In the crisp November air of 1962, as the nation observed Veterans Day, the Rev. Robert P. Starbuck, MDiv, PhD., the pastor of  Valley View United Methodist Church in Overland Park, Kansas, delivered a sermon that resonates profoundly with our contemporary struggle against climate change. His discourse, aptly titled “The Missiles of October 1962 – Humanity’s Need – More Than Survival,” not only confronted the immediacy of nuclear peril during the Cuban Missile Crisis but also presciently touched upon themes of human hubris and the fragile equilibrium of life—themes that parallel today’s climate crisis with unnerving similarity.
 
Rev. Starbuck’s sermon intricately wove the philosophical insights of ancient Greeks with Christian theological reflections, crafting a narrative that highlighted humanity’s precarious mastery over nature. He posited that just as slight cosmological adjustments could lead to catastrophic climatic shifts, human actions—driven by a relentless quest for dominion—threaten to disrupt the delicate balances sustaining our planet. Today, as we face the escalating impacts of climate change—rising seas, devastating storms, and an impending surge of climate refugees—the parallels to the nuclear fears of the 1960s are strikingly apparent. Both eras reflect crises born of human ingenuity misapplied, requiring a profound societal and ethical transformation.
 
The central thesis of Starbuck’s message, “survival is not enough,” challenges us to reconsider our relationship with the planet. It is a clarion call for a radical reevaluation of how we interact with our environment, emphasizing that resilience against climate change is not merely about adapting to new realities but thriving through a harmonious existence with nature. This philosophy demands a reconnection with the Earth, urging a departure from exploitation and urging towards stewardship, where justice and equity become cornerstones of environmental policy.
 
His invocation of philosophical and religious texts underscored that true understanding and progress require grappling with uncomfortable truths and asking challenging questions—imperative tenets as we navigate the climate crisis. He stressed the importance of balance and interconnectedness, ideas echoing modern environmental discourse. The ancient wisdom of seeking equilibrium and respecting natural limits holds valuable lessons in an age where technological and industrial advancements continue to push those boundaries.
 
As Rev. Starbuck eloquently concluded, humanity must embrace humility and stewardship, recognizing that we are not masters of this world but rather custodians of a legacy we must safeguard for future generations. The haunting lyrics of the hymn “Make Me a Captive, Lord,” which closed his sermon, remind us of the surrender required to achieve true liberation—from our destructive impulses and towards a sustainable future.
 
 
MAKE ME A CAPTIVE, LORD
 
My will is not my own

Till Thou has made it Thine
If it would reach a monarch’s throne
It must its crown resign.  
It only stands unbent

Amid the clashing strife,

When on thy bosom it has leant
And found in Thee its life.
 
Reflecting on Rev. Starbuck’s sermon from a Veterans Day long past through the lens of today’s environmental urgencies offers more than historical curiosity; it provides a framework for understanding and action. It reminds us that the crises we face, though separated by decades and dressed in different garbs—be it the specter of nuclear fallout or the insidious creep of climate change—are fundamentally battles over the values that will define our era. Will we choose the path of restraint and care or continue down a road marked by recklessness and domination?
 
Thus, as we ponder these words, let them reflect on a bygone crisis and guide us through today’s struggles, urging us toward a future that cherishes and nurtures all life forms. It’s a call to survive and live meaningfully, ethically, and in harmony with the cosmos, which sustains us all. 

Rev. Robert P. Starbuck, Mdiv., PhD,

This sermon was delivered at Valley View United Methodist Church in Overland Park, Kansas, on November 11, 1962.


Bob Starbuck received his Bachelor's in Philosophy from Baker University, Baldwin, Kansas; Masters of Divinity from St. Paul's School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri; and PHD in Marriage and Family Counseling from Texas Women's University in Denton, Texas.

​He served as a Methodist Minister for 55 years and a Psychotherapist for 40 years. Bob was a World War II veteran and member of the Masonic Lodge. He enjoyed life to the fullest, always seeing the best in others. Bob enjoyed riding his bicycle, exercising, reading, writing and spending time with his wife and family.

