Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence
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Climate and Creation Care Initiative This new initiative seeks to help faith leaders and their congregations understand, from a faith perspective, the importance and urgency of addressing climate change and to provide guidance for engaging in impactful climate action. The initiative includes the following opportunities for faith leaders to engage:
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As we are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change and becoming aware of the threat it carries for human and planetary wellbeing, this new context for ministry brings new challenges for faith leaders and ministers. Once its urgency is understood, it results in new priorities and actions. It raises significant theological and ethical questions. It calls for leadership and preaching that help congregations rise to their calling to care for creation. It involves new forms of pastoral care for those experiencing climate anxiety and grief. It also requires new forms of ministry and missional engagement that are relevant to the needs of this unique time in history. It involves recognizing that faith leaders and congregations can be important in helping to build the spiritual and public will needed to enact the impactful solutions for climate change that are available. And it invites us to a deeper spirituality that is equal to the challenges of this day. This free online continuing education series aims to prepare faith leaders for the new challenges to ministry that come with climate change. It will meet on zoom on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays (10-11:30 am, Central time) during September – November. Topics for these six sessions will include climate science and solutions, theological and biblical perspectives, nurturing spirituality, worship leadership and preaching, new ministry opportunities, mercy ministries for those suffering from climate change, and pastoral care for eco-anxiety and climate grief. Faith leaders who participate are asked to attend all six zoom sessions. Tuesday, September 9: Climate Change as Ministry’s Context: Basic science of climate change, climate solutions, and urgency of action Presenter: Dr. Leigh Stearns, Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania and glacier researcher.
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Greg Hunt, Research Professor and Supplemental Assistant Professor of Theology at Central Seminary, author of two books, Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night: What to Do When God Won’t Answer and Leading Congregations through Crisis.
Presenter: Dr. Rachel Wheeler, Associate Professor of Theology at the University of Portland; author of Ecospirituality: An Introduction (2022) and Radical Kinship: A Christian Ecospirituality (2024).
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Leah Schade, Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky; author of Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (2015) and Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (2019).
Presenter: Josh Richardson: Executive Director and Founder of Brugmansia Ministries, an interfaith, nonprofit organization committed to helping prepare communities for climate change and climate migration through resiliency building.
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, Director of the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence and Associate Professor of Theology Emerita at Central Seminary, Overland Park, KS. Faith leaders who participate are asked to attend all six zoom sessions. |
This one-day in-person conference in the Kansas City area, will be focused on educating, inspiring, and connecting congregations and people of faith for responding to the challenges of climate change. Keynote speakers from both theological and scientific perspectives will speak to the urgency of addressing climate change, the impacts it is already having, the theological and ethical questions it raises, and the ways to faithfully respond that will have an impact. Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PTLS) and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. The Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman is a climate and environmental scientist with a Ph.D. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and serves as the President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Parts of the conference will be livestreamed. |
Congregations and their members will be encouraged to reduce their carbon emissions by making plans to electrifying everything they use and transition to clean energy, and then to put their plans into action. Support will be offered through: If interested in exploring this, contact the Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, Director of the Buttry Center, at rrosell@cbts.edu |
| *The Climate and Creation Care Initiative is possible because of a Climate Science in Theological Education grant received from the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (AAAS). |
| Download the Climate and Creation Care Initiative Flyer |
Explore and Learn
What is the Buttry Center?
The Buttry Center’s mission is to “theologically engage, educate, and connect people of faith for seeking justice, nurturing peace, and caring for creation.”
We pursue this mission by focusing on the following core values:
- Just peace
- Nonviolence
- Ecojustice and creation care
- Collaborative partnerships
- Interreligious cooperation
Our core values recognize that sustainable peace cannot be maintained unless it is rooted in seeking justice through nonviolent means. Ecojustice and creation care are emphasized to protect the earth and create harmony with the world around us. Collaborative partnerships and interreligious cooperation are necessary to turn dialogue into action with other religious groups.
