NEW YORK (AP) — In a major shift, a group of Southern Baptist leaders said their denomination has been "too timid" on environmental issues and has a biblical duty to stop global warming.
The declaration, signed by the president of the Southern Baptist Convention among others and released Monday, shows a growing urgency about climate change even within groups that once dismissed claims of an overheating planet as a liberal ruse. The conservative denomination has 16.3 million members and is the largest Protestant group in the U.S.
The signers of "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change" acknowledged that not all Christians accept the science behind global warming. They said they do not expect fellow believers to back any proposed solutions that would violate Scripture, such as advocating population control through abortion.
However, the leaders said that current evidence of global warming is "substantial," and that the threat is too grave to wait for perfect knowledge about whether, or how much, people contribute to the trend.
"We believe our current denominational resolutions and engagement with these issues have often been too timid," according to the statement. "Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. We can do better."
No one speaks on behalf of all Southern Baptists, who leave decision-making to local churches. Yet, the signatories represent some of the top figures in the convention.
Among them are the denomination's president, the Rev. Frank Page of South Carolina; two former presidents, the Rev. James Merritt of Georgia and the Rev. Jack Graham of Texas; and the Rev. Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas, who helped conservatives solidify control of the denomination in the 1970s and 1980s.
Also backing the effort are presidents of three prominent Baptist-affiliated schools: David Dockery of Union University in Tennessee; Timothy George of Samford University's Beeson Divinity School in Alabama; and Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. More than 35 people signed the statement.
Supporters plan to collect more signatures for the declaration through baptistcreationcare.org and encourage congregations to advocate for environmental protection.
Even before Monday's statement, religious activism on climate change had broadened beyond just liberal-leaning churches. The 1993 "Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation" became a guiding document for the Evangelical Environmental Network. The Rev. Rich Cizik, Washington director of the National Association of Evangelicals, became a prominent environmental advocate, trying to persuade conservative Christians that global warming is real. Polls of younger evangelicals found they considered environmental protection a priority.
But many of the most conservative Christians, including some Southern Baptist leaders, remained skeptical, and vigorously challenged evangelical environmentalists. Continue >>
Comments
Southern Baptist Convention supports Al Bore's Global Warming propaganda? This makes me extremely angry! I left the independent Baptist churches over their arrogance and legalism, and joined a Southern Baptist church. If they're going to be such morons as to believe in this Global Warming rubbish, guess I will just say to heck with these denominations, and just stay HOME from now on! I will not give ONE RED CENT to any church that falls for the Global Agenda, and uses the PULPIT to promote it! Sheesh!!!
What about the receding polar ice caps on the planet Mars? Does this give credence to the possibility of solar activity being more responsible for global warming than human activity? Why is China not included in the Kyoto Treaty? Oh I see... they already have a totalitarian state.
Our first job on this planet was to care for the world we were placed in. We are the planet's caretakers. I would venture that part of this responsibility is to be wise about how we care for the planet and not be given to every whimsical trend that comes along (the earth is cooling! the earth is melting! the earth is going to be pulverized by a giant asteroid tomorrow!). So yes, we ought to be leaders in wise living, but Christianity is not an environmental movement; it's a work to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. How about we resolve to be good stewards of our resources, putting all our thoughts and efforts into helping a lost word and not on dictating the latest trendy western-world green living movement that is impractical for the uninterested others of the world.
I believe as Christians, we are to be good stewards - to include nature and natural resources. However, I caution everyone from jumping on the "global warming" boat. Is it only theory - like "evolution" or perhaps the verdict of the validity on "global warming" is still to be decided?On FOXNews.com there is an article today entitled: Weather Channel Founder: Sue Al Gore for Fraud. The article is referring to global warming.
It would help many of us if those who say we should do more to protect the environment, would tell us exactly which evangelistic efforts we can cut back on, in order to fit this new effort into our schedule. Alas, there never seems to be any such cort of practical advice.
scitsonga;
GMG was making a valid observation. Perhaps this fills in the gaps for the absurdity of getting alarmed at the weather cycles.
"In short, science – especially environmental science – has a demonstrated pattern of announcing strong and emphatic conclusions and then later reversing itself.
Further buoying the current skepticism about man-caused Global Warming is the fact that the scientific clamor about radical climate change has been occurring for almost a century. For example, in the 1920s, the newspapers were filled with scientists warning of a fast approaching Glacial Age; but in the 1930s, scientists reversed themselves and instead predicted serious Global Warming. But by 1972, Time was citing numerous scientific reports warning of imminent “runaway glaciation,” and in 1975, Newsweek reported overwhelming scientific evidence that proved an approaching Ice Age, with scientists warning the government to stockpile food; proposals were even advanced to melt the artic ice cap in an effort to help forestall the oncoming Ice Age. In fact, in 1976, the U. S. Government itself even released a study affirming that “the earth is heading into some sort of mini-ice age.” Now, however, just a few years later, the warning of an imminent Ice Age has been replaced with the warning of an impending Global Warming disaster. In less than a century, environmental science has completely reversed itself on this issue no less than three times."
And now, the satellite data are showing the beginnings of another cooling cycle; right on schedule of the normal oscillations.
scitonga,
You have a really good idea there, seeing as how they don't seem to recall how to read their own charts. I am referring, of course, to their tendency to yell "Oh no, the sky is falling into the new ICE AGE", and then, "Uh, oh no, what we really meant is , the sky is falling into the new GLOBAL WARMING CATASTROPHE".
