Testimonials

A testimonial of Dr. Jurovics Speaking Event held on 10/22/19

“In a recent presentation to an interfaith audience at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Steve Jurovics offered a compelling presentation of both the biblical and the scientific reasons for addressing climate change. With a particular emphasis on Torah, Steve highlighted the proper attitude of respect for water, land, and the diversity of plants and animals proper to those made in the image and likeness of the Creator. He then extrapolated in an engaging manner the latest scientific trends of global climate change that puts this gift of God’s creation and the people who call it home at great risk. Finally, Steve offered the audience a number of challenging suggestions that a people of faith can truly live into their call to be stewards of creation. Steve is a man of faith, deep conviction, and prophetic action.”

Trevor Thompson
Director of Justice and Peace Facilitator
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church – Raleigh, NC

A testimonial of Dr. Jurovics Speaking Event held on 4/17/19

In a single hour, Dr. Jurovics wove together Biblical teachings, the
UU Principles, climate change science, economic realities, and government processes. We appreciated his willingness and ability to answer questions that ranged across all these topics as well. His call to both advocacy and personal action should be heard, heeded, and amplified far and wide. The question of whether we are willing to act to keep Earth safe for life is an urgent one.

Michelle Hunter
Environmental Justice Ministry Team Facilitator
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh – Raleigh, NC

A testimonial of Dr. Jurovics Speaking Event held on 3/24/19

Dr. Jurovics came to speak during our Lenten study on Celtic Spirituality. He was able to tie the strong connection to the natural world of those early Christians to a call to how we, as modern Christians, need to reorient ourselves to caring for God’s creation. In addition to giving us a solid theological background for this call, he also gave us numerous practical tips on actions we can take right now both as individuals and as a congregation.

Dawn Comfort – EarthCare Chair
West Raleigh Presbyterian Church – Raleigh, NC

A testimonial of Dr. Jurovics Speaking Event held on 2/10/19

Stephen Jurovics, author of Hospitable Planet: Faith, Action, and Climate Change, was invited to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Smithfield, NC to lead an intergenerational forum on a faith-based response to the issues of climate change and to preach at both of our services.

Discussing Stephen’s time with us, both of our weekly Bible Study groups expressed surprise that they had never considered that the land belongs to God and that our destruction of the land is a violation of God’s desires for creation. I also sensed a strong, positive reaction when Jurovics tied our abuse of creation with problems in food production and with our lack of love for our neighbor. His sermon and teaching time have helped strengthen St. Paul’s desire to go green wherever we can.

The Reverend Doctor Jim Melnyk
Rector – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Smithfield, NC

After Dr Jurovics gave a 15-minute presentation to a group of a dozen pastors, I invited him to lead a Christian Education hour at Christus Victor Lutheran Church. At Christus Victor, we had recently discussed “faith and science” and just finished a series led by an Imam on interfaith dialogue. Dr. Jurovics, a Jewish engineer, thoughtfully contributed to both of these topics before presenting on his forte: Biblical connections to climate change. Dr. Jurovics excels in talking about this crucial topic by practicing grace with a variety of audiences: clergy & lay, interfaith & science communities, those who support and those who argue against what he is saying. I encourage you to invite Dr. Jurovics to speak and sell his book within your community too.

Pastor Ben Krey
Christus Victor Lutheran Church – Durham, NC 27713

On two occasions Steve has presented to groups at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church. Steve’s knowledge of the environmental challenges we are currently facing and his ability to relate them to our scriptural call to act is amazing. I have never had the connection between scripture and the need to care for our planet presented in this manner before. After reading his book and hearing his presentation, I am even more committed to making our campus an environment-friendly place. I would recommend all parishes have Steve present so that they will have a deeper understanding of God’s expectations for us.

Deacon Mark Westrick, Sr. Director of Ministry and Formation
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church – Cary, NC

Steve’s presentation in this summer’s “Living Our Faith” series at Benson Memorial received high praise from the attendees, many of whom had read Hospitable Planet. More than one individual commented that his presentation clearly summarized the moral imperative for people of faith to be conscientious stewards of the planet, especially where climate change is concerned. Steve supported this imperative with numerous scriptures, pointing out that it is God’s Earth, not Man’s, but He has given Man the formidable responsibility to act as its caretaker.

John Rees, Co-chair, Church & Society Committee
Benson Memorial United Methodist Church – Raleigh, NC.