To fulfill this mission, the Buttry Center continually works to create resources and organize events that promote these values to Central Seminary students, individuals, and faith communities. Through these efforts, participants can expand their biblical, theological, and theoretical education, while building practical skills that translate this new knowledge into action.
The Buttry Center also directly supports the academic mission of our degree programs. The peacemaking offerings are directed towards students enrolled in the Master of Arts (Theological Studies) degree with peacemaking emphasis. The focus on social and environmental justice directly contributes to the justice and personhood threads included in the Master of Divinity curriculum.
In May 2018, Central Seminary launched The Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence to strengthen our efforts to promote sustainable peace through collaborative partnerships. The Buttry Center is named after Dan and Sharon Buttry, who worked as Global Peace Consultants for International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, USA. In 2009, Dr. Buttry was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from Central Seminary in recognition of his efforts to promote global peace.
Since its inception, the Buttry Center has offered students education, training, and other opportunities to resolve conflict and promote peace. If you want to join our mission and discuss how we can work together to create a more just world, contact us today.
Responding to Racial Injustice Through Peaceful Means
We cannot promote peace and nonviolence in today’s world without looking honestly at the injustice faced by African Americans who are too often oppressed through systemic racism. We hope to use our resources at the Buttry Center to activate our advocacy for racial justice. As we continue to listen to minority voices and learn from their experiences, we can improve our ability to create positive, lasting change that results in equality for oppressed minorities and communities.
Join Our Mission to Promote Peace and Nonviolence
If you are interested in learning how you can become involved with the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence, contact us today. We invite people of all faiths to join us in our mission to actively promote nonviolent solutions to today’s most pressing issues. We hope you will be a part of our mission to heal our world through conflict transformation and spiritual practice.
Creation Care and Climate Change Webinars
Climate Science with Dr. Leigh Stearns
Creation Care in a Changing Climate: Doing Our Part to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Session 1
Creation Care, Climate Action, and Ministry Priorities for People of Faith: Biblical, Theological, and Ethical Perspectives
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Session 2
“Advocacy for Clean Energy – Solar and Wind”
Session 3: “Installing Rooftop Solar and Electrifying Everything”
Session 4: “Reducing Energy Use and Increasing Energy Efficiency”
Session 5: “Moving toward a Plant-Based Diet and Sustainable Food Practices”
Download slides from presentation here
Stepping Up for Climate Care – Why the Church and People of Faith Need to make Climate Action a Priority
Presented by Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, director of the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence
February 1, 2023 (virtual)
Moving Forward on Climate Action: What the Church and People of Faith Can Do to Impact the Climate
Presented by Rev. Dr. Ruth Rosell, director of the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence
February 8, 2023 (virtual)
The Urgency of the Climate Crisis: Responding as People of Faith
Presented by Rev. Ruth Rosell, Ph.D., Director of the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence, Dianne C. Shumaker Chair of Peace and Justice
On October 26, 2019, the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence hosted a one day conference entitled “Joining God in Saving the Earth: Mobilizing for Action on the Climate Crisis.” This conference brought people of faith together to talk about the climate crisis and consider how to mobilize for action that makes a difference.
Participants spent the day with other people of faith concerned about the climate crisis. They considered how their faith speaks to this crisis, learned about ways it is being addressed, connected with leaders in the community working on this issue, discovered how to make a difference on an individual, congregational, and societal level, and were inspired to act.
The featured speaker was the Rev. Fletcher Harper, an Episcopal priest and the executive director of GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental coalition providing leadership in the religious environmental movement addressing the climate crisis. Much of the conference was recorded and is available for viewing at the link below.
Resources for Action on the Climate Crisis
National Faith-Based Organizations
Greenfaith: Interfaith Partners in Action for the Earth
An interfaith coalition for the environment that works with houses of worship, religious schools, and people of all faiths to help them become better environmental stewards and provides resources and tools.
Living the Change: Faithful Choices for a Flourishing World
Supports making lifestyle changes that embody the faith commitment to care for the earth and reduce greenhouse gases in the areas of energy use, transportation, and diet.
