March 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 18 items:
- Why We Do What We Do;
- Across the Cosmos for March 2025: Space Science and the Human Spirit;
- Light a Candle: Free Book Offer;
- Do You Know Someone in Utah: Choose a Free Book!;
- Our Statement of Diversity and Inclusion;
- Companion Statements;
- Intelligent Design in North Dakota;
- Legislating Biblical Fundamentalism in West Virginia;
- NASA Climate Spiral;
- Four Dangerous Federal Actions Impacting Climate Change;
- Faith-Based Green Initiatives;
- Clergy Dealing with Deportations;
- Christian Climate Observers;
- “Controversial Issues” Legislation Introduced in New Jersey;
- “Thank You For Our Fears”;
- Does Anyone Know How Much We Care about Creation?;
- Disagreeing Better; and
- Ignorance is Dangerous.
1. Why We Do What We Do
I’m regularly asked, by both Clergy Letter Project members and others who come across our letters, why I bother. One common sentiment, for example, that I’ve heard in response to our Climate Crisis Letter is that there’s no way that members of the administration will take it seriously, so why bother? The same question has been offered about the statement we recently released dealing with inclusion, diversity and truth: those in power will not be swayed by such missives, so why bother?
My response is always the same. Our audience isn’t really those in power! Like those questioning our sanity for spending our time in this manner, I, too, don’t believe that our letters will likely make those in power rethink their actions. No, our audience consists of people just like those who comprise The Clergy Letter Project, regular people, many of whom haven’t necessarily thought deeply about the issues that concern us. You see, I’ve been an educator all of my life and I believe in the power of education. I believe that it is possible to teach people things they don’t know and, more importantly, to encourage them to think about things they’ve not thought about previously.
By collecting signatures on our letters and by circulating them widely, we’re accomplishing a great deal of good. Simply put, we’re pushing back the veil of ignorance, we’re placing important ideas before people who might otherwise have never seen them. And our power comes not only from the words in our letters but from the number of signatures our letters have garnered. When people see that more than 18,600 clergy members have signed our letters, they notice – and they think, maybe there’s something meaningful in those letters if so many clergy have signed on. That’s the reason for continuing this effort. I hope you agree!
And if your signature is not yet on our Climate Crisis Letter, please add it today. Just reply to this note telling me that you want to be added and it will happen – and, perhaps, together, we’ll educate some additional people about the dangers of climate change.
2. Across the Cosmos for March 2025: Space Science and the Human Spirit
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, discusses the damage to science and science education proposed budget cuts will yield and relates the moving origin story of Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatory.
I write this at a time when the future of my entire field hangs in precarious balance. My organization, the Planetary Science Institute, for example, is almost entirely dependent upon NASA and NSF grants, both of which face unprecedented budget cuts. It is often difficult to “sell” the importance of the space sciences, which can be seen as esoteric and divorced from the concerns of people in general. One strategy to counteract this view has been to communicate the plethora of technologies with medical and other applications that have resulted directly from space exploration.(1) These are unarguably important; however, this month I want to briefly recount the experience of a good friend, whose life choices were shaped by another compelling reason.
In the early 1980s, a “burned out” planetary scientist named Guy Consolmagno joined the Peace Corps.(2) With advanced degrees from MIT and the University of Arizona, he was sent to teach high school science in a poverty-stricken, remote village in Kenya. What he learned from the remarkable people with whom he worked – people who lacked the basic necessities that most of us take for granted – guided him back to his career as a planetary scientist, and to joining the Jesuit community.
Consolmagno found that amidst extreme poverty, disease, and death, people flocked to look through the small telescope he would set up for his little talks on astronomy. Why? For similar reasons to why they flocked to church on Sunday: the intense human desire to connect to something bigger than themselves, and the basic need to feed the soul as well as the body. I encourage you to read the full story (and many others) in Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist.
I think this story is particularly timely in light of last month’s Religion and Science Living in Awe theme, and perhaps even more timely given the state of despair in which many of us find ourselves in the wake of recent events. The proposed budget cuts to NSF and NASA would be nothing less than disastrous for science and science education. As with many other budget cuts, the greatest impact will ultimately be felt by communities that can least afford to be hurt.
The Planetary Society has set up an easy-to-use online action site to allow people to send a message to their representatives in Congress, the White House, and the Office of Management & Budget, to urge against the proposed 50% cut to NASA, which would result in the lowest funding since 1985: planet.ly/nasacuts.(3) It takes less than one minute to complete, though you are encouraged to take some time to personalize the message!
