mile high theology

On the newest season of Mile High Theology, we are engaging in conversation with ancient texts. This fall, we are exploring the three Abrahamic religion’s sacred texts: The Torah, The Bible, and The Quran. In this episode, Rabbi Emily Hyatt of Denver's Temple Emanuel guides us through a Torah study.

While the climate crisis may make us feel fearful, overwhelmed, or exhausted, many organizations in the Denver area inspire hope for our future. Altius Farms is a local urban farm, which is working toward building stable and lasting farms that produce beautiful greens all year round, locally. In this episode, Sally Herbert, co-founder and CEO of Altius Farms, discusses seed to table process, vertical urban gardening, and their journey to sustainability.

As the city of Denver grows, many of our neighbors are becoming displaced due to high cost of living and gentrification. The Globeville Elyria-Swansea Coalition Organizing for Health and Housing Justice (GES Coalition) is advocating to protect historically marginalized neighborhoods, to preserve affordability in housing, and to build a culture of welcome and hospitality. In this episode, Alfonso Espino of GES Coalition explores how these efforts are interconnected with the climate crisis and environmental justice.

Historically marginalized people suffer disproportionately from the climate crisis. Environmental hazards, such as pollution, contaminated materials, and industrial waste, often plague low-income communities of color. Pastor Eugene Downing, Senior Pastor of New Hope Baptist Church and member of Governor Polis' Community Access Enterprise, discusses how black communities in Denver are being affected by the climate crisis and how local government is responding to marginalized communities.

American systems actively silence and minimize the voices within Indigeneous communities, resulting in young Native Americans struggling to find representation. Spirit of the Sun, an Indigenous womxn-led nonprofit in Denver, empowers Indigeneous youth to become leaders and amplifies their voices as they advocate for systematic change. Join us on November 15 as we welcome Shannon Francis, Executive Director of Spirit of the Sun, who will discuss the interplay of environmental racism, indigeneity, and the climate crisis.

The article by Olga González in the Denver Post was edited down in this interview due to length. Read the article in its entirety here.

As we learn more and more about the effects of climate change, we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed rather than driven to create change. In his album "Still No Mother," musician Logan Farmer tells the story of our reckoning with the impending reality of climate change through American folk music. In this episode, Logan Farmer plays a few selections and discusses his inspiration to explore the climate crisis in his album "Still No Mother" and how he uses music to weave our personal struggle into this global crisis.

As European settlers came to the Americas, they prepared to claim and conquer the land, exploiting its various resources to further human life. Dr. Tink Tinker, Professor Emeritus of American Indian cultures and religious traditions at Iliff School of Theology, explores in many of his works how this worldview contrasts with Native American religious and cultural ideology. In this episode, Dr. Tinker discusses the Eurochristian roots of the climate crisis and indigenous understanding of human relationship to the land.