May 2025 Newsletter
In this Clergy Letter Project update you’ll find the following 19 items:
- Silence Is Complicity - Not Neutrality;
- Across the Cosmos for May 2025: Celebrating Three Decades of Astronomy Picture of the Day;
- Rafael Cruz: Evolution is Inherently Un-American;
- Friendship with Earth: Not a Gift, but a Relationship;
- Judaism and Technology: Request for Proposals;
- National Commission on Religious Liberty;
- Evangelical Political Opinions;
- How Churches Are Transforming Communities Into Green Havens;
- Has a Biosignature Been Found on an Exoplanet?;
- A Discussion About Christian Nationalism;
- The Handmaid's Tale May Be Coming to Life;
- The Wisconsin Council of Churches Speaks Out;
- The Scopes Trial: 100 Years Later and the Fight Isn’t Over;
- Teaching About the Creator in Minnesota;
- Public Skepticism of Evolution;
- The Alternative to Ignorance Is Reason;
- A Meaningful Christian Economy;
- Do You Know Any Clergy Members in South America?; and
- Scientific Inquiry: An Act of Worship.
1. Silence Is Complicity - Not Neutrality
Scientific American, not a magazine well known for entering the political fray, just ran an essay entitled “The Scary Implications of U.S. Government Attacks on Medical Journals.” The article’s subhead goes on to note, “A Trump-aligned prosecutor’s attack on medical journals is a threat to your health care—and the medical establishment should not comply.” Here are a few quotes from this disturbing piece to give you a flavor of the dangers facing us:
The message is clear: this is not about law enforcement. It is about using state power to intimidate scientists and suppress dissent.
Against this backdrop, if journal editors refuse to speak out and organize to defend academic freedom, they will not only ultimately fail to protect themselves and their journals. They will also sacrifice targeted communities.
When confronted by government intimidation driven by personal ideological agendas instead of the public good, silence is complicity—not neutrality.
You can read the full article here.
2. Across the Cosmos for May 2025: Celebrating Three Decades of Astronomy Picture of the Day
In this month’s essay, Grace Wolf-Chase, Senior Scientist and Senior Education & Communication Specialist at the Planetary Science Institute as well as a Clergy Letter Project consultant, shares information about a great resource: NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. I recommend that you browse the website! I also want to let you know that Grace will be attending the ELCA Metro Chicago Synod Assembly at the end of this month. She’d welcome visiting with any CLP members who might also be present. Just drop her a note at the email address below to make arrangements.
Amidst all the present uncertainties, I’ve been somewhat at a loss for time and things to write about. I figure we could all use something uplifting, so this month I wanted to highlight a repository for diverse astronomical images that has wowed audiences for three decades. Since June 1995, NASA has maintained the Astronomy Picture of the Day(1) (APOD) website featuring a different astronomical image daily. Each image is accompanied by an explanation written by an astronomer. The site has many mirror websites around the world.(2) The discovery by citizen scientists of star-forming regions named “yellowballs,” which enabled ongoing research by myself and my colleagues, was featured as an APOD image about ten years ago.(3)
If you could use a source of inspiration, I encourage you to search the archive(4) for subjects and images that appeal to you – perhaps you can find something appropriate for adult or youth education. The APOD on May 2 displayed an amazing JWST image of a young star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a galaxy more than 200,000 light years away.(5) To put this in context, the light we see in this image was emitted about the time Homo sapiens appeared on Earth. The level of detail is remarkable! The small finger-like projections you can see are akin to the famous “Pillars of Creation” we see in many star-forming regions in our own Milky Way Galaxy. These features are sculpted by winds and radiation from luminous young stars. If you search for “Pillars of Creation,” you’ll see they have been featured in about 27 APODs through the years, including the breath-taking Hubble and JWST composite of the pillars in the Eagle Nebula (at a distance of about 7000 light years) featured in October 2024.(6)
Until next month,
Grace
Grace Wolf-Chase (she/her/hers) (gwolfchase@gmail.com)
Senior Scientist & Senior Education & Communication Specialist, Planetary Science Institute (www.psi.edu/about/staffpage/gwchase)
Vice President, Center for Advanced Study in Religion and Science (CASIRAS: www.casiras.org)1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150131.html
4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250502.html
6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241022.html
3. Rafael Cruz: Evolution is Inherently Un-American
The Reverend Rafael Cruz is Senator Ted Cruz’s father. He recently testified before a Texas Senate committee about his views on education. According to The Texas Tribune, he said “public schools must be required to teach anti-communist lessons in order to reaffirm what he said is America’s true, Christian heritage.” He went on to say “that atheism and evolution are inherently un-American because they contradict his belief that the United States is a 'Christian country.’” You can read the full article here.
