Should a visitor to California forget that this state is suffering from a fourteen-year drought, a “Pray for rain” sign in a field of gold-colored dirt serves as a stark reminder. Below this plea for prayer, one might also read: “1 Thess 5:17,” or “pray continually” (NIV).
While the theme of human agency in climate change may not seem related to the topic of religion, it is religion that asks us to think about ourselves as agents with great responsibility even if with limited capacities. Theistic religious traditions teach us that our power is inadequate compared to the deity who commands nature and intervenes in history. They also teach us that our actions in the world matter to our current communities as well as to those who come after us—to future generations.
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