 
“YOUR WORLD WAS A WORLD without hope and without God. But now, in union with Christ Jesus, you who once were far off
 have been brought near through the shedding Christ's blood. For he is our peace...for he annulled the law with its rules and regulations to create a new humanity in himself, thereby making peace between the two. This was his purpose, to reconcile the two in a single body to God through the cross, on which he killed the enemy — enmity (hatred).” – Ephesians 2:12-16 (New English Bible)
 
THIS IS OUR PURPOSE today as Christians and as Protestants. On this Reformation Sunday, we must remember that it is not only a day commemorating the martyrs whose blood was shed in the testimony of their faith; it is a day of reform within our lives. We must look back to that historical event known as the Protestant Reformation. We must see and become a part of that reformation, which did not stop with Martin Luther but echoed down through the ages and vibrates with emotion as we hear and sing such words as;
 
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing; 
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing;
For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe 
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
 
The reformation is not merely a thing of the past or the present. It is a thing of the future — and its future, the future of your world and mine will depend upon our acceptance of Christ Jesus our Lord and our belief that a single new humanity is formed out of Him, in which everlasting peace and tranquility are found. 
 
In a time when the world is threatened by total destruction, when humanity is indifferent toward one another because of opposing ideologies and ways of life, and when hate is greater than love, we need to turn and re-accept our humanity, which is our gift of power and our only hope for Life in the midst of death.
 
We need more than ever to set the word Reformation afresh — realizing that the significance of the word stems from its meaning to reform, to start life anew, to seek unity amid disunity, a unity needed for both the survival of Christianity and the world at large.
 
I fear Americans are still blind to the fact that war, conflict, and chaos are no longer the answer to separation. War has always lost more than it has gained — its wounds are never healed. Take, for example, our nationhood.
 
More than one hundred years have passed, and the wounds of the Civil War still drain and smart with –– fervor and emotions. The embittered feelings, the racial and partisan hatred evolving out of a people of one nation, penetrate our being. It causes us to wonder about our purpose as Christians.
 
So, it is in international affairs; even here, the problem becomes of great magnitude and complexity. Nation against nation is a step above people against people. We think differently. We believe differently. Our goal is different. 
 
We are unable to communicate because we speak different languages. Therefore, we see only the sins and indifference of the other nation and the mistrust we have toward one another. This is not to say that our present position is wrong; perhaps it is not! I am curious to know if it is.
 
I do not think President Kennedy, or any given member of our State Department, knows the answer — so one must merely feel his way in the dark, hoping and praying as he moves along inch by inch, minute by the minute. I do not know the answer, do you?
 
I did see the hell of war, and the aftermath of WW II in Germany and France remains a vivid memory for me — the crying of little children, the war-torn faces of widows and orphans, of older men and older women still have not lost its imprint in more than a decade and a half.
 
I am more mature now! At eighteen, I couldn't wait—I had to see action; now, nineteen years later, and after the birth of four children, I'm not so anxious. I stop, think, and pray. I look at both sides of the coin; war, conflict, and chaos are not the answer.
 
What is the answer? Peace—Love! This is what the existence of the United Nations is proposing. This is what both Russia and the United States claim they want. Of course, we call Russia a liar, and they call us warmongers and liars in return.
 
Certainly, there is more to be said than to say that we are right and they are wrong. Oh, we want to say this, and we do because it sounds good. But we as a nation are not guiltless. On the contrary, it was due primarily to our stupidity and longing for a firmer economic foothold in Cuba that the Cuba reformation under Castro came into being.
 
We would have wanted reform, too, if we had lived under Dictator Batista's rule and exploitation. However, we supported him as a nation only for economic reasons. We didn’t, and I still don't think we are concerned with Cuba as children of God. I feel that a greater concern is the re-establishment of economic relations. 
 
This in no way excuses Russia, her massive infiltration, and her continuous threat of communism worldwide. However, it points the way to our sins and means of manipulation in world affairs and international relations. The United Nations is the one organization that can bring peace to the world.
 
You may have lost all faith that a meeting of the minds, be it a summit conference or a gathering with the Secretary-General of the U.N., can save the world from destruction. You might agree with a former president when he said, “I don't believe in them; they don't amount to a damn. I have been to two of them, and nothing was accomplished.”
 
What end do we want to accomplish that a hydrogen bomb would achieve?  In a recent speech before the Security Council, Acting United Nations Secretary-General U Thant stated: “What is at stake is not just the interests of the parties directly involved, nor just the interests of all member states, but the very fate of humankind. If today the United Nations should prove itself ineffective, it may have proved itself so for all time.”
 
Here, a man of the Buddhist faith outshines a Christian nation. While affirming his own faith, he recognizes that hundreds and millions of people believe otherwise. He says, “I understand this, and because of this understanding, I believe in peaceful coexistence.”
 
Whether we like it or not, (he continues) “I believe that communism is going to stay; I believe capitalism is going to stay; I believe parliamentary democracy is going to stay...I believe the day will come when these different societies... will exist peacefully. I believe in these things.”
 
