These Kids are Alright

In an event organized by the World Evangelical Alliance, students from four Christian colleges visited the White House to meet with representatives from the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives. The students message was simple - environmental stewardship matters. An executive of the WEA noted that older generations have dropped the ball on protecting the environment.

Deb Fikes, Executive Advisor for the World Evangelical Alliance and a coordinator of the event, expressed regret on behalf of her generation and offered encouragement to the young people gathered. “I am grieved by my generation of Christians,” she said from the podium. “We haven’t been doing what we need to be doing. … What are school textbooks going to say about what we did in our lifetime to make a difference? You here are going to write that chapter.”

Older generations of evangelicals have not dropped the ball as much as been duped. There has been a very well-funded campaign aimed at making sure people of faith remain divided along political lines. The fear of these big money secular groups is that Christians might put their faith first and work together on issues like social justice, condemning greed, and protecting God's creation from corporate plunder. As long as people of faith are at each others throat over issues like abortion, contraception, and homosexuality, the Mammon worshipers are free to plunder and profit will remain the only real ethic.

One of the most powerful and well funded of these groups is the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD). As noted by Rev. Andrew Weaver, their first target was mainline Protestants.

The political right-wing, operating in the guise of a gaggle of so-called "renewal groups," particularly one named the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), has acquired the money and political will to target three mainline American denominations: The United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Episcopal Church. The IRD was created and is sustained by money from right-wing foundations and has spent millions of dollars over 20 years attacking mainline denominations. The IRD's conservative social-policy goals include increasing military spending and foreign interventions, opposing environmental protection efforts, and eliminating social welfare programs 

In a document entitled "Reforming America's Churches Project 2001-2004," the IRD states that its aim is to change the "permanent governing structure" of mainline churches "so they can help renew the wider culture of our nation." In other words, its goal extends beyond the spiritual and includes a political takeover financed by the likes of Richard Mellon Scaife, Adolph Coors, the John M. Olin Foundation, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation of Milwaukee.

When Robber Baron foundations talk about reforming churches, what they mean is to recreate them in the image of Mammon. Renewal is nothing more than a code word for keeping people of faith fighting culture wars and out of the way of corporate interests. A major goal of groups like IRD is to end environmental regulations and open up all natural resources to unfettered exploitation. In short, to hell with stewardship of God's creation. It is the story of the snake in the Garden all over again. This time the snake is hissing that God gave you dominion and that means you are free to use, waste, squander, and destroy without consequence or conscience.

The IRD and other corporate lobbying organizations were forced to expand their focus to evangelical groups in recent years. Under the guidance of Richard Cizik, the National Evangelical Association began to advocate environmental stewardship, including taking action on climate change. Those efforts started to bear fruit and build momentum, much to the chagrin of the corporate watchdogs. In 2006, prominent evangelical leaders created the "Evangelical Climate Initiative" to push for action on reducing carbon pollution. Almost immediately, some politically connected religious conservatives began to spout talking points developed by oil, gas, and coal companies.

Some of the nation's most high-profile evangelical leaders, however, have tried to derail such action. Twenty-two of them signed a letter in January declaring, "Global warming is not a consensus issue." Among the signers were Charles W. Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; and Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Back then, there was consensus across the political spectrum to move toward clean energy and away from fossil fuels. Over the next four years, thanks to billions spent on lobbyists and public relations campaigns, support for action waned among religious conservatives. One does not have to search particularly hard on Google to discover what the IRD has been pushing among evangelicals and other religious conservatives. It is all about culture wars with careful attention to make sure 'pro-life' is limited to the unborn. To hell with with the already born, especially the poor and the rest of God's creation.

Perhaps this action by the World Evangelical Alliance signals a rebirth of concern for stewardship for God's creation, particularly among younger generations. Other green shoots are not hard to find, such as ConservAmerica and the Evangelical Environmental Network. This editorial by David Jenkins of ConservAmerica does a marvelous job of framing the issue.

Does it not then stand to reason that God, after designing the earth’s processes to sequester excess carbon, would prefer that we respect his creation and find better ways to heat our homes and power our cars than using huge amounts of oil and coal? 

Climate skeptics -- particularly those on talk radio -- like to peddle the notion that the earth was created on such a grand and complex scale, it is impossible for mankind to mess it up. In other words, we can do anything we want without serious consequence. 

Does that sound like something God would say? 

Actually, it sounds a lot more like something the snake in the Garden of Eden would say.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2012/04/08/1977721/easter-stewardship-and-gods-climate.html#disqus_thread#storylink=cpy

That is spot on. The idea that we can use and abuse without consequence does not sound like God talking at all. You can imagine God's reaction if Adam and Eve had decided to cut down all the trees in the Garden of Eden, poison the waters with filth, and kill all the birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and insects.

Consider this parable. There is a wealthy couple with two children. The couple sets up a generous trust for each child that is meant to meet the their needs as well as the needs of future generations. One child uses only what they need, but the other one decides to squander the inheritance on mansions, fancy cars, private jets, yachts, and every possible creature comfort. Which child was a faithful steward of the great gift they received?

There is reason to believe that the group of college students that participated in the WEA advocacy campaign are far from alone. In fact, there is growing evidence that younger evangelicals are sick and tired of the culture wars. They are much more interested in social, economic, and environmental justice.  When people of faith come together to talk about what God wants and how best to help each other, then there is reason to hope. It is only when all we hear about is the virtue of greed, hatred of people we disagree with, and the glory of war that I start to wonder how long until the trumpets sound and the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse gallop across the face of the Earth.