In September, United Methodist Andrew Hartley filed a lawsuit against his employer, Thermo Fisher. His suit seeks a fossil free option from his employer for his 401K investments, an option his employer has not yet provided. On behalf of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement (UMCJM) and Fossil Free UMC, I reached out to Andrew to ask him about the lawsuit and how his faith informs his effort. He agreed to participate in a written interview.
Andrew Hartley is a lay person in the Upper New York Annual Conference. He is a green team leader for his local church, a member of his conference creation care ministries, and is a member of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Advocacy Team.
What follows is the written interview exchange:
Regarding the lawsuit
UMCJM:
For the average person, to speak directly to and ask their employer for accommodation of any kind can be an act of great courage. In the suit, the legal filing shows your initial efforts to get a fossil fuel free 401K option began on October 21, 2024. Following that, you attempted over and over again to achieve an option for a fossil free investment on moral grounds.
What was it that gave you the courage to write that first letter and seek accommodation from your employer?
ANDREW:
Glad to be with you, Pastor Richenda. It has been a combination of factors.
First, stories of certain giants in God’s plan, who have gone before me, provide great inspiration.
Predominant among those, of course, is Jesus Himself, who gave it all for the world–the cosmos–He loves. When I think of Jesus’s sacrifices, then efforts like this lawsuit seem like the least we could do, you know? It’s all about gratitude.
A more recent example is William Wilberforce, another big hero of mine. In his work to abolish the Atlantic slave trade, he persevered to overcome a great deal of persecution, rejection & ignorance.
Besides those examples we all can follow is this continual learning & growing we always talk about. I became a Christian as an undergrad, so all thru my working years I’ve been supporting ministries I believe in, with both time & money. God has blessed these contributions, so to me, this lawsuit is mostly a continuation of what God is doing & who I’ve become in the process. That’s one of the oldest patterns in our faith, wouldn’t you say?
UMCJM:
What courage or imperative kept you focused to now, this first-of-its kind legal step?
ANDREW:
A casual reading of our official complaint document might suggest this is an effort to directly hamper & diminish the fossil fuel industry. I would celebrate such an outcome, but my objective is more modest: I want to prevent my investments from supporting that industry’s misinformation campaign that has slowed our country’s transition away from dirty energy. For about half a century, they have known that burning fossil fuels would harm the planet, & they have moved to protect their assets from the climate impacts that are worsening all around us. Yet, in the 1980s, they have used their investors’ funds to convince much of the public that climate change is not real, or not serious, or not caused by humans. I don’t want to be a part of that. I believe, and my faith commands, that I must help care for creation. Being financially entangled with – investing in and profiting off of – fossil fuel companies is a direct violation of a core tenet of my faith. My attempt to live in accordance with my faith and its teachings has long been central to my life, and it is the reason I am willing to bring this lawsuit.
UMCJM:
How do you hope this step will benefit the world God so loves?
ANDREW:
Above all, I want all people, & especially those of my faith tradition, to move towards a genuine, sincere life of service, that is all of one piece, one seamless cloth. We say we love others; we value the common good, & we want the best for our children & grandchildren. Let us live what we believe, & do what’s best for those who will follow us. I am amazed at how the Haudenosaunee native American nations have stewarded the land I live on, what we now call Western New York for centuries & maybe even millennia, based on their Seven Generation principle. In contrast, if current trends continue, my people might make large portions of Earth uninhabitable in only the 300-odd years since we started burning fossil fuels. We say we love others; let’s follow that saying with action. Many Americans are concerned more with issues other than the environment, but if we lose Earth, then not much else matters.
UMCJM:
The filings show that you are able to take real steps to live a Christian faith according to the Bible and its teachings, including that you have an earth-friendly diet and ride a bicycle as transportation. What words might you offer to others who share your faith but may not be able to commute by bicycle or may be otherwise constrained in ways that may make sustainable lifestyle choices difficult?
ANDREW:
First off, please don’t give me too much credit.