A diverse group of faith organizations, including many Protestant denominations, answering the call to care for God’s creation by leading on climate solutions, working toward 100% clean energy, and engaging their communities. They offer many resources and guides, including Moving Forward: A Guide to Climate Action for Your Congregation and Community.
Creation Justice of the ABCUSA
A network of American Baptists who seek to care for God’s creation and all people and to understand that ecological care and human justice are interrelated. It seeks to provide resources, educate, build leadership, and help churches put into action climate solutions, encouraging them to become creation justice congregations.
A grassroots movement promoting care for creation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Caretakers of God’s Creation (United Methodists)
A grassroots community of United Methodists who believe caring for and healing the earth are integral to what it means to be a Christian and a United Methodist.
Project Drawdown is a global research organization that analyzes the most viable solutions to climate change and shares these scientifically researched solutions for implementation. This information is shared on its website and in the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
Kansas City area Organizations Working on Climate Change
Local Drawdown Groups that provide education on Drawdown solutions and support for putting those solutions into action.
Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition
Encourages and partners with people of faith and faith groups to teach, model, and advocate for sustainable living and ecological justice for all creation.
Drafting a Regional Climate Action Plan that will drawdown greenhouse gases, improve climate resiliency and generate corresponding economic, social, health, and quality of life benefits.
Works to find practical solutions to a clean energy future for Kansas.
A small group of caring citizens who want to make composting easy for you and keep food out of landfills.
Works to make the Kansas City region sustainable by connecting the environment, economy, and community. Programs include recycling, tree planting, and restoring KC wildlands and native plants.
350KC:
Promotes actions that aim to reduce atmospheric CO2 350/ppm—part of a global initiative through 350.org.
Climate Council of Greater Kansas City
Provides free education, supports advocacy, and build partnerships to take bold effective action to address the climate crisis and create healthy, just, and sustainable communities in the KC area.
The Resilient Activist: A Joyful Nature Connected Community
Offers support, community-building, and resiliency tools for those who are engaged in addressing the climate crisis.
The Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence
Peace and Conflict Transformation Webinars
Difficult Conversations
A three-part workshop series on Zoom featuring Dan and Sharon Buttry.
Families and churches have always struggled with difficult conversations. But the current toxic and politically divisive ethos of our country has made it even harder. Widely varying perspectives based on different sources of information and understandings of “the facts” have made bridging the relational divides even more strenuous. And yet our Christian calling to live in loving relationships with others and to be Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation remains. Our calling to be peacemakers involves how we relate to family and church members, as well as the work we do within the public sphere. And all of this requires us to be able to engage well with others during difficult conversations. These three zoom workshops are designed to help you in this endeavor.
Session 1
Difficult Conversations in our Churches and Families
This workshop explores our feelings about difficult conversations and applies specific calls to discipleship to those feelings and contexts. We look at biblical teaching and discipleship on topics of mindset and interactions. The goal is to equip participants for discernment of media/information sources and for how to engage in difficult conversations in constructive ways.
Session 2
Practices for Difficult Conversations
This zoom workshop looks at some best practices for listening. Participants practice a deep listening exercise called “Common Ground,” which is related to divisive issues. They discuss good questions to ask during difficult conversations and explore options for when discussions and relationships deteriorate.
Session 3
Strengthening the Relational Context for Difficult Conversations
Conversations happen within a context. This workshop names and explores narratives for nurturing and sustaining relationships in order to be able to hold conversations about difficult matters.
Dan and Sharon Buttry will be excellent leaders and facilitators of our learning. Before recently retiring, Dan Buttry was a Global Consultant for Peace and Justice, and Sharon Buttry was a Global Consultant for Community Transformation, both with International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches, USA. They have provided consultation and training in conflict transformation and the transformation of communities around the world and in the United States, primarily working with churches. All of this requires a great deal of skill in engaging in difficult conversations. They have a wealth of experience from which to draw in considering our current situation.