4. Friendship with Earth: Not a Gift, but a Relationship
The Rev. Eric Elnes, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and an alum of the Sinai and Synapses Fellowship, shared a moving sermon which Sinai and Synapses published on their web page. The sermon is entitled “Friendship with Earth: Not a Gift, but a Relationship.” Rather than attempting to summarize his wonderful sermon, I’ll share his final paragraph with you to give you a flavor of what he had to say:
Creation is waiting for us. God speaks not only in burning bushes but in every bush. And love – real, embodied, divine love – grows brighter every time we say “Yes” to God by saying “Yes” to Creation, treating the Earth not as a sign of God’s love or as a gift but as a loving relationship. As a loving friend!
You can read the full sermon here.
5. Judaism and Technology: Request for Proposals
Our good friends at Sinai and Synapses have just announced a new initiative for which they are soliciting proposals. They write: “Sinai and Synapses is seeking proposals for innovative educational projects that bring Judaism and technology into conversation to deepen values and community.” Applicants may request between $1,000 and $10,000 to implement their proposals. More information about this exciting initiative may be found here.
6. National Commission on Religious Liberty
The Trump administration recently announced the creation of a “National Commission on Religious Liberty” and has selected Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to be its chair. The Texas Tribune notes, “Patrick has referred to the United States as ‘a Christian nation’ and echoed many of his political allies in arguing that there ‘is no separation of church and state. It was not in the Constitution.’” What could possibly go wrong! You can read the full article here.
7. Evangelical Political Opinions
Religion Unplugged has reported on a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on the political opinions of white evangelicals. The article notes that “72% of white evangelical Christians approve of the way Trump is currently handling his job.” Despite this high (and depressing) rating, it’s worth noting that his approval among this group is down from the 78 percent measured in February. You can read the full article here.
8. How Churches Are Transforming Communities Into Green Havens
Religion Unplugged ran a short but interesting article describing how many UK churches “are turning environmental action within their locality into a force for change. There are now 8,200 eco-churches across all Christian denominations within the United Kingdom, and the number is constantly growing.” You can read the full article here.
9.
A recent peer-reviewed article reported that data from the James Webb Space Telescope indicated that, for the first time, dimethyl sulfide has been detected in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. On Earth, dimethyl sulfide is only associated with biological activity and thus this might be a strong indication that life might exist on the planet known as K2-18b. It’s still early to draw a solid conclusion but the research provides an exciting possibility. You can read about the discovery in a gift article from The Washington Post here.
10. A Discussion About Christian Nationalism
The Baptist Standard published an interesting article summarizing a panel discussion entitled “Christian Nationalism and the Texas Public Sphere.” The piece noted that Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said that Christian nationalism presents “a gross distortion of the teachings of Jesus.” The article said, “Jesus always stood on the side of the marginalized and oppressed, she noted. ‘Christian nationalism, on the other hand, is all about power—about amassing power and holding onto power at all costs,’ Tyler said. ‘And so, it uses a white Jesus as a mascot for power, but it actually doesn’t reflect the teachings of Jesus.’” You can read the full piece here.
11. The Handmaid's Tale May Be Coming to Life
A very disturbing article in Politico reports that Marco Rubio has ordered employees of the State Department to report coworkers who evidence anti-Christian bias. The article notes that “Some State Department officials reacted to the cable with shock and alarm, saying that even if well-intentioned, it is based on the flawed premise that the department harbors anti-Christian bias to begin with, and warning it could create a culture of fear as the administration pushes employees to report on one another. ‘It’s very ‘Handmaid’s Tale'-esque,’ said one State Department official, who was granted anonymity because the individual was not allowed to speak openly about internal department affairs.” You can read the full article here.
12. The Wisconsin Council of Churches Speaks Out
The Wisconsin Council of Churches has posted a fabulous open letter entitled “For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism.” The letter opens by saying, “We, the undersigned, urge the federal government to protect the religious liberty of all people and we strongly condemn the rise of Christian Nationalism, a dangerous conflation of fundamentalist Christianity, conservative politics, and fierce patriotism which distorts what it means to be an American citizen and an engaged Christian in society.” Please look at the full letter and share it widely. Additionally, if you are so inclined, you can add your signature. The letter can be accessed here.
13. The Scopes Trial: 100 Years Later and the Fight Isn’t Over
The Associated Press recently ran a story entitled “The Scopes monkey trial took place 100 years ago, but the fight isn’t over.” The piece provides a very nice summary of the trial while describing why our efforts at The Clergy Letter Project continue to be important. You can read the article here.
