Green Options » evangelical

30 Passionate Arguments for Faith-Based Environmental Protection: the Sierra Club’s “Holy Ground”

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:53:32 +0000

“From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” (Romans I: 20)

“Have you not seen how God sets forth a parable? A good word is like a good tree whose roots are firm and whose branches reach heaven. It gives its fruit during every season, by leaves of its Lord. And God sets forth parables to people that they may remember.” (Al-Qur’an I4: 24-25)

As you likely know, people of faith and environmentalists don’t always see eye-to-eye. The narratives of faith and the green movement can seem to diverge pretty widely at points, and members of both sides have often viewed the other with suspicion and distrust. In recent years, though, we’ve seen efforts by both groups to “reach across the aisle,” and the development of concepts like “creation care,” which attempt to bridge religious beliefs with environmental concerns.

In November, the Sierra Club joined the conversation with its publication of Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation. Bringing together clergy, lay people, and thinkers on the topics of religion/spirituality and the environment, Holy Ground is an anthology of meditations (essays just doesn’t seem to work) on the role of caring for the Earth while remaining faithful to the tenants of one’s faith.

The Twelve Days of sustainablog: Cleantech, Evangelicals, and Anniversaries

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:39:55 +0000

February was a big month for GO Media — we celebrated our first anniversary in business! Of course, there were also the usual celebrations: Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Groundhog Day (hey, that’s celebrated…!).

Here at sustainablog, we were keeping an eye on broad developments related to sustainability (as always). From business to religion to the presidential primary season, we found many great stories to share… here are a few of them.

February 2008

Chad Crawford dug into the green evangelical movement.
Carol McClelland shared an overview of cleantech trends and opportunities presented at Cleantech Forum XVI.
I took a look at “low hanging fruit” approaches to sustainability, and their potential to oversimplify our environmental impact.

The Environmental Impotence of the Religious Right

Jerry James Stone — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:19:55 +0000

And once again I find myself both amused and completely horror-struck by the evangelical cult that resides within the GOP. They’re consistently bested by their faith, and to the point of absurdity. This is especially true with regards to the climate crisis. And quite frankly, I blame Jesus.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s comments about House Speaker Pelosi brought the issue to the front of the line. In her current bout of political tourettes, she had this to say:

“[Pelosi] is committed to her global warming fanaticism to the point where she has said that she’s just trying to save the planet,” Bachmann told news site OneNewsNow. “We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet — we didn’t need Nancy Pelosi to do that.”

Yes, folks…stop recycling, throwout your reusable bags and just let your cars run all day long. For Jesus, yes the one and only Jesus, has already fixed that whole global warming thingamabob.

Mind you, this lady is notorious for her hair-brained explanations. For example, did you know that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is now 100% wildlife free? Yep, same great taste but less filling. And this is why the Democrats favor high gas prices:

“They want Americans to take transit and move to the inner cities. They want Americans to move to the urban core, live in tenements, [and] take light rail to their government jobs. That’s their vision for America.”

Yes, Al Gore, dressed a la Dr. Evil, is trying to scare us all in to using light rail. Oh the horror of it all! It’s just too convenient. I mean all of it, if the planet is all saved thanks to Super Jesus then why do I keep getting copies of the Watchtower? Just let the guy do his job, already - no one likes to be micromanaged.

But that’s the rub. We’re not saved. He did not save us. None of it is okay. We must stop denying it like that mom in the jaw-dropping Jesus Camp movie? We cannot lend ourselves to distractions like the plight of the incandescent bulb. There is no time. Accountability is our only salvation, not Jesus.

So I pray. I pray for Congresswoman Bachmann. I also pray for that crazy mom in the movie. I pray that for whatever bulb they choose, they themselves won’t remain perpetually dim.

Saving More Than Souls: Religious Groups Seek “Renewal” for the Environment
You’re Either with Us, or You’re with the CFLs : Red, Green, and Blue
Jesus Unplugged: Religious Groups Participate in Earth Hour 2008

Image source: Asemta at Flickr

Welcome to the Table: The Green Evangelical Movement

Chad Crawford — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:53:05 +0000

More and more people each day are joining the sustainable table. I am not referring to the wonderful website about healthy and ethical food choices, but heck it’s worth a mention anyway. By “the sustainable table,” I mean the conversation about how to bring the vision of a greener world into reality. So when I read “Evangelical leaders host ‘creation care’ summit in Orlando-area church” in the Orlando Sentinel, I got this funny picture in my head of church folk sitting down for brunch with a bunch of barefoot tree-huggers.

