Preaching in the Face of Climate Change

Dr. Charles Campbell on A Christian Life-Style

On September 11, 1977, at Duke Chapel, the Rev. Dr. Carlyle Marney preached a sermon that framed the environmental challenges of the energy crisis as challenges of theological commitment. Over forty years later, the Rev. Dr. Charles Campbell brings that sermon into conversation with the contemporary crisis of climate change. Dr. Campbell's most recent book, The Scandal of the Gospel: Preaching and the Grotesque, is based on his 2018 Beecher Lectures and includes a final chapter on environmental preaching.

Listen to Marney's sermon A Christian Life-Style and watch the interview below.


 

"Fear not. Tell the truth. Be urgent. It's a matter of life and death....And of course, listen - which of course, requires as much courage as anything else."

 ― Charles Campbell


For Discussion

  1. Dr. Campbell gives a number of reasons why preaching on climate change is challenging for preachers.  Which of those reasons resonates most with you?
     
  2. Heather McTeer Toney describes why "Black Women are Leaders in the Climate Movement," (New York Times, July 25, 2019) highlighting the advocacy work and bible studies of groups like the Mom's Clean Air Task Force.  How would you address issues of racial justice through a sermon about climate catastrophe?  What scriptures and examples might you use?
     
  3. What did you appreciate about Marney's use of broad theological claims to ground his engagement of the energy crisis? Are there other theological themes that you find relevant to our present moment?
     
  4. What difference does it make for you that John's gospel speaks of Jesus as "flesh," rather than "human?" How might that impact your preaching on the Incarnation?
     
  5. How are you rethinking Christian hope in light of the climate crisis?
     
  6.  In May, 2021, the Rev. Megan Pardue preached another sermon on the environment from the Duke Chapel pulpit. What differences do you see between Pardue and Marney's approaches? How does each envision the role of preaching in environmental advocacy?
     
  7. What commitments might you make in the coming year that would strengthen your preaching in the face of climate change? Whose are the voices to whom you might listen? What are risks you might take?