tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86145809253905611412024-03-12T18:30:31.544-07:00Renewing Hope: Pathways of Religious EnvironmentalismThe Forum on Religion and Ecology
at Yale University
http://www.yale.edu/religionandecology/Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-36439466590318858972008-02-14T04:52:00.000-08:002008-02-14T04:59:55.690-08:00Participant Contribution<p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The following post is a contribution from one of our conference participants, Yale alumna Katharine Preston.<br /></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">As a graduate of both the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (’74) and Andover Newton Divinity School (’00), concentrating in ecology ministry, I look forward with special delight to the upcoming conference. </span><o:p style="font-style: italic;"></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p>I offer an expansion of the blog discussions in two directions: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">First, I want to reassure others that there are now many, many people out here in the non-academic world that are already working on these concerns on a weekly basis in churches (and synagogues and mosques). I guest preach in small, rural congregations in northern New York.<span style=""> </span>Each time I am encouraged by the response of folks working hard to green their sanctuaries and change their ways of thinking about how humans fit into the greater scheme of God’s creation.<span style=""> </span>Interfaith Power and Light groups, now in 25 states, are just one national effort illustrating this phenomenon. (<a href="http://www.theregenerationproject.org/">www.theregenerationproject.org</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" ><o:p></o:p>Second, it seems to me that <u>ecojustice</u> is the primary nexus between ecological and theological concerns, particularly in light of climate change. We are surely invited to notice, love and celebrate the beauties of God’s creation, but for many right now (and for even more to come), it is about survival, not aesthetics. All people of faith are called by their various traditions to care for the poor and marginalized. Working to prevent and mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change on “the least of these” must become a priority for all of us. So I do hope that we will not relegate our discussion on ecojustice issues simply to one breakout session on Saturday.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p></span> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Katharine Preston<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Ecology Ministry<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Essex, NY <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">katharine.preston@gmail.com</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-74815479162213996272008-02-14T03:45:00.000-08:002008-02-14T03:52:40.590-08:00Paul Winter Wins Grammy Award!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R7QrA6y0DaI/AAAAAAAAAD0/M-xeOkc45EU/s1600-h/crestone.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 172px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R7QrA6y0DaI/AAAAAAAAAD0/M-xeOkc45EU/s320/crestone.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166801967283178914" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >We are pleased to congratulate Paul Winter on his latest achievement!<span style=""> </span>He was awarded a Grammy this past Sunday for his 2007 album, <i style="">Crestone</i>.<span style=""> </span>According to his website: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="font-style: italic;">The primary recordings for this new release were done in the natural acoustics of North Crestone Lake, at an altitude of 11,800 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The album introduces to the world the voice pow-wow drum and cedar flute of John-Carlos Perea, a young singer of Apache heritage, who sings in the Northern Plains Indian tradition. The album also features the voices of Mountain Bluebird, Red-winged Blackbird, Whooping Crane, Meadowlark, Sandhill Cranes, Coyotes, and Buffalo.</span> <a href="http://www.livingmusic.com/catalogue/albums/crestone.html">http://www.livingmusic.com/catalogue/albums/crestone.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >Paul Winter will be performing solo at the Renewing Hope gala dinner that will be held on Saturday, March 1<sup>st</sup> at the Omni Hotel.<span style=""> </span>He will also be providing music for the interfaith service at Marquand Chapel on Sunday morning, March 2nd. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-63249853793750462152008-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:002008-02-12T10:31:38.336-08:00In Stillness: Are We One or Two?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Sandy Smyth, a student at Yale Divinity School, has been so kind as to share some more of her poetry with us. To offer a word of explanation, she states "they are how I feel when I am still and aware of God's creation..."</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Church Outdoors</span></div><div><br /></div><div>In the woods</div><div>Among the pines</div><div>I feel alive and energized;</div><div>Though chill is in my bones, </div><div>I feel whiskey warm inside,</div><div>Lit by a red coal fire.</div><div><br /></div><div>Awaiting heavy snow,</div><div>I huddle under blankets worn,</div><div>Feeling safe in this still peace;</div><div>Embraced by Love so wide</div><div>I feel no longer torn;</div><div>My church is the outdoors;</div><div>My poetry, my song.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">In Stillness: </span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Are We One or Two?</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">In Stillness,</div><div style="text-align: right;">When I have</div><div style="text-align: right;">No thought,</div><div style="text-align: right;">The woods and I are one;</div><div style="text-align: right;">Frost-laced leaves</div><div style="text-align: right;">On the ground,</div><div style="text-align: right;">Icy boughs above,</div><div style="text-align: right;">Landscape the inner me.</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">The body furry warm,</div><div style="text-align: right;">Lying by my side,</div><div style="text-align: right;">Reminds me I</div><div style="text-align: right;">Am not alone</div><div style="text-align: right;">When deeply steeped</div><div style="text-align: right;">In Thee.</div><div style="text-align: right;">So knit together</div><div style="text-align: right;">By Your Love,</div><div style="text-align: right;">Are we one or two?</div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-41730812698717126732008-02-06T16:47:00.001-08:002008-02-06T18:54:58.335-08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><br />We regret to report that due to an overwhelming response<br />the Renewing Hope conference is officially full,<br />and we are not able to accept further registrations at this time.<br /><br />We thank everyone who has expressed interest in the event.<br /><br />To be placed on a waiting list (in the event of cancellations) please email<br />Tara C. Maguire Knopick of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/tcmk@aya.yale.edu">tcmk@aya.yale.edu </a><br /><br />Please remember that there are two events of the weekend that are open to the public<br />and do not require registration:<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><span style=""></span>Thursday, February 28, 6:30 p.m.:<br />Evening lecture by <b style="">Sallie McFague</b>:<br />“A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><span style=""></span>Friday, February 29, 7:00 p.m.:<br />Screening of the new documentary by Marty Ostrow and Terry Kay Rockefeller<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="">Renewal: Inspiring Stories from America’s<br />Religious Environmental Movement<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><br />In addition, the talk by Sallie McFague on February 28th at 6:30 p.m. and the opening panel on February 29th at 1 p.m. will be streamed live on the web from the Yale Divinity School website. Further details and the exact URL will be posted as they become available.<br /><br /><br />All speakers and panels will be taped and available for archived viewing from the Yale Divinity website.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-67137201798324750762008-01-27T13:48:00.000-08:002008-01-27T13:51:20.569-08:00Sallie McFague Speaks at the University of Calgary<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Humans urged to respect our planet</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Change sense of entitlement, says theologian</span></span><br /><br />GRAEME MORTON<br />Calgary Herald<br /><br />Saturday, January 26, 2008<br /><br /> Canadians need to change the lightbulbs inside their minds as well<br />as those in their homes and churches when it comes to a new spiritual<br />approach to the environment.<br /><br /> Sallie McFague, distinguished theologian in residence at the<br />Vancouver School of Theology and the author of a number of books on<br />religion and ecology, is calling for a profound shift in the way<br />humans view our place in the natural world.<br /><br /> McFague will be in <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_0">Calgary</span> <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_1">on Monday</span> and Tuesday to deliver the<br />University of Calgary's Iwaasa Lectures in Christian Spirituality.<br /><br /> "The heart of the question is who do we think we are in the scheme<br />of things, and what do we have the right to do?" says McFague.<br /><br /> She notes while global warming and climate change are scientific<br />and economic issues, they are also deeply theological debates.<br /><br /> "Religions have traditionally been involved in helping to form the<br />basic assumptions about who we are and what we ought to be doing,"<br />McFague reasons. "In our market-driven system, we have the view that<br />we are individuals who deserve to get everything we can legally get<br />hold of without worrying too much about other people."<br /><br /> McFague says scientific research is painting a different scenario:<br />that we can't continue on our present course without destroying other<br />life forms.<br /><br /> "Sharing is not just a warm, fuzzy word; radical interdependence is<br />the law of the universe in terms of a just and sustainable living<br />situation."<br /><br /> McFague says changing such entrenched assumptions of individual<br />entitlement won't be easy, but people of faith can play an important<br />role.<br /><br /> "If we think of ourselves as the only 'subject' and the rest of the<br />world as an 'object,' then you look at a forest first as so many<br />board-feet of lumber -- it becomes merely a resource," she says.<br /><br /> McFague says many mainline Christian denominations have been<br />primarily inward-looking in recent years, focusing on issues such as<br />declining membership and sexuality.<br /><br /> But she senses a significant shift in the wake of the work of the<br /><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_2">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</span> and <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_3">Al Gore</span> in bringing<br />global warming to the public's collective radar screen.<br /><br /> "It's a time of great openness and possibility for much more<br />serious analysis and action. Global warming is not a cosmetic issue;<br />this is very basic stuff for our survival," says McFague.<br /><br /> McFague says individuals and congregations doing green surveys of<br />their lives and facilities is a good first step in focusing on<br />climate change.<br /><br /> "It helps them raise their consciousness and embrace a different<br />attitude," McFague says. "But people realize pretty quickly that<br />personal changes are not enough. It doesn't matter how many times you<br />ride the bus if there aren't large systemic, political changes."<br /><br /> Rev. Meg Roberts of the Unitarian Church of <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_4">Calgary</span> says world<br />religions share common values of respect for other beings and for the<br />earth itself.<br /><br /> "To call us back to that foundation gives us inspiration," says<br />Roberts. "Both faith communities and environmental groups can offer<br />support to each other; that you're not alone when you despair over<br />the size of the challenge ahead of us.<br /><br /> "We all have to remember faith and values are connected to the<br />economic and political systems," Roberts says.<br /><br /> McFague's latest book, A New Climate for Theology: God, the World<br />and Global Warming, is due out in May.<br /><br /><a ymailto="mailto:gmorton@theherald.canwest.com" href="mailto:gmorton@theherald.canwest.com"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1201466077_5">gmorton@theherald.canwest.com</span></a>© The Calgary Herald 2008Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-79244759358400323252008-01-19T18:46:00.000-08:002008-01-20T09:02:07.692-08:00Hope Renewers: Profile of an Up-and-Coming Student Leader<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R5K7r3xBy5I/AAAAAAAAAAk/-fqh1RmaoGA/s1600-h/IMG_2393.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R5K7r3xBy5I/AAAAAAAAAAk/-fqh1RmaoGA/s200/IMG_2393.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157390885670996882" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span>The future of our planet and our spiritual institutions lies in the hands of the students of today. As we plan this conference, we bring together our hearts and minds to work together towards a common goal: bringing the environmental crisis to the attention of our faith-based institutions. Whether or not this task is accomplished will be based largely on the efforts of students young church leaders, such as our very own Frederica (Freddie) Ghesquiere. It is upon their backs that the groundbreaking work of current scholars and church-leaders will be carried. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Freddie, a first year student at Yale Divinity School is quickly becoming a leader in the greening of our school. A self-described Christian Quaker, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and a member of the Yale Committe on Social Justice (YCSJ) and the Yale Earth Care Commitee (YECC), Freddie has devoted herself to making her world a better place for others. While she has no specific career goals in mind, she is considering a future in faith-based overseas development focusing on resource management or NGO work in ecotheology here in the United States. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: normal;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> Please enjoy this </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">excerpt from her Senior Thesis: </span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Conversations with Scott Stokoe, a philosopher, counselor, teacher, and the director of Dartmouth's organic farm, inspired my fierce scribbling about humans' relationship with nature as we transplanted tomatoes one summer during college. Scott helped me see that we live in a society separated from the earth. Introductions to environmental texts do not often address this human separation from nature. Instead, alaming statistics typically persuade the reader that something is not quite right outside our climate-controlled homes and offices. From my studies of the environment I accept as a given that we are in the midst of a crisis. Our species is altering the natural systems of the earth at an unprecedented rate. Many express alarm, but few search for the ultimate cause in the place I consider most likely to harbor some answers: religion.<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When I explain to someone that I was both a religion and environmental studies major in college I am often met by a furrowed brow and the inevitable inquiry: What do those have to do with each other? Initially I might have answered that I was passionate about both, but soon I began to say with confidence that they are inextricably linked. Religion has a great deal to say about nature, and the way we treat nature has a great deal to do with the predominate religion in our society. In America, institutional Christianity has ignored the issue of the environment up until a few decades ago, and even then responded with lukewarm interest. Christianity is perceived as a religion about people. Through the historical act of a man, it claims to redeem all humans and strives to spread this message to all people. After all, no one is out to convert pine trees. It was not until a historian of medieval technology published an essay in the late sixties that a connection was forged between the ancient tradition and the emerging threat of ecological destruction.<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Today churches are forced to respond to attacks from environmentalists on what the environmentalists perceive to be Christian apathy toward the environment. Many scan the Bible and extract an anthropocentric message that says little about the natural backdrop to our human play. At the same time more and more Christians believe following Jesus demands an ecological commitment, and that scripture sends a clear message about earth-care. Even more thinkers believe we need to move beyond reliance on technology and fundamentally alter our belief systems in order to address the environmental crisis. Efforts to do so must battle a worldview built up through centuries of Christocentric cultures. Anne Primavesi claims that if the worldview is commonly held and reasonably workable, it will be adhered to despite evidence to the contrary. The Christian worldview conveys a message about the earth that is perceived to be fundamentally at odds with the environmental movement. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My senior thesis, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Christian Responses to the Environmental Crisis: A Typology</span>, began on scraps of dirty paper, smudged with soil from the organic farm. Months later, it evolved into a document that addresses what Christianity has to say about nature, and how Christians today respond to the environmental crisis. </div></div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-80558444482095283692008-01-17T18:13:00.000-08:002008-01-17T18:29:23.182-08:00Paul Winter to Perform at Renewing Hope<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R5AMvq4J5GI/AAAAAAAAADk/ZfcsfgjVDHU/s1600-h/pwsoftedge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 249px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R5AMvq4J5GI/AAAAAAAAADk/ZfcsfgjVDHU/s320/pwsoftedge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156635586442421346" border="0" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >We are thrilled to announce that musician and composer, <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-weight: bold;">Paul Winter</span>, will be performing at the Saturday evening banquet, as well as at the interfaith eco-service on Sunday morning in Marquand Chapel. <br /><br />This five-time Grammy award winner is known for his inspirational recordings on which he collaborates with musicians from all over the globe, including the creat</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >ures of the wider Earth community, and his solstice celebrations at The Cathedral of St. John the Divin</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R5ANU64J5HI/AAAAAAAAADs/PMrCIBJTwKg/s1600-h/crestone.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 178px;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R5ANU64J5HI/AAAAAAAAADs/PMrCIBJTwKg/s320/crestone.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156636226392548466" border="0" /></a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >e are<br />legendary. <br /></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >He describes his uni</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >que and original “Earth Music” as “a vital celebration of the creatures and cultures of the whole earth<i>”</i></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" ><i> </i>(<a href="http://www.livingmusic.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue;">http://www.livingmusic.com/</span></a>). This year he has once again been nominated for a Grammy aw</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >ard f</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >o</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" >r his latest recording, <i>Crestone</i>. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-56786935294962077592008-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:002008-01-17T11:10:37.504-08:00The Creek Ran Through Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R4-oDHxBy4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/9LEJZUahaQg/s1600-h/mccormicks-creek.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R4-oDHxBy4I/AAAAAAAAAAc/9LEJZUahaQg/s200/mccormicks-creek.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156524869940267906" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Inspiration</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">: We find it everyday, all around us. As we share and plan for the Renewing Hope Conference, we constantly inspire and move one another towards our common goals. As student volunteers gather and plan for the conference and the interfaith eco-service, I find inspiration in others around me. Whether they be student volunteers, conference organizers, or students emailing me with their insights and inspirations, I find myself washed over by the hope and dedication of others and I'm inspired to do more.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Sandra Smyth, a second year non-degree student at Yale Divinity School, who likes to center down with the Holy Spirit by a waterfall in Redding, Ct., is our next contributor. Taken from a collection of poems from 1961 to the present entitled "Paradise Within: Intimate Earth, Intimate Spirit," Sandy shares with a series of poems which follow the theme: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">At first I ran by the creek; At last, the creek ran though me.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">ABIDING</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">I just want to sit</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">By flowing creeks</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">And blowing trees,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Where I can steep</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Awhile and breathe;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Let go of ego</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">And just be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">That's Heaven</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">On Earth for me,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Deep listening,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Hearing thee.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">2004</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">FREEDOM</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">That I could live among the trees,</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Breathe the breath of Nature</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Through my pores,</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">And sweep in gracious ecstasy and ease,</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Like wind which passes inward</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">From the shores.</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">1961</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">PARADISE WITHIN</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Enter through the door of Silence</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">To Paradise within.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Go deep. Breathe.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Inhale the fragrance</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Of the forest there as Peace.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Exhale the fragrance</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Through your heart as Love;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Let all that block's the Spirit's</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Flow within you cease</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Be Grace and Goodness</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Gushing up in you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Be a font of Joy</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">To all you meet.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Fly with the Eagle and the Dove;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Give, Receive;</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">The Universe unfolds through you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">2005</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-90491239338904194322008-01-16T19:31:00.000-08:002008-01-16T19:51:30.213-08:00Call for Papers<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://www.yaleslavery.org/graphics/ydsshield.gif" style="'position:absolute;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Tara\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png" href="http://www.yaleslavery.org/graphics/ydsshield.gif"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="">The YDS Initiative in Religion, Science & Technology<br />Graduate & Faculty Forum<o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="border-style: none none dotted; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;font-family:lucida grande;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="line-height: 90%;">Call for Papers on</span></b><b style=""><span style="line-height: 90%;"><br /><br /></span></b><b style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 90%;">Renewing Hope:<br />Pathways of Religious Environmentalism</span></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;font-family:lucida grande;" align="center"><br /><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style=""><span style="font-size:130%;">Inviting Works by Yale Students, Faculty, and Staff</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 1pt 0in 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><br /><span style="">The Yale Divinity School Initiative in Religion, Science & Technology (</span><span style="">I<span style="letter-spacing: -1pt;">R</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;">ST</span></span><span style="">) invites Yale graduate students, research affiliates, faculty, and staff to submit papers and/or projects illuminating the encounter of religion with science & technology, for presentation at the Graduate & Faculty Forum on Issues in Religion, Science & Technology.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 1pt 0in 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><b style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="">Deadline for submissions:</span></b><b style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style=""> </span></b><b style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><u><span style="">Feb. </span></u></b><b style=""><u style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><span style="">14, 2008</span></u><br /><span style="">Papers to be presented </span></b><b style=""><span style="">Feb. 28 • Yale Divinity School</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 1pt 0in 0in; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><br />Works selected are to be presented by their authors. Up to three papers are to be presented, with Q&A to follow. With presenters’ permission, the papers presented will be made available internationally via the Initiative’s website at </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="">yale.edu/religionandscience.</span></b><b style=""><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> </div> <div color="-moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext" style="border-style: none none dotted; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="">Unpublished papers, works in progress, and course projects (with or without attendant papers) are invited for summary presentation in 20 to 30 minutes. Please submit a one-page abstract by email to </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><u><span style="">james.vanpelt@yale.edu</span></u></b><b style=""><span style="">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 3pt 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;" align="center"><span style="">Possible topics include, but are <b style="">not</b> limited to...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 3pt 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;" align="center"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="">Science in light of spiritual presence</span></b><b style=""><span style="">:</span></b></span><span style=""> spiritual perspectives on life and that which sustains it, and how human beings relate to the biosphere; health and healing; animal rights; and ecology.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 3pt 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;" align="center"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="">Science and technology in light of religious grounding and influence</span></b><b style=""><span style="">:</span></b></span><!--[if !supportLists]--></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; background: rgb(218, 238, 243) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; text-align: center; line-height: 90%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><span style=""> spiritual or religious perspectives on bioethics and genetics; environmental concerns; human extension via tools and technology; purposes and outcomes of technology; cultural criticism in light of related issues.<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:Symbol;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span style="">·<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span style="">Science in light of the possibility of divine agency and interaction</span></b><b style=""><span style="">:</span></b></span><span style=""> evolutionary and cosmic origins and influences; scientific perspectives on religious truth claims and spiritual experience.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; background: rgb(218, 238, 243) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; text-align: center; line-height: 90%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><b style=""><span style="line-height: 90%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><span style="line-height: 90%;">The mission of the Yale Divinity School Initiative in Religion, Science & Technology</span><span style="line-height: 90%;"> (<span style="">I<span style="letter-spacing: -1pt;">R</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;">ST</span></span>) is to engage the Yale community in interdisciplinary consideration of contemporary encounters between religion, science, and technology.</span><span style="line-height: 90%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 90%;">I<span style="letter-spacing: -1pt;">R</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;">ST</span></span><span style="line-height: 90%;"> focuses especially on the theological, spiritual, ethical, and pedagogical implications of such encounters. IRST reaches beyond the Divinity School, inviting participation from across the University.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="border-style: dotted none none; padding: 1pt 0in 0in; background: rgb(218, 238, 243) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; background: rgb(218, 238, 243) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; margin-top: 3pt; text-align: center; line-height: 90%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 90%;">For more information</span><span style="line-height: 90%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; background: rgb(218, 238, 243) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; margin-top: 3pt; text-align: center; line-height: 90%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><span style="line-height: 90%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/yale.edu/religionandscience">yale.edu/religionandscience</a> </span><span style="line-height: 90%;">or</span><span style="line-height: 90%;"> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">james.vanpelt@yale.edu</span></span><span style="line-height: 90%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-8295132200490849902008-01-15T08:17:00.000-08:002008-01-15T18:31:21.295-08:00Next Steps<div style="text-align: center;">The Renewing Hope conference will close on Sunday, March 2 with a panel entitled:<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >"Next Steps: Ways Forward"</span><br /><br /></div>This panel will include three of our own Yale Divinity School students: Matthew Riley, Joshua Ashton Hill, and Rachel Holmes. I'd like to take a few moments to introduce each of them to you and say a few words about their own work and ideas about the "way forward."<br /><br />We'll begin with Matt Riley, our own Renewing Hope Student <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R41r2q4J5FI/AAAAAAAAADc/sVPmS2HhUj8/s1600-h/Matt+Mugshot+%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R41r2q4J5FI/AAAAAAAAADc/sVPmS2HhUj8/s200/Matt+Mugshot+%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155895735376012370" border="0" /></a>Volunteer Coordinator. Matt is a student in the MAR Ethics program at YDS, and he will be graduating from Yale this May. He has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to this event and has assembled an amazing team of students from across the university to organize the interfaith eco-service that will take place Sunday morning, as well as to offer general conference support.<br /><br />Matt Riley has recently submitted his applications to various PhD programs in ethics and hopes to begin work on his doctoral degree this coming Fall. As a former middle school biology teacher and union organizer with the Teach for America program, Matt is interested in continuing to teach at the university level. With a background in science and education as well as a rich family history of religious involvement, Matt feels that the linkage between religion and ecology is the most important moral/spiritual issue of our time. He hopes, as many of us do, that our work here will inspire others to seriously reflect on - and engage with - a multitude of religious traditions. In addition to his work as the student coordinator for the Renewing Hope Conference, Matt is also actively involved with the Yale Earth Care Committee.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-87203122839000510472008-01-12T16:48:00.000-08:002008-01-20T09:02:43.470-08:00Educating Families<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R4lkI3xBy3I/AAAAAAAAAAU/sHHYLLYYJto/s1600-h/Al_Gore_rgb_Ausschnitt_-_image_net.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_t7shW5xl03E/R4lkI3xBy3I/AAAAAAAAAAU/sHHYLLYYJto/s320/Al_Gore_rgb_Ausschnitt_-_image_net.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154761352073562994" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"Why are you interested in the intersection of religion and ecology?"