Press Release

November 8, 2005

Contact: Allen Johnson 304-799-4137

Conference will encourage Christians to spread word of responsible earthkeeping

Mountaintop removal focus of Christians for the Mountains

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—The Earth is the Lord's. Therefore, people have the privilege and responsibility to take care of God's creation. Here in the Appalachians, that means opposing mountaintop removal coal mining.

That’s the message the Christians for the Mountains hope Christians will spread after attending the group’s “The Earth Is The Lord’s” conference on Nov. 11-12 at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 821 Edgewood Drive.

The conference, $10 registration, will include sessions that cover basic biblical resources and church teachings on earthkeeping, approaches to reach the churches and their communities, building networking capabilities, airplane flyovers of mountain top removal mining, and worship and prayer.

The groups’ members believe the conference and their subsequent work will have a positive effect by encouraging Appalachians who identify as Christians to personally take responsibility for the God’s creation and to advocate for public policy that will restore and protect God’s creation.

Deriving their stance from an array of scriptures including Psalm 24’s “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” the group pledges their efforts to mobilize Christians and their churches to combat extreme abuses against God’s earth, such as mountaintop removal coal extraction.

About three months after Christians for the Mountains formed in mid-May, the group received national attention in an Aug. 29 Newsweek article titled “Green Religion: A Shepherd Protects His Own Backyard.” The group’s co-founder, Pocahontas County librarian Allen Johnson, told Newsweek, “God has called all of us seriously, and we should agree on one thing: to take care of his earth.”

Christians for the Mountains first field trip was to Kayford Mountain, a green island of forest almost surrounded by mountaintop removal operations. Stunned by the destruction of the ongoing and “reclaimed” operations around Kayford, the group agreed that inviting and urging church groups to the mountain and for clergy to take airplane flyovers of mountaintop removal sites would be an effective strategy to teach and motivate Christians to take action.

Charleston resident Mary Ellen O’Farrell has a long history of advocating for religious folks to honor God with responsible care for the earth. “To poison, pollute, and degrade God’s creation is to heap contempt on our Creator,” said O’Farrell.

Denise Giardina, raised in the coalfields, trained in theological studies, and a well-known writer, will present a keynote address Friday evening. Giardina succinctly noted, "When we destroy God's mountains, we reject his blessing."

Co-founder Bob Marshall, a Charleston area veterinarian, noted that the group includes Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant members. “We have a big tent because irrespective of denominational differences all Christians should agree that we need to live responsibly upon this earth. To ruin and pollute the land is sin,” Marshall said, noting that many Bible passages speak to the beauty and wonder of creation to inspire praise and worship to God. “Mountains in particular are special places where God meets people.”

Allen Johnson pointed out that Christians for the Mountains challenges assumptions of absolute property rights. “Psalm 24 essentially says that the earth is God’s property. Humans have the privilege to draw their livelihoods from the earth, but only with the parallel responsibility to care for the earth in a way befitting of the creator.”

Jim Lewis, an Episcopal priest, said, “While several churches have passed resolutions against mountaintop removal, many churches still aren’t teaching and preaching on human responsibility and stewardship for care of God’s creation. We ask church leaders to read the Bible, examine their church statements and teachings, and pray for God’s guidance and courage. Just getting the important issue of how we are to live on this planet into church dialogue and study is an important step.”

Friday evening’s agenda includes worship, music led by Kate Long, a talk by Denise Giardina, a slide show on mountaintop removal for church audiences, and a talk by coalfields resident Ed Wiley. Saturday morning will have a session for participants to share their vision and experiences, and a session for developing committees and responsibilities. At 10 am Asbury professor Howard Snyder will teach on the biblical and theological basis for creation responsibility. Saturday afternoons will include an onsite visit to Kayford Mountain in the middle of a mountaintop removal site, and an organization development meeting. Saturday evening will conclude with worship, prayer, music led by Tonya Adkins, and a presentation by Jack Spadaro.

The “The Earth Is The Lord’s” conference opens to the public at 6:00 pm Friday Nov. 11 and continues all day Saturday Nov. 12 beginning at 8:30 am. Attendees can register in advance by contacting Allen Johnson at 304-799-4137 or allen@christiansforthemountains.org.

Christians for the Mountains seeks people who identify with Christian faith and concern for the environment. For more information or to get involved with “Christians for the Mountains” see www.christiansforthemountains.org or call Johnson. For a list of churches and synagogues that have passed resolutions against mountaintop removal see, www.ohvec.org/temp/ch_syn_against_mtr.pdf.

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