Notes on the Sermon by Fr. James Knutsen

Pastoral Teaching from the Bishops of The Episcopal Church

Notes on the Sermon by The Rev. James Knutsen

Shepherd by the Sea Episcopal Lutheran Mission, Gualala, CA

October 2, 2011

In his sermon, The Rev. James Knutsen made reference to the Pastoral Teaching from the Bishops of The Episcopal Church on the environment.  The Pastoral Teaching was approved for distribution to The Episcopal Church by the House of Bishops meeting in Quito, Ecuador, September 15-20, 2011. 

The complete Pastoral Teaching is available on the next page as a pdf file.

Also in his sermon, Fr. Knutsen made reference to an article published in the New York Times on Saturday, October 1.  That article, With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors, discusses the reciprocal effects of climate change on forests.  Climate change is affecting forests, mostly negatively, as warmer weather weakens the ability of trees to resist pests and diseases.  The loss of forests in turn affects the climate, again usually with negative effects.  The article can be read at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/earth/01forest.html?hpw.

While the October 1 New York Times article talks of the loss of forests globally, one published on August 25  in the Los Angeles Times, Redwoods versus Red Wine, describes the sort of human activity that threatens forests in our back yard.  Although clear-cutting has demonstrable effects on local microclimates, in times re-plantings restore many of the climate protections of a redwood forest.  However, clear-cutting and then conversion of the land to vineyards mean that the benefits of the forest are lost forever.  This article is available at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0825-redwoods-vineyards-20110825,0,3104451,full.story

On August 26, the New York Times published a complementary article, Water Use by Vineyards, that describes the effects vineyard conversions have on life-sustaining stream flows.  Again the focus is on streams in the Gualala River watershed.  This article is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/us/26bcsalmon.html?r=1