“‘We are the ones who are late to the table,’ [Rev. Joel] Hunter said. An emerging national evangelical leader on environmental issues, Hunter said the goal of the conference was to ‘get mutually stirred up’ and to ‘assume stewardship’ of this issue.”

Evangelical leaders gathered at Northland, a Church Distributed to hammer out “creation care.” If these green evangelicals are beginning to embrace terms like “sustainable,” “green,” and even “carbon neutral,” but still shudder at the sound of “environmentalism,” are we really all sitting at the same table? Or are we sitting at completely different tables, looking at the same evidence, but pretending to ignore each other’s solutions?

Guest Post: A Little Q&A on Christian Ecology

Don Bosch — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:35:33 +0000

Don Bosch is the author and managing editor of the blog, The Evangelical Ecologist.

What motivated you to begin blogging about Christian environmentalism?
I became a Christian on a beautiful Oregon beach in 1978, and ecology has been calling since 1990. I started The Evangelical Ecologist in 2004 because I didn't see a lot of green evangelical thought onto the web, and wanted to help fellow Christians find trustworthy environmental information and resources.

What are some myths surrounding Christian environmentalism, and why aren't they true?
How about "Christians don't care about the environment?" I haven't met anybody, Christian or not, who thinks trashing the planet is a good idea. We might disagree on environmental approaches but I've never found Christians rejecting the need for it. Likewise, dominionism - polluting earth because we're in charge of it - is a myth perpetuated more in secular circles than the Church. Another is that Christian ecology is relatively new. Mendel was studying peas in a monastery 150 years ago. John Muir was a Christian. St. Francis and Francis Schaeffer, Mennonites and the Amish; all were green way before it was popular.

What are your personal motivations for environmental stewardship? Religion? Social justice?
Religion and social justice are human constructs. My relationship with God and what he made motivates me, and so does using ecology as common ground to share God's love with non-Christians. We're called to love God with all we've got and love our neighbor as ourselves. And all living things by extension.

Are Christians motivated differently than secular environmentalists?
We're all recycling and swapping light bulbs and driving less, so it's not so much "what" than "why." Look at all the religious terms used in secular discussions on the environment! People want a moral basis for ecology regardless of their faith, but Christians actually have one. God made the universe. He gave the earth to people to take care of it. Adam disobeyed God and brought sin and death into the world, bringing on a pollution problem (among other things). Christ's death on the cross dealt with that sin, and gave us an opportunity to restore our relationship with our Creator. Christians believe Jesus will return someday, and we know he'd better find us busy at creation care and His other business when he does. Ecology is entirely consistent with and supported by the Bible.

Do you think there is an unfulfilled desire among conservative Christians for broader faith-based environmental movements?
Yep. Christians approach ecology carefully because of things like population control, radicalism, bloated government, humanism, and earth (Gaia) worship that have been associated with the movement over the past 30 years. Christians will get more involved as they find ways to do so without compromising their faith. When they see how pollution harms unborn babies for instance, they realize pro-green is pro-life. By the way, most Christians treat ecology the same way they tithe; it's a personal thing they do quietly. A movement? Maybe not like you're thinking of it.

What about the Christians' role in the global warming debate?
We need to be engaged and we need to get smarter. I chuckle when some call global warming a moral issue, but it frankly troubles me when religious leaders do. We mustn't mistake scientific hypothesis for moral truth. Christian ethics bring us to the table but we need to listen to sound, scientific arguments both pro/con to do what's effective for the climate without ignoring moral issues like energy needs and poverty. Reduce greenhouse gasses, sure, but calling CO2 "sinful" only gets everyone hot under the collar.

Anything else?
I wrote a series called, "The Uniqueness of Christian Ecology," and an article called, Knowing the Gardener that might be useful to folks wanting to know more about Christians and ecology.