Exploring the Interface of Religious Life and Environmental Politics in Montana

Leif is researching independently in northwest Montana where faith-based environmental organizing sets the stage. Three emerging organizations seek to empower religious congregations to take up environmental advocacy — Montana Faith & Environment Coalition, Faith and Climate Action Montana, and Montana Interfaith Power & Light. Through interviews with advocates and faith leaders, Leif is beginning to answer questions about the opportunities and challenges for work at the intersection of religion and environment in the mountain west. Among them: what has been the relationship between religious life and environmental politics and how is that relationship changing over time? What is the status of the ecumenical movement and can the environment be a focus for interfaith work? What kinds of values do religious communities hold regarding their landscape and what language do they use to discuss those values?

Leif explores these questions in order to produce conceptual toolkits and communication strategies. On the one hand, these are for environmental managers seeking to work more effectively amidst the cultural particularities of the rural west; on the other, they are for religious leaders seeking to engage their congregations in moral discourse about the environmental issues that concern us all.


Coming in January…