As people of faith with a world perspective, it is critical to understand God’s covenant placed upon humans to care for all of God’s creation. Dr. Jurovics tells the creation story with a fresh perspective that includes passages many Christians skip when learning about creation care. His presentation style is thoughtful and he stayed and answered all questions which were plentiful. If you are looking for an informative presentation from a best-selling author on creation care, then Dr. Jurovics is an excellent choice.

Beth Bond, Curator of Sustainable News,  Southeast Green
Earthkeeper, Global Board of Ministries, The United Methodist Church

It was a pleasure to have Stephen Jurovics present his work to members
of Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) and the larger
community on May 20, 2018. Unitarian Universalists (UU) are
theologically diverse but united by the Seven UU Principles .
Stephen took the time and effort to familiarize himself with our 
Seven UU Principles and integrate them in a way that complemented his work and
his primary argument that people of faith have the support and
inspiration of science, scripture, and religious values to lead the
way on climate and environmental justice and sustainability. Thank
you, Stephen!

Denise Frizzell, Co-chair, Earth Justice Action Group
Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship – Durham, North Carolina

This is no simple “read Genesis and follow the Golden Rule” talk.  Dr. Jurovics’ deep and searching knowledge of Biblical authorities that relate to creation care is impressive.  Adding his Biblical research to his considerable professional background and experience, he delivers a clear and compelling imperative for people of faith to address carbon overload.  He even taught us what the Bible says about preventing air pollution!  Our congregation is never shy about asking probing questions.  Dr. Jurovics’ answers were succinct and confident.  I thought I did not need to learn more about Biblical lessons on the environment, but I am happy to say that my toolbox of knowledge on this subject is stronger from having heard the author’s talk.

Elizabeth Watson, Environmental Committee Member
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church – Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Jurovics is an excellent, personable speaker who draws all of his themes of faith and practice into an informative and concise presentation. His overview of the issues of climate change as a matter of faith and science was accessible to the novice, while challenging to those who are familiar with the subject. He held our attention and reminded us of the Biblical texts that call us to care for God’s creation.

Rev. Jaye White, Director of Outreach Ministries
North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church – Raleigh, NC

Addressing the issue of climate change and Christian faith, Steve Jurovics did a marvelous job of not only explaining climate change, but grounding the ethical imperative to work against climate change in the essence of Jewish and Christian identity: our covenant with God and each other. I was impressed at the religious depth and scientific clarity with which he spoke. It was intelligent. It was moving. And he only spoke for 40 minutes! We wished we could have had him speak longer.

The Rev. Robert Fruehwirth, Associate Rector
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church – Raleigh, NC

Stephen Jurovics is a retired aerospace engineer.  He hasn’t retired from thinking, however, and he has thought a lot about our changing climate and our responsibilities as Christians and as stewards of Earth.   “Climate change” is a political buzzword these days, but Dr. Jurovics sees it also as a spiritual issue, and finds guidance via his thorough consideration of what the Bible has to say about God’s gifts to us and what we owe in return, both in our personal lives and in our social lives.   He believes we can make effective use of the Bible’s writings about stewardship  in advocating for conservation and environmentalism.  As Dr. Jurovics puts it, “We find in Genesis that on the 7th day of God’s creation of the Earth and all of its life forms, He rested and said it was good.” People who deny the reality of climate change, though actually believing it, will be reluctant to argue with biblical teachings. That’s a powerful asset, having an uncontestable argument. “The fate of the world may rest in the hands of the faith community.”   

Jurovics is an engaging speaker and a valuable source of information about the status of various environmental issues and the science, politics and activism surrounding them, most especially climate change.   For example, he has a long association with North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, and made us aware that this organization offers a free energy-use audit of church  buildings, which Binkley is going to take advantage of.  We intend to keep in touch with Dr. Jurovics.  We believe he will be a valuable resource for our Earth Ministry.

Buck Horton and Charles Coble, Co-Chairs, Earth Ministries
O.T. Binkley Baptist Church – Chapel Hill, NC

Dr. Jurovics spoke at Christ Church-Raleigh on a recent Sunday morning, and in the brief time allotted to the class, he managed simply but eloquently: (1) to provide the Biblical basis for his conclusion that God calls us to be faithful stewards of the planet; and (2) to offer practical suggestions for how we as individuals and members of a faith community can address climate change. Dr. Jurovics’ presentation prompted a number of questions from the audience that he addressed fully and with ease. We are very grateful to him for his provocative and well-researched presentation.