So, do you have their address handy? =)
GMG "If you look at one of those charts of the world's temperatures, you'll see that there was in fact a definitive cooling trend from (I believe) about 1940 through the early l970's. All this means is that there are recorded periods of cooling and periods of heating."
Wow, amazing observation on your part. You should alert the atmospheric and merteorlogic scientist around the world about this important trend that they must have over looked, I'm sure they had no idea...........LOL.
alex12
If you look at one of those charts of the world's temperatures, you'll see that there was in fact a definitive cooling trend from (I believe) about 1940 through the early l970's. All this means is that there are recorded periods of cooling and periods of heating. Responsible stewardship, which we are called to, would include being TRUTHFUL in a search for causes that may be linked to human factors that can be dealt with. If we discover (by truthful examination) that this is a warming cycle caused by natural factors, wouldn't you want to know this? Or would you rather be the patsy of those who would like to start a panic in order to line their own pockets.
I am very disappointed in my denomination taking this step. These men are looking back form the plow of the great commission. This earth and everything in it destined for the incinerator of God’s wrath. Only two things will survive the Word of God and the Souls of Men. We need to nothing except to know Christ and Him crucified and have nothing to do with lesser things.
When Christ transforms your heart, you naturally become more responsible with everything God gives you including his creation. There can be no reformation (of the earth or anything else) unless hearts and minds are transformed by Jesus Christ.
This is all happening as a result of the humanistic Rick Warren Purpose Driven movement! Many have been deceived by the rebirth of ther social "gospel."
The only disagreement I have with this article is that it is not a new religion, just a rabbit trail from the world's second oldest religion; humanism.
(CNSNews.com) - Commentary from 400 prominent scientists from around the world, which was included in a U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee report released last week, warns of a religious-like belief in global warming in the scientific community.
In opposition to the "consensus" reached by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last year, the committee report, sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), presents writings and statements from scientists who expressed skepticism or disbelief in global warming throughout 2007.
"It seems that in the climatic area a new faith fight has broken out, which has all the characteristics of historical religion," warned professor Francis Massen of the Physics Laboratory in Luxemburg, one of the scientists included in the report.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200801/CUL20080104a.html
Alex12;
From the posts I have read most global warming sceptics admit we have a responsibility of stewardship. They disagree with this alarmist frenzy and the proposed "solution" for wealth transfer and empowerment of the UN.
Our God given task is to discern the truth from the world's lies. Alarmist Global Warming is a huge lie. I recommend the following link and consider what a Christian's position should be.
http://www.cornwallalliance.org/docs/scientific-orthodoxies-politicized-science-and-catastrophic-global-warming.pdf
think something that we need to take in to perspective here is if you remember the 10 commandments that God gave to moses. God gave the first ones to him, but he destroyed them out of his own temper and carelessness. Afterwards God made moses create it himself. God is not going to do everything for us because it is not always best for him to do everything for us. Although he is perfectly capable of doing so there is an issue where we can become passive and lazy in the works that we do. It is wrong to think that this is a vacation resort and he will serve our every need. When you raise a child you can't always do everything for them otherwise they become to weak to survive in the world. They become spoiled and think you will do everything for them. If you look at the attitude of someone who is spoiled they have no respect for the things they receive as well. He has placed us on this earth as the managers. He has entrusted us with responsibility. To respond to the global cooling that they said was occurring during the 1970's every scientist Christian or Atheist has said that is not going to happen. Not only that they have already confirmed that Global Warming is happening, The only thing that has not been proven conclusively is if man is the cause of it. This is the one thing that. Here is a resource that confims that they had no proof that the earth was cooling in 1970's into an ice age. http://www.wmconnolley.org.uk/sci/iceage/mason.1976.html Yet there is extensive proof of global warming if you refer to the results of the UN research. As for the Exxon spill in Alaska if you have been watching the news. The locals that live in the area are still in court because they can not fish there anymore. Oil can still be found on the beaches after digging just a foot beneath the ground. The area is uninhabitable. So regardless of global warming the pollution in itself is the problem. You can not ignore that. If you also read the news you sill see that even Americas water is contaminated with pharmaceuticals. The water we drink is not even clean. Doctors tell pregnant women to drink bottled water because of possible contaminates could affect the baby. If you watch the news they have reported that fish that we buy in the stores has high concentrations of Mercury, which again causes death or birth defects. How can you ignore that the things that are going into your body or those around the world is poisoned. Should we have the attitude that God will take the poison out we just need to let it be. That is rather lazy and passive. God is not our servant.
The frauds of Global Warming Alarmism:
Naomi Oreskes discredited published study of consensus
Mike Mann's infamous, discredited hockey stick
Al Gore's committee funding only studies to prove global warming and unfunding any other studies as Richard Lindzen has testified
The UN's political treatment of the IPCC where the executive summaries soewing alarmism are not warranted by the following body of reports
“and when something is still debated as heavily as is the issue of man-caused Global Warming, and when there is still not a clear consensus, [we] tend to approach that issue with great skepticism. Significantly, in 1992, Al Gore declared: “Only an insignificant fraction of scientists deny the global warming crisis. The time for debate is over. The science is settled.” Yet a Gallup Poll that same year revealed that “53% of scientists actively involved in global climate research did not believe [man-caused] global warming had occurred; 30% weren’t sure; and only 17% believed [man-caused] global warming had begun.” …
Now, fifteen years later, there still is no consensus. For example, even though 2,500 of the world’s top scientists agree with [IPCC] assertions about man-caused Global Warming, well over 10,000 scientists do not…