Global Evangelical Environmental Campaign Comes to Gordon

More than 100 evangelical leaders from across Canada and the U.S. will gather at Gordon next week, from July 27 through 31, for “Hope for a Time of Crisis: Creation Care and the Mission of the Church.” This conference is part of a five-year campaign by the Lausanne Creation Care Network, a global evangelical network committed to mobilizing churches and communities around the world for creation care.

“It’s a pleasure to be able to host a conference on creation care and the church’s mission. Gordon has a long history of environmental stewardship,” says biology professor Dr. Dorothy Boorse, one of the nation’s leading voices on faith and climate change, and and co-author of the widely used textbook Environmental Science. “This effort is near and dear to my heart. Caring for our neighbors and for future generations demands intentional care of the natural world and its ecosystems on which we depend. Fulfilling our role as stewards is part of of calling as people of faith.”

The conference’s keynote speaker will be former U.S. congressman Robert “Bob” Inglis (R-SC), who won this year’s John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his work on climate change issues among conservatives. Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2014 and whose work is featured in the Emmy award winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously (Showtime), will also participate.

“We agree with Pope Francis,” says Rev. Ed Brown, Director of the Lausanne Creation Care Network and CEO of Care of Creation. “The environmental crisis is a moral crisis, and demands a response from God’s people.” Rev. Brown previously served as COO of the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, where Gordon students have the opportunity to study environmental stewardship.

The following sessions are open to the public:

• Monday, July 27, 7 p.m.: Opening plenary session, “Creation Care in a Global Context,” with Rev. Ed Brown
• Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m.: Two original film screenings, followed by Q&A with their directors: Quinoa Soup (Kate Kirby) and We Know Not What We Do (Andrew Taylor)
• Thursday, July 30, 7 p.m.:  Closing session featuring Rep. Bob Inglis, 2015 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award

All sessions will be held in the Ken Olsen Science Center, Gordon College, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA. For more information, contact Dr. Dorothy Boorse at [email protected].