The Rev. Mary Davila, Assistant Rector
Christ Church – Raleigh, NC

Dr. Jurovics drew one of the larger crowds to Pullen Memorial Baptists Church Care of Creation Class. His wisdom and subject matter expertise was immediately apparent as he began his presentation on the spiritual responsibilities for sustainable planet care. He succinctly and seemingly effortlessly broke down the salient points of his less than one- hour presentation to actively generate the group’s questions and concerns. It was a masterful presentation – deep enough for those with a fluid understanding of climate change and simplified enough for the novice. We highly recommend him to any group desiring a rich and thoughtful presentation in climate change, faith and action.

Karen Delahunty, Facilitator
Care of Creation
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church – Raleigh, NC

We were privileged to have Dr. Jurovics speak at our church in Boca Raton to an audience consisting of many persons firmly committed to programs to respond to Climate change as well as some not persuaded. His presentation and an engaged follow up dealt with what we know and can do technically and with how we as Christians should be thinking about what is happening to our climate, what that means to life on our planet and what we can do in response. In his book, and his presentation, Dr. Jurovics speaks from his technical experience and from his analysis of how biblical teachings show the religious imperative for preserving our inherited world. I recommend both the book and taking advantage of a chance to hear him speak.

James D. Miller
Environmental Committee
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church – Boca Raton, FL

I am enjoying reading and commend to you this recent work on the theology of creation care. In addition to its competent presentation of the science of climate change (after all the text was written by a rocket scientist) and its poignant call for a national movement to address this issue, it is also a fine assessment of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures that demonstrates why climate change is more than a “political” issue. It is a theological concern that is deep in God’s heart as Dr. Jurovics persuasively argues. Whether you are part of the Abrahamic faith traditions, a parallel faith tradition, or even agnostic you will learn from Hospitable Planet how to Love and sacralize creation in tangible and actionable ways. It even has helpful questions after each chapter to stimulate conversation in congregational or classroom settings so it is perfect for communal studies. Please find it on Amazon. God’s grace and peace, The Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler

Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler
Union Presbyterian Seminary

Dr. Jurovics made a wonderful presentation to our Men’s group… and in fact the talk elicited the most questions and comments of any speaker that we have had in my four years as pastor at the church. Speaking to an eclectic audience that included everyone from environmental engineers to “climate change deniers,” he handled all questions with grace and ease, having the perfect personality to handle serious, challenging, and even foolish questions. His presentation is somewhat unique as he uses Scripture to challenge people of faith to care about climate change.

Eric Lindblade
Senior Pastor
North Raleigh United Methodist Church

Steve Jurovics offers important insight into the teachings that shaped Jesus, the Jewish rabbi. What would Jesus have learned in his faith formation about God’s desire for all of creation? Countering many of the traditional Christian understandings of human “dominion” over the earth and its inhabitants, Hospitable Planet is an important addition to our understanding of our role as partners with creation. It offers a unique examination of passages from the Hebrew Bible that assist Christians and others in appreciating the context from which Jesus offered his ministry to and for all.

Cathy Tamsberg
Associate Pastor
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC

As people of faith, we live in a complex world where on the one hand we read in holy scripture that humans were created to subdue and have dominion, but on the other hand, scientists and environmentalists tell us that the way we live today is unsustainable and will lead to a diminished quality of life for our children and grandchildren.
Dr. Stephen Jurovics, in his book Hospitable Planet: Faith, Action, and Climate Change, brings clarity to this dilemma. Stephen is eminently qualified to tackle these complex issues based upon his professional life as an engineer working for over two decades on aspects of climate change mitigation and through his personal life as a dedicated biblical scholar. Not only does he clarify the Bible’s mandate to care for creation, but in addition he presents a concrete plan for addressing our urgent environmental crises. His book, complete with discussion questions and action points, is written in a way that makes it an ideal learning and teaching tool for adult education and, if you are seeking a speaker for a creation care event at your congregation, I highly recommend that you consider inviting Dr. Jurovics.

Carl Sigel,
Environmental Stewardship, Church of the Nativity, Raleigh, NC
Chair, Executive Committee, North Carolina Interfaith Power& Light
Environmental Coordinator, Raleigh Convocation, Episcopal Diocese of NC

During Lent 2016, the members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church have been exploring contemporary issues that we can influence by acting together with each other and our communities. One of these issues is how best to respond to the climate crisis that exists in our world. We were fortunate to have Steve Jurovics as one of our speakers. Steve reviewed with us many of the Biblical mandates relating to protecting the environment and all living things. His presentation was riveting, enlightening and entertaining! His presentation was based on his new book Hospitable Planet, that I personally feel should be required reading for all persons of faith!

Rev. Sallie O. Simpson, Deacon
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Raleigh, NC