</span> </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is a question that I often ask myself and that I've recently been trying to answer on my nearly completed PhD applications. The answer, while often difficult to put into words, is decidedly a personal one. Each and every one of us can give a different answer to this question. For some it was a book they read, for others it was their personal experiences with nature, with animals, or with a place. Many were inspired by teachers, thinkers, or others in their lives. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Recently, I sent out an email to the Renewal Conference's student volunteers asking them why they think that the intersection between religion and ecology is important. Lyndsay Bacher, a first year MAR student at Yale Divinity School wrote the following:</span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Courier"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> As a senior at Hamline University, I took a seminar on Wendall Berry, esteemed author, eco-friendly and very opinionated. While I didn’t agree with him on many of his positions, I had to admire someone who would quit his job and move to Kentucky to farm his own land. His passion for living rightly in and with the world was inspiring and lasting, prompting myself to examine the way I interacted with the environment around me.<br /><br />It’s been unseasonable warm in Wisconsin - it rained the past two days when it should have snowed - and my sister said, “Al Gore told you so, Dad!” Since I’ve been at home over the holiday break, I’ve been trying to bring about change in my family’s day-to-day living. While I haven’t persuaded anyone to move to a farm (myself included), I have convinced my family to bring re-usable sacks to the grocery store and often I wander around the house, turning off bedroom lights and various electronics. Religion has been an important aspect in our daily life, and with a little effort, environmental consciousness can be as well.</span></span> </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></p> </div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-28071134105946603172008-01-11T06:52:00.001-08:002008-01-12T13:55:18.265-08:00Mary Evelyn Tucker on WYBC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4k3La4J5AI/AAAAAAAAAC0/a5QmEO7EbEk/s1600-h/tucker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4k3La4J5AI/AAAAAAAAAC0/a5QmEO7EbEk/s200/tucker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154711917835183106" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4eEGa4J4_I/AAAAAAAAACo/te-Mx06X9YU/s1600-h/tucker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4eEGa4J4_I/AAAAAAAAACo/te-Mx06X9YU/s200/tucker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154233544377754610" border="0" /></a><br />Please tune your radio to WYBC 1340 AM (Yale Radio) on Friday, February 8th at 10 a.m.<br /><br />Lisa Wexler will be interviewing Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale professor and co-director and founder of the Forum on Religion and Ecology. They will be discussing the upcoming <span style="font-style: italic;">Renewing Hope Conference</span> at Yale, the new <span style="font-style: italic;">Renewal</span> documentary, and the importance of the religious-environmental movement.<br /><br />It will also be streamed live at <a href="http://www.wybc.com/">http://www.wybc.com/</a><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:garamond,new york,times,serif;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://renewinghope.blogspot.com/"></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-9891618840309216382008-01-10T16:02:00.000-08:002008-01-10T18:54:53.002-08:00Calling All Student Volunteers!<div style="text-align: center;">Save the Date!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 255, 153);font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Renewing Hope</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 255, 153);font-size:180%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Student Volunteer Planning Session</span></span><br /><br />Saturday, January 19 2008, 3 p.m<br />YDS Common Room<br /><br />Organic snacks provided!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4baFK4J4-I/AAAAAAAAACg/c6SvbvlqDL8/s1600-h/j0314309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 111px;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4baFK4J4-I/AAAAAAAAACg/c6SvbvlqDL8/s200/j0314309.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154046605926196194" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Any questions email<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Matt: matthew.riley@yale.edu<br />or Tara: tcmk@aya.yale.edu<br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-82712735456275707412008-01-09T08:39:00.001-08:002008-01-09T09:53:40.716-08:00Call for Artwork<p class="MsoNormal">The <b style=""><i style="">Renewing Hope</i></b> conference is putting out a call for artwork to be displayed during the conference.<span style=""> </span>This is not a formal or juried show, but rather an open opportunity for members of the Yale community to share works of visual art related to the conference theme.<span style=""> </span>We are particularly interested in pieces that depict or evoke the harmonious interaction of humans and the natural environment.<span style=""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We welcome contributions from students, faculty, staff, and other registered conference participants. We would also be pleased to display artwork created by children that is related to this environmental theme. We will show as many pieces as our limited space allows.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">The pieces will be on display at YDS on Saturday and Sunday of the conference weekend, and possibly for a longer period, depending upon availability of space.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you have any questions or to submit artwork for display, please email:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Tara C. Maguire Knopick <a href="mailto:tcmk@aya.yale.edu">tcmk@aya.yale.edu</a></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-30816530726692022682008-01-09T08:02:00.001-08:002008-01-12T13:59:45.457-08:00Sallie McFague<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4k4G64J5BI/AAAAAAAAAC8/cEAVg9MUMnA/s1600-h/mcFague.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4k4G64J5BI/AAAAAAAAAC8/cEAVg9MUMnA/s320/mcFague.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154712940037399570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >The official opening event of the Renewing Hope Conference will be a talk on Thursday evening, February 28, by Dr. Sallie McFague entitled "A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:13;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Sallie McFague, an esteemed alumna of Yale University (Ph.D.) and Yale Divinity School (Bachelor of Divinity), is the author of such books as: <i>Metaphorical Theology</i>; <i>Models of God</i>; <i>The Body of God</i>; <i>Super, Natural Christians</i>; and <i>Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril</i>. Her latest work, <i>A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming</i>, will be released in May 2008 from Fortress Press.