Time Without Precedent.” The piece’s subheading nicely explains what Jim’s focus is: “Rev. Dr. Jim Antal reflects on the critical role congregations can play in climate action at such a time as this.” The piece is well worth your time and it can be read here.
11. Working on Science and Religion
The 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, posted an essay on his blogsite Public Theology entitled “Working on Science and Religion: Update.” His piece summarizes an essay published by the International Society for Science and Religion detailing much of the work being done in the field over the past 20 years. You’ll see that, although much more needs to be done, a great deal is being accomplished!
12. Gordon Burghardt on the Scopes Trial
Dr. Gordon Burghardt, alumni distinguished service professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee and a member of The Clergy Letter Project’s list of scientific consultants, recently delivered a talk on the Scopes trial and evolution in eastern Tennessee in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial. I’m delighted to be able to share a video of his great presentation with you here.
13. Evolution is Leaving Iowa
There’s a move, a serious one, to remove references to evolution and climate change from the state of Iowa science standards. Apparently, the Department of Education made the changes after the expert committee charged with reviewing and revising the state's standards completed its work. The changes have yet to be approved but it appears that they might be, despite professional opposition. You can read more about the issue here.
14. Living Well During Climate Change
This year’s annual Goshen College Conference on Religion and Science will take place on 7-9 March. This year’s theme is Living Well During Climate Change and the keynote speaker is Dr. Sarah Fredericks, associate professor of environmental ethics at The University of Chicago Divinity School. Two of her lectures are entitled “Dealing with Environmental Guilt and Shame” and “Can We Rest during Climate Change?” Participation in the conference can take place either in person or virtually. You can read more details and register to participate here.
15. The Climate Crisis Letter’s Personal Statements
Our Climate Crisis Letter is approaching 1,200 signatures from clergy members representing 15 countries and, by the time you read this, it might well pass that milestone. (In fact, however, I’m surprised that it hasn’t generated more signatures from many of you, but that’s a different story!) To remind you, it was written by a team of clergy members and scientists, calls for immediate action, explains that the poorest among us are most at risk, and asks “How can we be good ancestors?” The message in that letter is more important today than ever given that the president is in the midst of undoing virtually every action that might have an impact on reducing the threat of climate change. He has even ordered the federal government to remove all mention of climate change from every federal web page, apparently replacing “climate change” with “climate resilience” when the term couldn’t simply be deleted. Now is the time to act (well, actually, it is past the time to act, but acting now is better than not acting!). Here are two simple suggestions. First, at the very least, if you’ve not yet added your signature to the Climate Crisis Letter, please drop me a note asking me to add yours to the growing list of signatures.
Second, as a companion piece to the Climate Crisis Letter, we’ve created a page of short personal statements drafted by clergy members who have signed the Climate Crisis Letter. Take a look at these moving statements and think about adding your own. These statements have the potential to make a difference in the beliefs and actions of those who read them. Please share your thoughts with all of us. Send me your paragraph and I’ll get it posted. And please use social media to promote the Climate Crisis Letter and the personal statements drafted by your colleagues.
16. A Reality Check
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has shared a short essay he wrote for the News-Argus in Lewiston, MT describing how the country was warned prior to the presidential election about what to expect. He quotes Montaigne from 1580 as saying, “I speak the truth, not my fill of it, but as much as I dare, and I dare a little more as I grow old.” His hope is that more of us will begin to speak (and act) up. You can read his essay here.
17. Religion News Trends to Watch in 2025
Religion Unplugged published a story entitled “5 Religion News Trends To Watch For In 2025.” The five broad categories highlighted for attention were: Pope Francis and power in the Catholic Church; Religious nationalism and global politics; Erosion of religious freedom; Rise of faith amid secularism; and Widespread use of AI. You can read the full article here!
18. Sermons for Religion and Science Weekend
This is a two-part item! First, if you are looking for good sermon ideas for Religion and Science Weekend, you should check out our page of sermons submitted by members. Second, if you deliver a sermon this coming Religion and Science Weekend, please share it with me and I’ll post it so others can make use of it in the future. We’re all in this together!
Concluding Thoughts
The future we feared has arrived. Our government is rounding up people, breaking up families, removing individuals from workplaces, schools and religious institutions all in the name of country and God. Our government is railing, and taking actions, against people of color, people whose sexuality and gender some (for no reason) find offensive, and people whose faith doesn’t conform to what our leaders prefer. Our government is rolling back positive environmental actions, promoting a fossil fuel economy, and mocking those who believe time is short to keep the world from tipping over into largely unlivable conditions – even as Los Angeles burns due to the effects of climate change. We need to raise our voices in protest. We need to take positive action in protest. We need to demonstrate that we care and that we’re willing to build a coalition of people who care. That coalition needs to be large, diverse, and loud. It needs to include all of us.
We need to show that religious leaders are not the hate-filled preachers that are receiving so much attention currently. We need, by our actions and our voices, to demonstrate that religion can be a part of the solution, that it can lead to a better world, a fairer world, a world that respects all humans, that celebrates their differences while extoling their similarities, a world that is greener, a world that searches for and honors truth, a world that values critical thinking and scientific progress, and a world in which meaningful discussions about complex topics can take place civilly. That’s the world I want to live in. I suspect that’s the world you want to live in as well. Together let’s take steps, steps big and small, to create that world. If we don’t do so, no one will. The time is now.
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
https://bsky.app/profile/mzclergyletter.bsky.social