Sermon for a carbon fast

Zoe Williams in today's Guardian, gives a "sermon for a carbon fast" suggesting that "the church should keep up its climate preaching. It is taken more seriously than politicians or media".

She writes that "the Church of England is ringing the changes this year, preaching a carbon fast instead of a chocolate one". While noting that the word 'carbon' affixed to almost anything makes it sound faddish, such a proposal is fairly modest and builds on the "history, tradition, ideology, sincerity and authenticity" of the church which has "a message of self-denial going back to the dawn of time. It has an awful lot to play with when it seeks to influence our behaviour in terms of carbon use. It has been into small economies since before the environment even existed".

She concludes by saying that "even we faithless can see how copper-bottomed this is, and it makes it very easy to take" and the status of the church "as environmental pioneer is really worth playing up".