The ongoing collaboration between the Parliament of World Religions together with the UN-Environment Programme, has set forth a “Faith for Earth: A Call for Action.” This beautifully compiled document describes the essential, unshakeable reverence that all religions have for creation and nature, and introduces the world’s major life support systems. This call for action offers both information and inspiration to learn more about our planet, to share one’s knowledge and commitment to care for it as a faithful expression of one’s faith and spirituality. nd it doesn’t stop there, in lays out practical ways to become part of the flourishing global interfaith movement that is increasingly bringing people together to protect and sustain life on Earth.
Consider the stated mission of UN-EP’s “Faith for Earth Initiative”:
“To encourage, empower and engage with faith-based organizations as partners, at all levels, toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling the 2030 Agenda.”
UN-EP
If you need a reminder of what the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are click here for something I wrote about them a while back. But these goals are a pretty good descriptor of what Jesus call the “Kingdom of God” or God’s shalom for all and everything.
Please, if you practice any spirituality or religion, search your tradition for narratives, practices, and values that invite caring for creation as faithful expression… then invite others from within your local faith community to begin re-imagining your everyday practices and your collective actions, in line with your values.
Also, a little shout out to UN-Habitat, it might be a good idea to follow the lead of UN-EP in this regard, and consider increasing y’all’s intentional collaboration with religious traditions, as these traditions play a vital role in inspiring, narrating, and mobilizing local faith communities to act unto the common good. Most religious people live in and care about our cities. And many of the world’s religions already have groups of people gathering regularly within every neighborhood of every city on the planet. Multi-faith traditions could play an important role in the implementation of the SDGs and The City We Need campaign.
As one who has invested most of my adult life leading local religious groups unto discovering holistic faithful presence within the ecosystem that sustains its life, studying local religious groups engaged in such work, or training younger leaders to lead toward flourishing for all and everything, I see the need to active faith(s) unto the New Urban Agenda.
Peace, dwight
