Conference to Combine Religion and the Environment

by LoAna Lopez

Caring for Creation, an academic conference on religion and the environment, will be held on the Baylor University campus Oct. 11-12. The event is sponsored by Baylor's environmental studies department and the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
"I see the conference as a way to bridge the information gap between technical people in environmental fields and the public," said Larry Lehr, lecturer in Baylor's environmental studies department and participant in the conference. "Every human on the planet has to be concerned about food, air, water and shelter. This provides an opportunity to have a dialogue on stewardship issues, morality, ethics and the way those things relate to environmental issues."
The conference will feature speakers from both the environmental and theological perspectives. Among the speakers are Dr. Mark Waters with the Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Rabbi Shaina Bacharach from Congregation Agudath Jacob in Waco and Rev. Stan LeQuire with Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and former director of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Several professors from Baylor's environmental studies department also will participate in the event.
Cost for the conference is $35 before Oct. 1 and $45 after that date. The price includes two lunches, all breakout sessions, opening address, panel discussions and plenary sessions for both days. For more information about the conference, please contact Baylor's department of environmental studies at (254) 710-3405.