Interfaith Creation Festival in Seattle WA May 31- June 3, 2007

Posted by Rachel on: 04.22.2007 /

“We hope this provides a place for refuge from the polarization of society for people of all faiths, and all spectrums of their faiths. The earth is in crisis. Those who will suffer the most will be the most vulnerable. Our heartstrings are pulled at and our spirit crushed or lifted with every soul. We are all part of creation.”

- Dan Borroff of Faith Forward

The Interfaith Creation Festival will be held in Seattle on May 31-June 3 and is being hosted by a coalition of Muslim, Jewish and Christian groups who are all committed to the practice of creation care. This gathering will feature keynote speakers from a variety of faith traditions and celebrate creation through poetry, music and storytelling. Participants will learn about theological foundations, sustainability and innovations and be equipped to make a difference through environmental advocacy and activism.

Recently I spoke with Dan Borroff, one of the organizers, about the vision for this new event…

Dan explained that the idea began a few years ago with some people from St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. They envisioned an ecumenical gathering to address issues of environmental concern, including the threat of climate change. They wanted to help promote a faith-based environmental movement based on an awareness of the theology of creation within the Christian tradition.

After observing some of the fruitful interfaith alliances that had taken place in Seattle in the past, they recognized the need to broaden the coalition to include Jewish and Muslim faith communities, building on the shared belief in the responsibility of humankind to steward and care for the earth. The festival is also open to anyone with a spiritual connection to and concern for the earth, regardless of whether they belong to a religious tradition.

Dan observed that often when people hear about the latest environmental crisis, they feel helpless and overwhelmed and then withdraw into skepticism and inaction. The organizers hope that this festival will both increase awareness of what is happening to our earth and provide a much needed sense of hope by coming together in community and developing a plan of action.

Dan shared with me a conversation he had with an African-American pastor who was being recognized for her work with the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Reflecting on the dire threat posed by global warming, she commented, “We have thousands of Katrinas coming. And we couldn’t even deal with one!”

Dan believes that these environmental crises represent a test of our faith traditions. We must ask ourselves,”What does honoring God’s creation mean?” And as Dan pointed out, the term “creation” in this context refers, not to a rejection of science, but rather a recognition of our world as a gift from God.

For more information about this event, you can visit the Interfaith Creation Festival website. Registration will begin soon and there will be a moderate fee requested.