14. Teaching About the Creator in Minnesota
A bizarre bill, that I assume isn’t going anywhere, was introduced in the Minnesota Senate recently. Ostensibly about inculcating critical thinking skills in students, the bill, in its entirety, reads as follows: “To advance critical thinking skills in history and science, a school district must provide instruction to students in grades 9 to 12 exploring the contrast between the scientific facts on how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death relate to the existence of complex living organisms, and how sickness, disease, pain, suffering, and death are a consequence imposed by the Creator of complex living organisms.”
15. Public Skepticism of Evolution
Amanda Townley, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, recently gave a talk at SUNY New Paltz entitled "The Science of Controversy: Understanding and Addressing Public Skepticism About Evolution.” She explored effective strategies for communicating about topics that are socially but not scientifically controversial, such as evolution. You can listen to what she had to say here.
16. The Alternative to Ignorance Is Reason
The Rev. Ken Olson, a member of The Clergy Letter Project and a frequent contributor to this newsletter, has shared two additional short essays of his with us. The first is entitled “The Alternative to Ignorance is Reason” and extols the virtues of logical thinking noting that it is currently in short supply in the country while pointing out that at least one member of congress plans to interview numerous dead people to get to the bottom of the Kennedy assassination. Ken’s second piece is entitled “How Do You Measure a Nation” and it is a moving exploration of the importance of caring for the least fortunate among us, individually and collectively. Unfortunately, we are currently falling woefully short by any measure that includes compassion. You can access his first piece here and his second piece here.
17. A Meaningful Christian Economy
H.A.H. Prince-Bishop Rutherford (Radislav) I of Rome-Ruthenia, a member of The Clergy Letter Project, has just released an “encyclical on the timeless principles of a Christian economy in the world.” It is an important, forward-looking statement, advancing the best of religion and is particularly important at a time when empathy is looked at as a sin by some among us. Do take a look at what he has to say here.
18. Do You Know Any Clergy Members in South America?
I’m delighted to say that my call in last month’s newsletter for help finding at least one clergy member from Utah to sign our Climate Crisis Letter was successful. All 50 states are now represented. Additionally, clergy from 16 countries have now signed on! What is clear, however, is that South and Central America are currently poorly represented with only clergy from Brazil having signed on. Can you help remedy this situation? I’m confident that many of you know clergy from that part of the world. Would you please reach out and ask your colleagues to sign the letter? And, if you haven’t yet added your signature to the more than 1,280 clergy who have signed on, please do so now simply by dropping me a note – I’ll do the rest. Thanks for your help.
19. Scientific Inquiry: An Act of Worship
Ed Rosado from Science for the Church, in a recent essay, reflected on his participation with a group of Fellows convened by Sinai and Synapses. The title of his piece, “Scientific Inquiry: An Act of Worship,” offers insight into his thesis. I commend it to you and you can read it here.
Concluding Thoughts
The president’s poll numbers are coming down and a growing number of people seem to be frustrated with his actions. What I find depressing about this is that people seem to be reacting to the price of things rather than the immorality of things. Where is the outrage that people are dying because the Trump regime has cut USAID funding for food and medical assistance worldwide? Where is the outrage that domestically so many religious social service providers are barely able to continue to operate because of draconian cuts to their federal funding? Where is the outrage that people continue to be snatched off the streets, often without warrants and often when they weren’t even the target, and sent to detention centers far from their homes? Where is the outrage when books are being banned, websites are being “cleansed,” public lands are being sold, environmental regulations are being rolled back, and people are being attacked for their sexual and gender identities?
Yes, prices are going up, and they will likely go up significantly more as the impact of Trump’s trade charade fully kicks in. Yes, people will find it difficult to make ends meet under these conditions, and it’s good that they’re beginning to take notice. But how can we ignore the immorality of what’s happening? How is it that most of these issues have just become the norm with very little media attention? The fact that so many of us have just moved on is truly distressing. But not everyone has forgotten. Take a look at this rare news report about “One Nun’s Angst.” If enough of us cared, together we could help build a better world. (I apologize for implying that YOU don’t care. I’m well aware that members of The Clergy Letter Project are far more likely to be engaged in all of these issues than the average person, but I’m frustrated that there aren’t more people like you!) It's up to us to convince our neighbors that what’s happening is about far more than personal finances.
Finally, as I do every month, I urge you to take one simple action. Please share this month’s Newsletter with a colleague or two (or post a link via any social media platform you use) and ask them to add their voices to those promoting a deep and meaningful understanding between religion and science. They can add their signatures to one of our Clergy Letters simply by dropping me a note at mz@theclergyletterproject.org. Spread the word; change the world. Together we are making a difference.
Michael
Michael Zimmerman
Founder and Executive Director
The Clergy Letter Project
www.theclergyletterproject.org
mz@theclergyletterproject.org
https://bsky.app/profile/mzclergyletter.bsky.social