Today’s Youth Climate Change Strike has captured the attention of the world, as well it should! My support goes out to them for real transformation at the national and global level to mitigate the environmental catastrophe awaiting us. And I’m pleased that faith communities from Cape Cod in Massachusetts will ring out their support of the strike. At 11 a.m. this morning, twelve faith communities will ring their bells.
Perhaps, in ringing for this event, the bells serve more as an alarm. In medieval Europe, that’s certainly one of their functions—to alarm the populace of an invading army or fire. Ringing bells for today’s event resonates with Greta Thunberg’s urging to “panic like the house is on fire.” And in Colorado, another bell ringer has been ringing a bell outside the state capitol to raise the alarm on climate change. Mary Beth Downing has been doing this the 11th hour or the 11th day of every month since last December.
Just another instance in which bells are connected to our history and made relevant today.
With Bells On 