Finally, I promise not to turn this column into a plea for money; however, I want to note briefly that the Planetary Science Institute has added a Donate(4) button to its home page, where people can choose to contribute to various PSI programs, including education & public outreach. So many of my own efforts during the course of my career have been voluntary, with no expectation of compensation – this is true of other scientists as well. I don’t know anyone who became an astronomer or planetary scientist for the money, but I do know colleagues who are sadly being forced out of the field because they have families to feed! In the words of Forrest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
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. See, for example, https://technology.nasa.gov/Spinoff_2025_Release
2. Consolmagno, G. (2000). Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist. McGraw Hill. pp. 129-136.
3. https://www.planetary.org/advocacy-action-center#/50
4. e.g.,https://www.psi.edu/donate/
3. Light a Candle: Free Book Offer
The Reverend Linda Kay Nealon, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, has just published a book entitled Light a Candle: Seeing More, Doing More. She wrote to me about the book, saying, “I pray that our colleagues here at the Clergy Letter Project read it and use it as a jump off point for meditation on both personal and cultural matters. It’s easily suited for use as a Springtime Spiritual Refresher either for oneself or as a small group study. May it be a blessing.” She generously donated copies for me to distribute to Clergy Letter Project members. If you’d like a copy, please respond to this email and I’ll award a free copy to every third person requesting one until all copies are claimed. In case you don’t win a free copy, you can order one, and read more about the book here.
_____ Yes, I’d love a free copy of Light a Candle. I agree to pay $3 to cover postage.
4. Do You Know Someone in Utah: Choose a Free Book!
Are you a clergy member in Utah or do you know a clergy member in Utah? It turns out that Utah is the only state that is not represented on our Climate Crisis Letter. To correct this oversight, I’m offering a free book to the person whose efforts yield an addition from Utah. I’ll send both that person plus the new addition to our climate crisis letter a free book of their choosing from the list below – and I’ll even pay for postage. Additionally, the climate crisis letter has clergy from 15 countries already on board. I’m offering the same free book deal to anyone who is able to add a clergy member from a country not currently represented on our list. I hope you take me up on these offers! Here’s the list of books to choose from:
A Wordview Approach to Science and Scripture by Carol Hill
The Devil in Dover by Lauri Lebo
The Sacred Depths of Nature by Ursula Goodenough
Climate Church, Climate World by Jim Antal
Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? by Janet Kellog Ray
The God of Monkey Science by Janet Kellow Ray
The Three Principles of Oneness by Anthony Stultz
The Theology Basement by Jacob Thomas5. Our Statement of Diversity and Inclusion
Once again I want to thank all of you who voted to release our statement on diversity and inclusion and for the large number of heartwarming comments that came with those votes. Our statement has been receiving a fair amount of attention but, as I noted in the first item above, the more people who see it, the greater the probability that it will help shape the opinions (and, perhaps, even actions) of those who read it. Toward that end, please share it as widely as possible, via social media, your weekly bulletins, and any other mechanism possible. You can use this link to disseminate the statement. Or, if you want, you can refer people to this link to United Methodist Insight which, I’m delighted to say, reprinted our statement in full. Together, let’s extend our reach and help build the world we desire.
6. Companion Statements
It’s always encouraging to know that you’re not alone when pushing back against injustice, immorality, and greed. To demonstrate that The Clergy Letter Project is not alone in the effort we embarked on with the release of our recent statement, I’m sharing a handful of similar statements recently released. Admittedly, this is an eclectic mix of statements, but they’ll give you an idea of what’s out there. All are moving and deserve wide dissemination.
The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
The United Roman-Ruthenian Church
Planetary Science Institute, CEO and Director Mark V. Sykes
The United Methodist Church, Council of Bishops
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Faculty
7. Intelligent Design in North Dakota
I’m delighted to say that a senate bill introduced in North Dakota that would have mandated the teaching of intelligent design has been defeated. The Rev. Marty Toepke-Floyd, a member of The Clergy Letter Project from North Dakota, submitted a wonderful letter in opposition prior to the bill’s defeat. You can read his missive here.
8. Legislating Biblical Fundamentalism in West Virginia
A report out of West Virginia is truly frightening. Members of the House of Representatives have introduced legislation “to recognize the Holy Bible as a foundational text in West Virginia.” The legislation is 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.’” You can learn more about this proposal here.
9.
In recent newsletters, I’ve been sharing various visual representations depicting climate change. The NASA Climate Spiral is one of the best I’ve encountered. It shows the distance from the average global temperature from 1880 to the present that each month has experienced. You can view the Spiral here. (You might want to check it out soon because I don’t know how long the Trump administration will permit this to appear on the NASA website!)
10. Four Dangerous Federal Actions Impacting Climate Change
As you’ve no doubt seen, the Trump Administration is doing all it can to put an end to efforts to combat climate change. One of the first things done was to, again, remove the United States from the Paris Accords. But there are other actions that have received less attention that might have a great impact on climate change. I present, here, four such actions.
1. The administration is taking action to undo the EPA’s finding from 16 years ago that greenhouse gases endanger human health and the environment. Doing away with this finding would lift the agency’s mandate to regulate carbon pollution from power plants, vehicles, landfills and oil and gas infrastructure. You can read more about this effort here.
2. A federal fee on oil and gas producers who release high levels of methane has been repealed. Methane is a much stronger global warming gas than carbon dioxide, especially in the short term, and is to blame for about one-third of the world’s warming so far. You can read more about this action here.
