Sacred Earth Webcasts

November 16, 20223 - Sacred Earth: Growing Beloved Community through the Power of Story with Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson is acclaimed as our greatest living science fiction author, with 20 novels addressing how we can get to a better relationship with the Biosphere. His recent novel, The Ministry for the Future, projects how a climate-disrupted near future might unfold and how the world might respond with an empowered United Nations Minister enacting a best-case scenario for dodging the mass extinction event. Stan writes: “Until the tap runs dry it’s hard to imagine climate change as a lived experience. I try to write for when it really strikes you…the power of imagination is strong enough to change our behavior in the present…the world is a science fiction novel that we are all writing.”

Dr. Robinson is respected for his knowledge of the intersectionalities among political theory, science, economics, finance and history. He writes: “We need to employ a kind of eco-realpolitic that refrains from too much rigorous judgment… There are roughly 2,600 gigatons of fossil fuel assets. If they are burned into the atmosphere, we are dead. Biophysical reality says those assets must be stranded, and economic reality says that can’t be done without causing a super-depression. As part of saving civilization, you have to keep money stable. It’s as simple as that.”

We welcome Aisea Taimani as our guest musician. Aisea is a Tongan American Creative Artist based in the Bay Area. He works alongside the love of his life, Elmira Taimani. Aisea is the Minister of Music at New City Church, Oakland, and is Curator of Arts and Worship at Valley Presbyterian in Portola Valley. He writes: “SPEAK what you BELIEVE like you BE-LOVE it. BE the LOVE that you BELIEVE before you SPEAK it. No one is an island. We’re a part of the whole.” Aisea and his band, Minor Islands, have released three full albums exploring themes of faith, justice and cultural identity.

May 18, 2023 - With Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a renowned global scholar, and Professor of Theological and Social Ethics who holds a joint appointment at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP). Dr. Moe-Lobeda founded the Center for Climate Justice and Faith at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary to empower leaders in cultivating moral, spiritual, and practical power for the work of climate justice in communities of faith and in collaboration with others.

Dr. Moe-Lobeda’s current writing project is a series of seven volumes addressing the urgent need for a new economic system, one which heals from predatory economic life to an economy of life abundant for all, for which she will write the introductory volume and engage other authors in the subsequent six. The title is “Building a Moral Economy – Equitable, Ecological, and Democratic: Roadmaps for People of Good Courage.”

We are also joined by returning, three-time Grammy-nominated musician and vocal activist, Melanie DeMore, who states: “Life is for the seeking and sharing of light, joy, and deep love for what moves you.” Melanie has a remarkable voice, weaving the fibers of African American folk music with soulful ballads, spirituals, and her own original music. DeMore has served on the faculty of St. Paul's School in Oakland, and is a founding member of the critically acclaimed vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir.

September 13, 2023 - Sacred Earth: Growing Beloved Community through Environmental Justice, with Peggy Shepard. Bishop Marc Andrus and Dr. Paloma Pavel interview Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, the first Environmental Justice organization that empowered communities of color in the fight for environmental health and justice.

Peggy Shepard is co-chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council to President Biden. She was also chair to the EPA on Force 40 guidelines, which aimed to deliver 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities hurt first and worst by the climate crisis.. She says: "We are in the midst of a racial pandemic, a COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis…so the concept is that we’re advising the White House directly, and the White House staff instead of just the EPA.”

Peggy also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Black Environmental Justice Network and the Board of Advisors of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Our guest musician is jazz phenomenon Ben Flint, Director of Music at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. Ben traveled the world as keyboardist for Isaac Hayes and has appeared with Mr. Hayes on shows such as Good Morning America, the Today show and Late Night with David Letterman. He teaches jazz choir and jazz combo at Diablo Valley College and has been the Artistic Director for the Oakland Jazz Choir for the past 8 years.

April 27, 2023 - In honor of Earth Week, we welcome the Rev. Canon Gilbert Otuo-Acheampong from Mampong-Ashanti, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Gilbert is the Canon Theologian of the Anglican Diocese of Asante Mampong in Ghana and is in the Bay Area pursuing his Ph.D. at the GTU in Berkeley. Together we will explore the topic of Radically Re-thinking Sustainability and the Church’s Mission to put the needs of people and the earth at the heart of church life. Gilbert’s degree in Agriculture and his love of theology and the Bible come together in his work which explores what Hebrew scriptures can tell us about sustainable agriculture today. And in this exploration of scripture, sustainability, and ecology, Gilbert is looking at how the church as a whole and we as people understand our connection to the earth. Come join us to hear how closely our concerns and questions about the planet echo with those of this area of Ghana and how we might learn from one another as we seek to reconnect to the earth as our mother.

Our Guest Musician, Betsy Rose, is a singer, songwriter and activist, whose music blends compassion and mindfulness, depth and humor, passionate activism and spiritually grounded perspective. In 2016, Betsy embarked on a 6 month solo journey through Asia and Africa, including Kenya and Liberia. singing with grassroots women’s and social justice projects, and with children. Betsy lives in Berkeley California with her partner; their son Matthew is an organic/regenerative agriculture farmer.