This poignant letter is to my father, who is among the most powerful evangelical ministers in the world. Pastor Rick Joyner heads MorningStar Ministries, a global group with over 100 churches and partners in dozens of countries. My father won't accept climate change is human-caused. In this Sunday night's episode of Years of Living Dangerously, Showtime at 10 p.m., I take him to meet scientists and see the situation on the ground. I wrote this open appeal to him.
Dear Daddy,
As you know, combating climate change is my life's work. I believe it is the greatest challenge of our time. I feel a deep duty, to both my faith and my generation, to spread this message. We are the first generation that knows how serious the stakes are, as well as the last to be able to do something about it in time.
I learned from you that we are called on to protect God's creation and to love our neighbors. I write you today because we need your leadership to achieve a bright future for all of us -- and our children.
Fossil fuels have brought the world many wonderful things, but now we know they come with a high price -- an unimaginably high price if we don't act soon to start transitioning off of them. We need to create a world where our energy needs are met without depending on fossil fuels that make us sick and heat up our planet. We can only do this together.
Daddy, I know you are someone who takes stewardship of creation as a moral mandate. I believe ignoring climate change is inconsistent with our faith. The risks are massive, and the science is clear. If we do nothing, our planet will face severe impacts, and billions of people will be hurt, most of whom contributed little or nothing to the problem. How is that just? How is that loving our neighbors?
Many people are already being negatively impacted, such as our friends, the oystermen, in Apalachicola, along with people from Texas to Bangladesh, from Syria to Staten Island -- whose powerful stories are told in the Showtime series you and I appear in, "Years of Living Dangerously."
It's not just livelihoods at stake, it is our lives, God's greatest gift to us. Daddy, will you use your voice to be a part of the solution? Christians are believers in resurrection, renewal, and salvation -- even against all odds. We can help bring much needed light and healing to this situation, or we can allow misinformation and myopia to continue to be a hurdle to hope.
You are right, we do need truth. And now, more than ever, we also need action. I hope you'll join me in working to overcome this great challenge, maybe the greatest are planet has ever faced. You and I both know our faith has risen to the occasion before and overcome great injustice and incredible obstacles. I hope we can come together, and do it now. For our planet and for each other.
Love you,
Anna Jane