Two llamas, four months and 1,000 miles. That’s all it took to turn Peter Illyn into an evangelizing environmentalist. Illyn embarked on the llama-supported trek through the Cascade Mountain Range, having spent nine years as a minister in several churches across the Northwest. He finished reinspired by the wonder of the wilderness he had crossed. All he wanted to do, he says, was work to protect the Earth—a mission he sees as firmly rooted in his Christian faith.
Why have relatively few evangelical Christians embraced environmentalism as an outgrowth of that faith? Because, all too often, Illyn says, the green movement is spearheaded by liberal figures long considered opponents (think Al Gore) in the culture wars that have so defined conservative Christianity in this country. Illyn has attempted to bridge that divide with Restoring Eden, a grassroots faith-based organization that makes the case for environmentalism in evangelical terms. By infusing some green thinking into the gospel, Illyn hopes to offer evangelicals a new message—one he first discovered on that long walk through the Cascade woods. Right before Earth Day, he shared his ideas with NEWSWEEK’S Kurt Soller. Excerpts:
