Lutheran Pastor Draws Attention to Climate Change Issues by Fasting

A Kenosha pastor who's been fasting in support of the Green New Deal hosted a public presentation Monday evening as he neared the end of his 12-day hunger strike. 

Jonathan Barker, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, said he chose 12 days to emphasize that the planet has only 12 years to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions before serious consequences set in. 

The Green New Deal is mostly a collection of measures designed to reverse climate change that lacks a lot of specificity on how to go about  implementing the goals. 

The proposal has been reduced to a 16-page resolution that's now before the U.S. Senate. "This is a bill that does a lot to love our neighbors. It does a lot to protect our neighbors from the worst consequences of climate change," Barker said. " So knowing this I say quite confidently that Jesus would support the Green New Deal." 

Barker said he's passionate about the issue in part because he grew up in smog-filled Los Angeles and had frequent asthma attacks. 

About 75 people attended Monday's event held in the basement of Immanuel United Methodist Church. 

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