Yes, I’ve reduced my climate impacts by roughly 70% compared to the average American. Nonetheless, if all 8 billion people lived as I do, we would still need about 2 Earths to support everybody. The ways our country’s government & businesses have decided we will satisfy our needs make it very difficult to live within Earth’s limits. We need to stop putting up roadblocks against clean energy, to improve bicycling infrastructure, to stop subsidizing fossil fuels, & so on. And of course, to invest our 401k funds responsibly.
All that is to say 2 things.
#1, that our personal lifestyle choices can make a difference, but they are limited by how our economy is set up. So, yes, a plant-based diet is great, & please use active transportation if you can. Don’t do that expecting to save the world, though. Do it because caring for God’s world is God’s design for us. It’s His plan, & when we do what we’re created to do, we are blessed. Then, too, do it because it’s healthier for you, not just for the planet.
#2, I encourage people who “share my faith” to focus on activities that will make a bigger impact than those personal lifestyle changes. Practically, for us United Methodists, this means learning the environmental positions of the candidates & comparing them to our social principles, so we can vote responsibly & encourage others to do the same.
UMCJM:
How might your suit help all with a moral conscience who seek to better love God and Creation regardless of challenges of their own that they might face.
ANDREW:
I hope that, because of this lawsuit, more of us would recognize how interconnected are so many elements of this world. Although we often don’t realize it, we can scarcely do anything without affecting the planet & the people who depend on the planet, for ill or for good. Consider a normal trip to a big box store: The environmental effects of the products we buy are mostly hidden from us, but a deeper look can reveal impacts from the mining & extraction of the needed materials, from the associated manufacturing processes, from packaging & transportation, from advertising & merchandising, from how we use the products, & eventually from the disposal of the products when they are broken or used up, whether that’s landfilling or recycling. To appreciate all that, I recommend “The Story of Stuff,” a movie available for free on the internet. The Story of Stuff.
Likewise, in the case of investments, our stocks & bonds are financing products & services that affect nature & societies, for better or worse. I hope my legal case will open more doors for others to assure their investments are being used responsibly.
Regarding your faith
UMCJM:
As part of the filing, you refer to three different books of the Bible.
From the Book of Genesis, you note Genesis 1, 2, but also Genesis 9, the chapter where Noah and his family, along with the animals, exit the ark after the flood. In Genesis 9, God speaks to Noah, his family, and all living things, saying in verse 15, “I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures.” The story of the flood in Genesis is a big story, and you have pulled out verses where God speaks directly to affirm love for the whole of creation.
Was there a catalyzing epiphany for you, an “a ha” or “gestalt” moment, where you understood what this verse, this covenant, meant to you as a Christian person?
ANDREW:
The epiphany was the realization that we humans have this habit of thinking it’s all about us, & our rights, & our abilities, & how wide is the disconnect between that thought pattern & what the Bible says.
Example 1? The titles that many bible translators have placed at the start of that ninth chapter of Genesis. Most titles are something like “God’s covenant with Noah.” Can you believe that? They do that despite the fact that, at least 8 times, God says God is making the covenant with all creatures. How could God have emphasized God’s love for all living things more strongly? The covenant was not just with Noah; it was with all life.
Example 2 could be our interpretation of John 3:16, the most famous of all bible verses. There, John says God so loved the world. The word “world” there, in Greek, is “kosmon,” referring to the entire physical universe. So, God sent Jesus to save the universe, not just humanity. But think about the dozens of sermons you’ve probably heard about that verse. I bet all or nearly all the sermons have interpreted “world” there to refer to humans only. That’s certainly been my experience. Greek has another word for humanity; it’s “anthropos.” If Jesus had come to save humanity only, wouldn’t this verse say “anthropos” rather than “kosmon?”
Example 3 could be the final verses of Matthew’s gospel, which begin with “Go and make disciples of all nations,” & so on. Bible translators generally put a heading over those verses that says “The Great Commission.” Sure, it’s a great commission, but Jesus didn’t come to cancel the law; He came to fulfill it. The most basic law, then & now, is God’s expectation that we would care for the earth, as stated in Genesis 1 & 2. That was God’s original commission for humans. So, it seems to me that the commission in Matthew would better be called the second great commission.