<br /><br />She taught for many years at Vanderbilt Divinity School and is now a distinguished theologian in residence at Vancouver School of Theology.<br /><br />We are very pleased to welcome Dr. McFague back to Yale to open the Renewing Hope conference. For more information on Dr. McFague's work go to:</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:13;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p><a href="http://www.vst.edu/faculty/mcfague.php">http://www.vst.edu/faculty/mcfague.php</a><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Palatino;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-53720680673016578562008-01-08T22:57:00.000-08:002008-01-08T23:10:13.533-08:00<div>Our next voice of inspiration is that of Elizabeth Wilkinson, a Master's student at Yale Divinity School. Known as a poet and as a friend to nature, Elizabeth believes that the ideas of nature teaching us is important in terms of renewal. Those lucky enough to know Elizabeth are familiar with her insightful, creative, and often humorous thoughts on God, humankind, and nature. </div><div><br /></div><div>In a basic sense, Elizabeth is aware of the material renewal of nature and that we renew the earth even as it renews us. Spiritually speaking, she also believes that this renewing process extends to a spiritual and metaphysical level, such as exemplified in the use of bread and wine to represent the mystery of God indwelling. Please share these insights as you read on:<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Courier;font-size:13px;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Courier;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Courier;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">"Planting" by Elizabeth Wilkinson</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">I do not know who was feeding who,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Standing there, arms dropped down</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Depositing one seed and then another.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Curved back, sunlight passing through</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">I, the eye of the needle, sewing the earth.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">I wanted to say, I will take care of you,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">I will be back later with a watering can.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">But the little faces stared up at me,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Stearn, silent, hard faces, as if to say,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">"Our mothers are digesting in your stomach."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Planting, they call it, as if I will really</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Reap what I sow when I, too, am dust,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">When I, too, am fed on these most</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">Holy mysteries of water, wind,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman">And earth.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p> </div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-79245574110188237862008-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:002008-01-06T09:36:06.616-08:00When Heaven Meets Earth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4ERYK4J46I/AAAAAAAAACA/a8NPWyJWCvw/s1600-h/JanMFSpullingcrabssunny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 183px;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4ERYK4J46I/AAAAAAAAACA/a8NPWyJWCvw/s320/JanMFSpullingcrabssunny.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152418555622974370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">In addition to the documentary<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Renewal: Inspiring Stories from America's Religious Environmental Movement</span>,<br /><br />The Renewing Hope Conference will also be showing a new documentary entitled<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">When Heaven Meets Earth: Faith and Environment in the Chesapeake Bay</span><br /><br />by Susan Emmerich from the Creation Care Program of the Center for Law and Culture.<br /><br />For more information on the film go to:<br /><a href="http://www.skunkfilms.com/scheduledshowsTangier.cfm">http://www.skunkfilms.com/scheduledshowsTangier.cfm</a><br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Palatino;color:black;" ></span><span class="Schedule"><span style="font-family:Palatino;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-39354000587333801492008-01-05T14:44:00.000-08:002008-01-06T09:02:37.486-08:00Dinner Speaker<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4A1Ta4J40I/AAAAAAAAABQ/ZTS61QjYOiY/s1600-h/speth_218w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_MOtSAaBAgmE/R4A1Ta4J40I/AAAAAAAAABQ/ZTS61QjYOiY/s320/speth_218w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152176581460484930" border="0" /></a>We are pleased to announce that the speaker for the Saturday evening banquet will be James Gustave Speth, Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.<br /><br />Dean Speth's leadership has opened the door for partnership between the scientific and religious communities, and he has done tremendous work towards building bridges between the disciplines. <br /><br />In his own words:<br /><br />"We've heard a lot from scientists and lawyers and economists. We now need to hear more from preachers, poets, psychologists, and philosophers--people who understand the wellsprings of human behavior and values." (Yale Alumni Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2007, 53)<br /><br />Dean Speth has served as administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and was founder and president of the World Resources Institute; chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality; and cofounder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He has also served as advisor on environmental issues to Presidents Carter and Clinton, and was awarded the prestigious Blue Planet Prize.<br /><br />His books include <i>Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment</i> and <i>Worlds Apart: Globalization and the Environment</i>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-1955112976514631422008-01-05T14:08:00.000-08:002008-01-05T14:15:54.682-08:00Soul Art<span style="font-style: italic;">Hello again from Matt Riley!!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our next student-submission comes from Cintra Agee, a PhD student from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. Fitting in the with the INTER-faith theme of the Renewing Hope Conference, Cintra has submitted a Haiku inspired by a contemporary painting by a Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations member from the central west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I hope that you find inspiration and beauty in it as much as I do!