A church in the heart of the city, with a heart for the city

Church observes Earth Day with theological discussion on creation care

April 23, 2026

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church’s public witness and mission program teams observed Earth Day by hosting a special April 22 webinar to address creation care through a theological lens. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe led the discussion with Bishop Cathleen Bascom, a consultant tasked with building out the church’s Eco-Region Networks, and Andrew Thompson, director of the Center for Religion and Environment at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He described them as being “among our foremost experts in the church on theology and the biblical roots of our Christian commitment to creation care.” “[The church has] heard recently that folks in our dioceses would really like more biblical, liturgical and formation resources that root creation care in our Episcopal identity and discipleship,” Rowe said while introducing Bascom and Thompson. “The Episcopal Church’s commitment to creation care is rooted in our traditions of incarnational theology.” Bascom stepped down from her role as bishop of Kansas in January to work to build the Eco-Region Networks. The 2024 General Convention authorized the creation of these networks. The first eco-region, the Grasslands Network, held an inaugural event in 2025 in Kansas. During the discussion, she said she’s sometimes “astonished that we’ve become blind to how agrarian and how creation-centered so much of Jesus’s teaching is,” noting that creation care is addressed throughout Scripture beyond Genesis. “I think [Jesus] is in line with the wisdom tradition of the Psalms, the wisdom tradition of Proverbs that looked to the created order, to the heavens – to all creation around [us] as a source of revelation,” Bascom said. While describing humans as “ecological beings,” Thompson said that “human issues,” like social, economic and racial justice, are also tied to environmental issues. “I think we are beginning to recognize just how deeply those are ecological issues as well, how matters of environmental justice and climate justice reinforce and exacerbate those issues of racial and social and economic injustice,” Thompson said. Thompson’s and Bascom’s theological reflections on creation care help frame a different perspective on humans’ place in creation as a whole, and that creation is “not entirely centered on us,” Rowe said. “I really think this call to understand the Earth and all of creation together is really powerful,” he said.  About 20 million Americans observed the first Earth Day in 1970, helping to launch the modern environmental movement. It led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. These laws and the EPA’s regulatory oversight addressed many environmental concerns of the time — pesticide usage, oil spills, toxic waste dumps and pollution resulting from agriculture and industry. Environmental regulations have reduced pollution and contamination in some areas. Since President Donald Trump began his second term in 2025, his administration has rolled back multiple environmental protection policies in favor of energy policies that aim to increase oil, gas and coal production, while reducing renewable energy development. These major policy changes are being implemented as the Earth’s surface temperatures continue to reach record levels, exacerbating severe weather events like droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, heavy rain and floods. “The prophets are very clear, like in Isaiah 24, that humans are suffering because of not following the ways of God and God’s love of one another, all people and of the Earth. And then the Earth ends up suffering, desolate,” Bascom said. During the discussion, participants asked questions using Zoom’s Q&A function. The Rev. Lester Mackenzie, The Episcopal Church’s chief of mission program, moderated the Q&A portion of the webinar. One person inquired about engaging in conversations on creation care action with other people of faith. Thompson responded, saying that the key is to build relationships and opportunities to connect and work with people who are already engaging in environmental work. “We’ve been putting these [creation care] ideas out there for a long time, and a lot of people have done really, really important work,” Thompson said. “I think what it takes to really make a transformation in people’s actions and in people’s communities is connecting with other people who have that creativity, who have that experience of finding ways together – finding what emerges from those relationships.” Participants also used the chat function to share their perspectives and the environmental work happening in their dioceses and congregations. One person, for example, announced that St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Dover, Massachusetts, achieved its net carbon neutrality goal in 2025. The accomplishment was made in response to the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church’s vote to work toward net carbon neutrality “through a combination of reducing emissions from travel, reducing energy use, increasing energy efficiency in buildings, and purchasing offsets from duly investigated, responsible, and ethical partners.” Episcopalians can learn more about the church’s support for the environment and public health here. Additional resources are available through the Center for Religion and Environment’s web page. -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.