Science and Faith Join Forces on Global Warming
Pastor Dale Morgan
Jan 15, 6:32 PM EST
*Science and Faith Join Forces on Global Warming*
By RODRIQUE NGOWI
Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) -- Some leading scientists and evangelical Christian leaders
have agreed to put aside their fierce differences over the origin of
life and work together to fight global warming.
Representatives met recently in Georgia and agreed on the need for
urgent action. Details on the talks will be disclosed in Washington on
Wednesday.
"Whether God created the Earth in a millisecond or whether it evolved
over billions of years, the issue we agree on is that it needs to be
cared for today," said Rich Cizik, vice president of government
relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents
45,000 churches.
Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global
Environment at Harvard Medical School, agreed, saying: "Scientists and
evangelicals have discovered that we share a deeply felt common concern
and sense of urgency about threats to life on Earth and that we must
speak with one voice to protect it."
Chivian and Cizik, both of whom participated in the talks, declined
further comment.
In February 2006, 86 evangelical leaders signed a statement to fight
global warming, saying that human-induced climate change is real, that
its consequences will hit the poor the hardest, and that Christian moral
convictions demand an urgent response.
They argued that governments, businesses, churches and individuals all
have a role to play. Signatories included presidents of evangelical
colleges, aid groups, churches and pastors of megachurches.
The powerful National Association of Evangelicals, however, did not join
the initiative. It is unclear whether Cizik's involvement in the new
campaign will lead the organization to adopt the environment as a
central part of its agenda.
Evangelicals and scientists previously failed to launch a large-scale
joint initiative, partly because of differences between evolutionary
science and a literal interpretation of the Bible - a rift that dates
back to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection.
Those who met in Georgia, however, are expected to argue that the threat
to life on Earth is too great to let the rift prevent them from working
together to combat greenhouse emissions.
Speakers at the Wednesday announcement will include megachurch pastor
Joel Hunter, who refused to take the leadership of Christian Coalition
of America because the organization wouldn't let him expand its agenda
to include the environment and poverty.
Others are Harvard biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward
O. Wilson and NASA scientist James E. Hansen, who came under fire from
the White House after a 2005 lecture in which he called for urgent
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming.
"The evangelicals have a lot of clout on the conservative side of the
political spectrum, and their voice would be a very welcome one," said
Jim Presswood of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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On the Net:
Evangelical Climate Initiative: http://www.christiansandclimate.org
Union of Concerned Scientists: http://www.ucsusa.org
Natural Resources Defense Council: http://www.nrdc.org
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change: http://www.pewclimate.org