3. The General Services Administration is shutting down all electric vehicles charging stations on its properties and will be selling off its electric vehicles. You can read more about these steps here.
4. The president has signed an executive order directing that increased timber production be taken from federal lands. Despite his claims, doing so will increase CO2 in the atmosphere and increase the risk of wildfires. You can read more about this executive order here.
Each of these actions should worry you. Together we have to push back. In addition to contacting your elected representatives, if you haven’t yet added your signature to our Climate Crisis Letter, this would be a wonderful time to do so. Just drop me a note and I’ll get you added.
11. Faith-Based Green Initiatives
Religion Unplugged recently ran a story entitled “Faith-Based Green Initiatives: Churches Lead the Way in Environmental Stewardship.” The piece highlights some of the creative actions congregations are taking to combat climate change. You can read the story here. If your congregation is doing something that deserves attention, please share it with me and, in turn, I’ll share it with the readers of this newsletter.
12. Clergy Dealing with Deportations
Clergy on both sides of the Mexico/Texas border are doing critically important work helping those seeking asylum. Texas Monthly has published an article detailing how that work has continued and changed after the US administration suspended asylum claims. The article’s headline and subhead does a good job of explaining the situation: “The Immigration Crackdown Is Working as Intended. These Pastors Are Managing the Fallout. When President Donald Trump suspended asylum at the southern border, ministries in Texas and Mexico didn’t stop working.” You can read the full article here.
13. Christian Climate Observers
Our good friends at BioLogos have recently published a moving piece entitled “Christian Climate Observers: Stories from COP29 & Around the World.” The subheading does a very good job of explaining the impetus for the essay: “Stories help to connect us to our neighbors and reframe how Christians can think about their role in the climate crisis and how to respond.” You can read the full article here.
14. “Controversial Issues” Legislation Introduced in New Jersey
Legislation was introduced in New Jersey that would require public school teachers to present all sides of any “controversial issue” or face possible firing. The legislation defines controversial issues as any “issue that is part of an electoral party platform at the local, state, or federal level." This definition clearly targets both evolution and climate change for special attention. While the bill is likely not to go anywhere, it should serve as a wake-up call for what many lawmakers want to do. You can read more about the situation here.
15. “Thank You For Our Fears”
The Rev. Tess Baumberger, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, has written a short poem entitled “Thank You for Our Fears.” This wonderful poem was brought to my attention by Rev. Jackie Ziegler, another member of The Clergy Letter Project. I hope you find it as moving as I did.
Love that liberates us all,
today I thank you for our fears,
for what we fear is the destruction of what we value -
justice and the equitable treatment of all,
pluralism and affirmations of interdependence,
care for our earth, generosity of heart,
and transformation of our spirits and our world.
Thank you that we are afraid
because it shows us what we value.
If the cost of safety is forsaking our values,
may we continue to be afraid.
May we lean in to our fears
and show up for our values despite them.
May we take comfort in one another.
May we take time to rest, to laugh, to dance.
May we find beauty in a troubled world.
May we feel and live the love
which liberates us all.
16. Does Anyone Know How Much We Care about Creation?
Our good friends at Science for the Church have published an interesting article entitled “Does Anyone Know How Much We Care about Creation?” The premise of the piece is that while creation care is central to many religions, this message has not been shared widely. You can read the essay here.
17. Disagreeing Better
Our good friends at Sinai and Synapses have published a wonderful article discussing the state of the evolution/creation controversy in Israeli schools focusing on ways that it might be possible to bridge differences. The article is entitled “Disagreeing Better” and offers lessons for all of us. You can read it here.
18. Ignorance is Dangerous
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has shared another of his wonderful short essays with us. This one is entitled “Ignorance is Dangerous – Duh” and discusses the profound dangers of ignorance. He cites the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. as saying, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” One of our most important jobs at The Clergy Letter Project is to push back against ignorance in all of its forms. Enjoy Ken’s latest effort – you can read it here.
Concluding Thoughts
In the face of all the damage that is being done around us, from the attack on basic human rights, the apparent capitulation to Russian aggression, the promotion of Earth-destroying climate change policies, the withdrawal of food and medical aid around the world from those who need it the most, the promotion of Christian nationalism and the attack on mainstream religion and religious leaders, to so much more, it is all but impossible not to be utterly depressed. If we give in to our depression, however, we allow the forces of evil to win and we permit our rights to be lost and sentence millions to die. We have our voices, both orally and in writing, and we have to use them. We have to extend our network, we have to work with others who will make good allies in this struggle, even if we don’t agree on all issues, and we must do so in a manner that is true to our core principle of meaningful, civil discussion. We’re not going to convince our fellow community members to join us by shouting them down. We well only do so by explaining the damage that is being done to real people in a passionate but reasoned manner – and we won’t convince all of them. We may not convince most of them, but we will move the hearts of some and they, in turn, will convince others. This is how movements make progress. Time is short, please act 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