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The Founding of the Partnership: 1990-1993
1991: Toward Initiative and Collaboration
Responding directly to this call, and building
upon independent denominational initiatives, 25
senior religious leaders met on June 2nd-3rd,
1991 to consider theological perspectives and
scientific briefings and to discuss further steps
by and between diverse faith groups. "A consensus
now exists, at the highest level of leadership
across a significant spectrum of religious traditions,
that the cause of environmental integrity and
justice must occupy a position of utmost priority
for people of faith," they wrote. "Response
to this issue can and must cross traditional religious
and political lines. It has the potential to unify
and renew religious life."
As concrete next steps, the group pledged to
undertake separate consultations over the next
two years in the Jewish, evangelical Christian,
and historic Black church communities; to survey
the landscape of environmental work in local faith
communities; to convene a 1992 meeting to bring
word of these emerging activities to a wider audience
of religious leaders; and to establish "a
continuing mechanism to coordinate ongoing activities
among us, working intimately with existing program
and staff in the religious world." Signatories
included:
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- Rabbi Marc Angel, President, Rabbinical Council
of America
- Reverend Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary,
National Council of Churches of Christ
- The Reverend Herbert W. Chilstrom, Bishop,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Father Drew Christiansen, Director, Office
of International Justice & Peace, United
States Catholic Conference
- Bishop William B. Friend, Chairman, Committee
for Science & Human Values, National Council
of Catholic Bishops
- His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, Primate,
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, North and South
America
- Dr. David McKenna, President, Asbury Theological
Seminary
- The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, Dean,
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
- Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, General Secretary,
National Baptist Convention
- Dr. Robert Seiple, President, World Vision, U.S.A.
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