Moving the Dial toward Justice
A three-part series on Zoom featuring Dan and Sharon Buttry
Session 1
Strategizing to address unjust systems nonviolently in pursuit of justice
It’s easy to feel angry at the injustices and wrongs we see around us. But how do we engage in the analysis that will reveal what holds up repressive systems? And then how do we begin the planning to bring about liberative change? The Buttry’s will introduce a tool that will assist us in this process.
Session 2
Shifting people’s positions on issues of importance
During such toxic times as these, how do we change people’s understandings and commitments to strengthen the causes we hold dear? The Buttrys will guide us in looking at a tool that first helps us become more aware of the different people related to a particular issue. It then assists us in understanding various approaches to take in order to shift their positions on the topic of concern.
Session 3
Transforming our personal and social traumas for social and political impact
How can we turn the traumatic experiences we’ve been through into powerful instruments of social and political change that will also leave us personally stronger? We will explore ways to move beyond being victims into becoming change agents.
Certificate in Peace and Justice Ministry
Become a Leader for Social Change
If you want to lead ministries of social change in areas such as racial injustice, economic injustice, the climate crisis, war and violence, and more, consider the Certificate in Peace and Justice Ministry.
The curriculum of each certificate is designed to develop and strengthen competencies of faith leaders, community leaders, and activists serving in ministries of social change for peace and justice. This program integrates spiritual practices with biblical and theological understandings and hands-on peace and justice work through the use of critical pedagogy techniques (such as dialogue, reflection, and praxis), as well as contextual learning in a setting or within an issue(s) each student is passion about.
Central Seminary offers two fully online certificates in Peace and Justice Ministry: the Graduate Certificate and the Professional Certificate. Students in the Graduate Certificate earn 12 graduate credits upon completion of the certificate. Students in the Professional Certificate engage in a program designed for continuing education and professional development.
Learn more about the Certificate in Peace and Justice Ministry.
Global Peace Warriors
Dan and Sharon Buttry have traveled all over the world as consultants, preachers, and teachers for justice and conflict transformation. You can learn more about their work and history as well as more resources for peace at the Global Peace Warriors website.
Gun Violence Webinars
Reflections and Conversations about American Christianity and Gun Violence.
Session 1: “I have a gun and I know how to use it” : A phenomenology of handgun ownership by evangelical Christians”
Session 2: “The sword-violence of Luke’s gospel: An overview of text segments”
Session 3: “Guns and human suffering: A pastoral theological perspective”
Bullets, Baptists, and the Bible: A Conversation with R&E Authors on Gun Culture and Evangelical Christians
The year 2020 saw gun and ammunition sales leap, homicide and suicide rates remain high, and restless militiamen with semiautomatic weapons in our city streets. The gravity of the issue of gun violence is ever more apparent. But what role does religion play in this situation? More specifically, what is the relationship between gun culture and Evangelical Christians?
These questions are addressed from a variety of scholarly perspectives in the fall issue of Review & Expositor.
From the co-editors’ introduction:
What are we to make . . . of the observation that Americans who profess to “lean on the everlasting arms” are among those most likely to arm themselves? How are we ethically to evaluate the proliferation of armed security in places of Christian worship? What have guns to do with the gospel? What, if any, biblical guidance might we find for what twenty-first-century Christians are to do in regard to armed self-defense and/or the defense of innocent others? Are there clear correlations or inherent contradictions between Christian first principles and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution? What is or should be the response of evangelical believers especially to current controversies around Second Amendment rights, gun regulation, and gun violence in schools, churches, and elsewhere?
- Benjamin Utter (Ouachita Baptist University)
- Tarris Rosell (Central Baptist Theological Seminary)
- Dan R. Stiver (Logsdon School of Theology)
- Ruth Lofgren Rosell (Central Baptist Theological Seminary)
- Tad DeLay (Metropolitan State University of Denver)
- Myles Werntz (Abilene Christian University)
- David M. May (Central Baptist Theological Seminary)
- Paul Lewis (Mercer University)
- Melissa A. Jackson (Managing Editor, Review & Expositor)
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