I, too, believe in these things. As a Christian, I believe the world can be one, even as Christ is one. In the midst of distinct cultures, different races, faiths, and minds, a thread of unity will shape the peace, and the world and humanity shall live in a universe of love and tranquility.
 
“This was his purpose, to reconcile the two in a single body to God through the cross, on which he killed the enmity (Hatred).” Ephesians 2:16 (New English Bible)
 
The Reformation—It's Future! This brings us to the heart of the message, the very core, if you please. For on this Reformation Sunday, we seek unity not only among the minds of nations and the world; we also strive towards unity among Christian leaders within the circle of the Church of Jesus Christ. We cannot help but recall the conflicts that separate the Church on this day.
 
It certainly equals, may even excel, the differences that divided the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians in Paul's day. As Protestants, we know the difficulty we have in coming to some understanding of the teachings and principles of Roman Catholicism. Our anti-Catholic feelings, which many of us have or have had in the past, deeply affect this wound of separation. 
 
We forget in the given moment that we are Christian brothers and sisters to one another. Our hatred and animosity inflame the whole self and, like cancer, spread in all directions. We would rather be damned than sit at a table seeking the very unity which was destroyed not by God but by humankind.
 
It must seem strange to those who think in that direction that Roman Catholicism and Protestantism leaders are now seeking unity. This does not mean that, as Protestants, we can ever forget the history and cause of our separation.
 
But, is it also possible to agree on a unity of mission as servants? Even as we consider both our disparities and common ground, such as (1) The Sacraments, (2) The Priesthood of all believers, (3) The freedom of mind and thought. Our separation may not be as great as we may well imagine.
 
Certainly, it is possible to find such unity in the light of Christ Jesus our Lord — to live in peaceful accord. We are constantly striving for the unity of one mind and heart, believing that this unity does not come about by humankind’s doings alone but by the spirit of God working in the lives of his children.
 
Accordingly, if unity is ever to come, it must come in three directions. First, it must come via the Church in Rome. Pope John XXIII furnished these words in an opening statement at the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.
 
“The Catholic church, therefore, considers it her duty to work actively so that there may be fulfilled the great mystery of that unity, which Jesus Christ invoked with fervent prayer from His Heavenly Father on the eve of His sacrifice.”
 
The results of this council will most likely not furnish any momentous change in Christendom. The very fact that so large a body of Protestants has been represented shows, for the first time, a genuine concern on the part of a Catholic Pope for unity and peaceful co-existence.
 
Second, if unity is ever to come, it must also come in the direction of Protestantism. Not only must our leaders be concerned with unity, but we, as members of the Faith, must support them and be concerned ourselves with separation. We must examine every way and mean for such oneness. If nothing more, we must be willing to envision this unity—recognizing our shared values and moving on from there.
 
You see, people can live together, although their minds think differently and diverge in opposite directions. We have seen this within families where one is Protestant, one is Catholic, one is Christian, one is Jewish or Muslim, or another faith. 
 
Oh yes — you can quickly point out (if you must) those families who have failed under these conditions. I am speaking of those families who have learned to live and love despite their differences. I now think of families within our church who confront this, but they live in unity because of love.
 
A year ago, the Protestantism voice was heard in the Third Assembly of the World Council of Churches, and in her message flow these convictions. “We must together seek the fullness of Christian unity. Our brethren in Christ are given to us, not chosen by us. In some things, our convictions do not yet permit us to act together. However, let us, everywhere, find out what we can do now, and faithfully do them, praying and working for that fuller unity which Christ wills for his Church.”
 
This brings us then to the fixed direction. If unity is ever to come between Protestants and Catholics or across all faiths, it must come via God. Only if we allow room in our discussion, debate, and arguments for the Holy Spirit to work will our Unity be possible. It is not so much that we can bring it to pass; as we look at our diverse views, it frightens us, and we see chaos and further separation. Hence, the minds of humankind must be supported by a greater mind — one that knows no separation and longs for God’s children to live in peace and unity.
 
In the same way, wise nations can be brought together. Even so, it requires a given trust in a world of mistrust and faith amid doubt. As a Christian, I do not believe in war and conflict. Still, unity is possible only through the exchanges of human minds where the Holy Spirit has an opportunity to work in mysterious and miraculous ways.
 
Let us pray.
 
 
This sermon was delivered at Valley View United Methodist Church in Overland Park, Kansas, on October 28, 1962.