To These Pastors, Saving the Colorado River Is a Divine Command
The New York Times’s Fernanda Santos reports that Hispanic evangelical pastors are preaching a gospel of salvation and conservation to try and protect the Colorado River in Arizona, which is being threatened by drought, overuse, and a warming climate. Santos writes, “The pastors, who connected through word of mouth and informal networks organized around a shared Christian belief in being stewards of the earth, are packing their sermons with conservation tips: Take quick showers, use carwashes that recycle their water, and if you visit the river, do not leave any trash behind.” The Rev. Helia Martinez of Templo Cristiano Vino Nuevo in San Luis, Arizona, said, “If there is no river, there is no water. If there is no water, there is no farming, no food, no work. There is no future.”