I could give more examples, but need to move on & say that they mainly have resulted from certain creation care books I’ve read, as well as the UMC’s Social Principles. Those principles lay out what I’m telling you in complete clarity. The first few sentences say, “Rather than treating creation as if it were placed here solely for humanity’s use and consumption, we are called to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relationship with the Creator and with the whole of God’s creation.” They also say creation has inherent worth, apart from what it does for humans.
So, overall, we in the US have this habit of referring to God’s creation as “natural resources,” but creation is so much more than that.
UMCJM:
Two other Bible references in the filing are from Leviticus 25:23 and 2 Chronicles 36:21. In the first, God again speaks, reminding humans that “the land is mine.” In the second, we read that humans “treated God’s word with contempt” (2 Chron 36:16) and that the continued bad actions of the people will lead, and have led, to violence. Restoration, when it comes in verse 21 centers the renewal of the land, including “sabbath rest” for the land itself. These are enormous stories.
Is there a thread here that connects to how you believe you are called to live faith-in-practice? In other words, to how you live your life?
ANDREW:
To me, taking these passages seriously changes our attitudes about how to live in the world. If we are thoroughly convinced & aware that the earth is the Lord’s, our attitude becomes one of restraint & reverence. I remember how I regarded my possessions before I was a Christian, & then even as a baby Christian. I assumed I had license to do whatever I wanted with those things. In contrast, whenever I visited a friend’s house, my attitude was respectful & reserved. I requested permission before touching anything. Using something without asking first was out of the question. If I didn’t understand how a piece of equipment worked, I would seek guidance. Most people would consider these behaviors appropriate & right.
We Christians say we believe the land is God’s, as that portion of Leviticus says. Even better known is the first verse of Psalm 24, that says the Earth is the Lord’s & everything in it. So, the attitude I had when visiting a friend’s house seems appropriate for living in God’s creation, too. It’s an attitude of asking prayerfully whether a particular use of creation coheres with God’s intentions of justice & mercy. This attitude looks at God’s commandment about the sabbath that is supposed to apply to people, animals & the land, as a kind of first principle. That principle is so important that, in the passage in 2 Chronicles you mentioned, God assured the land enjoyed the sabbaths it missed during the 70 years of the kingdom.
To summarize my response to your Qn, I think these verses connect to each other & to practical life by fostering a deep respect for God’s ownership of creation & will for it.
UMCJM:
Are there any Gospel or United Methodist teachings that add to your conviction?
ANDREW:
Since we’re on the topic of sabbath, what comes to my mind is the reorientation I think most of Western civilization needs, away from economic growth towards wholeness & health. Jesus said man does not live by bread alone, meaning, I think, that material abundance is not the definition of success. The bible is even replete with warnings against the love of worldly wealth. Just think of the whole camel & eye of a needle thing, or the foolish man who responded to his good harvest by building bigger barns, as 2 examples among many.
Yet, if you read most newspapers, magazines, economic reports & so on, you see that almost everyone assumes economic growth is all that matters & should be the goal of governments, economists & investors. A biblical view involves so much more, including a respect for everyone’s rights, fair labor practices, environmental responsibility & so on.
Regarding the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement
UMCJM:
In the suit, you mention your involvement with the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement as one of the ways your faith is demonstrated. Is there anything you want to share about the Movement and the importance of the Movement’s witness for God’s Word?
ANDREW:
The UMCJM is a wonderful community that offers many opportunities to collaborate on creation care, make important connections with others, learn, & utilize the specialized gifts we all have. For about 5 years, I worked in creation care alone or with a small group in my local congregation, but progress was slow & difficult. I made lots of mistakes & wasted considerable time spinning my wheels, so to speak. The 6 years since then working with UMCJM, have been far more rewarding & productive. I can see how the connectional nature of this organization stems from the connectionalism of the United Methodist Church.
While I would like to work with many more teams in UMCJM, I am employed fulltime, so I’ve needed to limit myself to the advocacy working group & the working groups associated with annual conference creation justice teams. These working groups offer a wide range of resources, & many wise leaders; they all help me contribute more effectively & avoid many mistakes.
UMCJM:
Is there anything you want to add?
ANDREW:
No, but thank you for your support & prayers.