THE CENTRAL IRONY of the religious green movement is that there is no single movement. There are hundreds. Yes, in moments of crisis they might join together to defend the Endangered Species Act or proclaim common cause against global warming, but an uncoordinated amalgam of far-flung, regional, grassroots activism does not a movement make.

Over the next two years, however, that may change. With the Bush administration threatening to roll back some of the past decade's environmental advances, local religious greens may once again have to step into the national spotlight. Leaders of the national religious environmental coalitions—the progressive NRPE and the conservative upstart ICES—are already prowling the halls of Capitol Hill, looking to convince senators and representatives that theirs is the better interpretation of "stewardship." And with their traditional Democratic allies reduced to the spoiler role in Congress, secular environmental groups will be forced to deal with the realities of access to power in Washington. Right now, that means lobbying conservatives with an environmental conscience.

Meanwhile, Peter Illyn is still out there with his llamas, trying to save the earth one soul at a time. "Some days are tough," he says. "It's like having the same conversation 50 times." God's word calls for stewardship of his domain. God's word calls for stewardship. God's word calls. God's word. Illyn's main opponent is evangelical Christianity's environmental apathy, which can be more wearying than trading barbs with an actual antienvironmentalist. His battle is rarely joined; often, it's just ignored.

"There's a guy we run into sometimes at these music festivals," Illyn says. "I like to call him Conspiracy Guy. He's a young-earth creationist, which means he believes God created the earth something like 7,000 years ago. He's always getting in our face, accusing my volunteers of being vegans and pagans, and praying for their souls." Conspiracy Guy may be bothersome, but he also embodies the unspoken assumptions and fears that evangelical Christians have about Illyn's crusade. If his cause is to succeed, Conspiracy Guy must be won over.

The preacher once had it out with Conspiracy Guy. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, Illyn hit on a way to bring the argument to a close.

"Dude, let's say you're right," Illyn said. "Let's say the earth is 7,000 years old. We still gotta take care of it!" Conspiracy Guy couldn't argue with that.  

Bruce Barcott profiled ecoterrorism investigator Barry Clausen in October 2000.