</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Cougar at stream’s edge</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Water reflects her soul art</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:verdana;" >But veiled to some eyes<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-48344249273754963142008-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:002008-01-03T21:17:10.977-08:00A Graced Encounter with Nature<span style="font-style: italic;">Hello Everyone! My name is Matt Riley and I am the Student Coordinator for the Renewal Conference. As we plan, email, schedule, and coordinate for the upcoming conference it is often easy to lose sight of the things that inspire us. In the weeks to come, I will be posting the thoughts, inspirations, and words of Yale students to remind us why nature matters and why we are dedicated to putting this conference together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our first entry comes for Yale Divinity student Josh Hill. Josh, who was studying for an winter exam, happened to glance out a window. His eyes fell upon an elegant scene under an oak tree on the blustery, frozen Divinity Quad. Inspired by Karl Rahner, Josh writes, "I knew that my awareness of beauty -- and God -- was no happenstance. It was a graced encounter with nature." By allowing natural values to lay claim to his religious (and moral) identity, Josh was inspired to write this poem:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >“Leaves”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thin ice</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">forms a layer</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">on top.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Brittle memories </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">of majestic oaks</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">skate to music</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">of wind.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Stillness signals silence.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">He halts, arrested</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">beholding</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">praising God.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div>Matt Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290159399779608197noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-32635751443602910732007-12-14T17:08:00.000-08:002007-12-14T17:12:11.949-08:00Conference WebsiteThe official conference website is up and running! Please check it out for more information on the conference including a tentative agenda of the weekend's events:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yale.edu/divinity/news/071128_news_renewing.shtml">http://www.yale.edu/divinity/news/071128_news_renewing.shtml</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-19845127777868338822007-11-25T07:59:00.000-08:002007-11-25T08:15:32.485-08:00Renewal documentary website<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />There is a new website up for the film. Take a look at:<br /><br /></span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.renewalproject.net/">http://www.renewalproject.net/</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />In addition to info on the filmmakers and the religious environmental groups profiled in the documentary, you can also view short clips of each of the segments of the film.<br /><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8614580925390561141.post-81167301448422519332007-11-24T16:40:00.000-08:002007-11-25T08:20:50.297-08:00Renewing Hope: Pathways of Religious Environmentalism<div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Greetings one and all!<br /><br />This is the inaugural post for the Yale "Renewing Hope" blog.<br /><br />Renewing Hope is a conference that will be held at Yale Divinity School from February 28-March 2, 2008. It will bring together leading scholars and eco-theologians of the world’s religions and grassroots religious environmentalists to explore the obstacles and opportunities of religiously-engaged environmentalism. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The conference will feature panels and discussions that highlight the intersection of theology and practice, scripture and action in new and creative ways and raise questions regarding the various roles of religion in shaping ecological awareness and encouraging environmental activism.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />This space will serve as a place for the conference organizers to update the Yale community on the events surrounding the conference, on religious/environmental issues at Yale, and on global environmental concerns. We also hope to share information on the work currently being done by religious environmentalists and the scholarship of some of our distinguished panelists.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><br /><o:p></o:p><br /><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><br />We regret that the full conference is only open to members of the current Yale community (students, faculty, administration), Yale Divinity and Forestry alumni, and formally invited scholars, theologians, and grassroots activists. This is not because we do not believe that these issues are important to share with as wide a community as possible...on the contrary! However, the response thus far has been tremendous, and sadly our space is limited.<br /><br />However, there are two major events of the weekend that will be open to the general public:<br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Thursday, February 28, 6:30 p.m., an evening lecture by eco-theologian Sallie McFague entitled:</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:11;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming"</span></span></span></p></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:11;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Friday, February 29, 6:30 p.m., a screening of the new documentary:<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> </div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:130%;"><st1:country-region style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><st1:place><i style="">Renewal: America</i></st1:place></st1:country-region></span><i style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >’s Emerging Religious-Environmental Movement</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><div style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i>By Emmy award-winning filmmakers Marty Ostrow (<i>Race to Save the Planet</i>) and </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Terry Kay Rockefeller (<i style="">Eyes on the Prize</i>).</span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >We anticipate new additions to the week's activities such as bookstore events, an art exhibit, and a student panel of papers, so please check back for updates! </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left; font-family: georgia;"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0