Phoebe Chatfield, associate with the Episcopal Church’s Creation Care and Justice Program, spoke at a March 7 webinar, “Plastic Jesus in the Pews: Preparing for Creation Day Sunday.” Earth,” organized by Creation Justice Ministries, an ecumenical nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Earth and defending the Earth. for racial, economic and environmental justice. The webinar was used to introduce a new resource, titled “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World,” to help congregations think critically about the impact of plastic on Earth and how to address it. remedy in a practical way. Photo: screenshot
(Episcopal Press Service) The exponential increase in human production and use of plastic over more than half a century has contributed to a global pollution crisis, killing millions of animals every year and emitting greenhouse gases that raise global temperatures above safe and livable levels for the Earth’s climate system.
To solve this problem, as Earth Day approaches on April 22, Ministries of Justice Creation – an ecumenical nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Earth and advocating for racial, economic, and environmental justice – has created a free online resource titled “Plastic Jesus: True Faith in a Synthetic World.” This resource helps congregations think critically about the impact of plastic on the Earth and how to practically address it. It includes preaching to inspire discussions in churches, stories of individuals and communities making a positive impact on the environment, and ideas for how congregations can approach the plastic crisis theologically. “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World” also includes ways individuals and congregations can advocate for plastic reduction in their communities.
Creation Justice Ministries introduced the new resource in a March 7 news release. online seminar, “Plastic Jesus on the benches: preparation for Earth Day Sunday. » Avery Davis Lamb, co-executive director of Creation Justice Ministries, moderated the webinar.
“We hope this resource will inspire work throughout the year, not just on Earth Day,” Lamb said. “It’s a resource designed to be used in all seasons.”
Phoebe Chatfield, Episcopal Church Program Associate for protection of creation and justicewas one of several guest speakers.
“We know that the plastic that we have produced and the pollution that we have produced in one place does not stay within man-made boundaries, but actually travels around the world,” Chatfield said during of the webinar. “If you’re part of a congregation that celebrates Earth Day every year, this is an opportunity to do something different and perhaps focus on plastic pollution if not something you’ve insisted on before.”
Chatfield and the Rev. Melanie Mullen, director of reconciliation, justice and creation care for the Episcopal Church, are both part of the Creation Justice Ministry. Board of Directors.
Since the 1950s, more than nine billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide, and only 9% of this amount is recycled. recycled. By 2019, annual plastic production had increased to 460 million tonnes. Between 2019 and 2021, production of single-use plastic has increased globally of six million tonnes per year despite stricter global regulations. Plastic waste is omnipresent in the world, so much so that it is now found in human breast milk And arteriesand near the top of Mount Everest.
During the webinar, Liz DeMattia, research scientist at Duke University Marine Laboratoryexplained how plastic production and plastic pollution, also known as marine debris, have increased since the invention of plastic in 1907 as a substitute for shellac.
“People think, ‘Oh, recycling.’ » This is the magic word that you can never get because of the way plastic is made. When you recycle and add heat, not only are you releasing toxic fumes, but this product will never be as potent in the aftermarket as it was when it was first manufactured,” DeMattia said. “What we throw away doesn’t always stay in a landfill. It is found in our rivers, streams and oceans; oceans end up becoming plastic dumping grounds.
Plastic damages bodies of water because it is non-biodegradable. Instead, sunlight breaks the plastic into smaller pieces, commonly called microplastics, which are ingested by aquatic animals and plants. Studies have shown that microplastics reduce their eating behavior and fertility because they offer no nutritional value.
Participants in the Zoom webinar were able to ask DeMattia written questions. Derrick Weston, Coordinator of Theological Education and Training for Creation Justice Ministries, moderated the discussion. One person asked about the efficiency of recycling.
“Instead of just reduce, reuse and recycle, we add the fourth R, which is waste, so start refusing single-use plastics,” DeMattia said. “The more we reject single-use plastics, the less market there is for them. »
Reverend Betty Holley is a former senior president of the African Methodist Episcopal Church who also serves as vice president of the board of Creation Justice Ministries. She is also a professor of environmental ethics, dean of studies, and director of the Master of Divinity program at Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio. During the webinar, Holley explained what AME Church ministries are doing to address the topic of plastic production and pollution. However, “we don’t talk about it enough,” she says.
The Plastic Jesus resource “will help us look at the science of it. … We have a lot of eat, greet and eat situations, so it will help us to bring that paper plate or that paper straw,” Holley said. “With this resource, we now have something tangible in our hands that we can share with congregations to start the conversation. »
Weston said Christians can turn to Scripture to address the plastic crisis, even though plastic did not exist in biblical times. He referred to Philippians 4:13, John 10, Psalm 23 and others. He also suggested considering the intentional use of plastic as an act of sin.
“When we let the convenience of our plastic objects and gadgets keep us from truly being in communion with other people, for us it is an idol that has become a thing in place of God,” Weston said. “And the pretty obvious (sin) is greed. …The fossil fuel industry is really manage production plastic in this country, and we need to recognize that it’s about greed.
“Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World” is available from Creation Justice Ministries. website.
-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and associate editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be contacted at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.
