“The world is ending.”
That was a common phrase in the 1970s and ‘80s as people carried signs and shouted in public squares, warning that the end was near. At the time, those claims were often rooted in political tensions, nuclear threats or religious versions of the end times.
What was missing from those apocalyptic cries was the devastating reality of climate change.
Now, 50 years later, we are living in an ecological crisis. Scientists have warned of rising sea levels, extreme weather, intense storms and raging wildfires. The world is groaning under the weight of human pollution and overconsumption.
Today, when we hear the words “the world is ending,” they no longer sound like false doomsday predictions but possible descriptions of what may come if we do not change our ways. The question before us is not only scientific or political, but theological: What should people of faith do in a time of climate crisis?
A Call for the Church
Many faith leaders recognize that climate justice is not optional, but essential to Christian vocation. Churches around the globe are beginning to awaken to their call to protect God’s creation. The climate crisis, after all, is not only an environmental issue; it is a justice issue, disproportionately harming people experiencing poverty and the vulnerable.
This past May, church leaders, ministers, bishops and priests gathered in Assisi and online for a historic meeting to reflect on these questions. Co-sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Methodist Council and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, the conference aimed to promote a Feast of Creation.
Such a feast would honor God as Creator and invite the global Church to rediscover the mystery of creation. The Feast of Creation would enable churches to root ecological awareness in worship and invite Christians to remember that God’s first gift to us is not law, but the living world: land and sky, sea and soil, plants and animals, breath and Spirit.
A Feast of Creation represents a permanent liturgical recognition that creation itself is central to the Christian story—not a backdrop for salvation history, but an integral part of God’s saving work.
Churches are encouraged to mark September 1 every year as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and the ecumenical Season of Creation will run from September 1 through October 4.
Last weekend, many gathered at the annual Wild Goose Festival to sing, dance and listen to speakers. I hosted a panel on my new book, Earthbound, with Lisa Sharon Harper, Kate Thomas, Melanie Griffin and Beth Norcross. Each panelist reflected theologically on the book and connected it to their own creation care practices, speaking about the call to live into taking care of the Earth.
A Kairos Moment
The call comes at a significant time. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the Catholic Church. This year is also the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, written by St. Francis of Assisi, which inspired Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’.
These anniversaries remind us that the church has long been invited to see creation as sacred and to practice creation care.
Anniversaries are significant, but alone do not bring change. What is required is the courage to move forward as a church united in caring for creation. This is not simply a chronos moment marking “ordinary” time, but a kairos moment, a decisive turning point that demands action.
If the church fails to respond now, we risk losing the world that has been entrusted to our care.
What might this look like in practice? Local congregations can hold outdoor services, plant trees, bless gardens or organize clean-up efforts as acts of worship. Seminaries can teach eco-theology as a central component of ministerial formation. Denominations can develop liturgical resources and advocate for climate justice in the public sphere.
Churches can walk hand in hand, across denominations, cultures and continents, bearing witness to a God who not only created the world but also continues to sustain it.
“The world is ending,” they said in the 1980s. Today, we might say the same, but with a crucial difference: The world may end if we do nothing.
But if we act, pray and walk together, another future is possible—a future where the church embraces its call to protect creation, and where justice and ecology are woven together.
The climate crisis is accelerating, and the window for action is narrowing. We cannot afford to delay, as this is our kairos moment. Let us not miss it.
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