Religion rejuvenates environmentalism

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.kansascity.com/400/story/1756608.html

Posted on Thu, Feb. 18, 2010 07:12 AM

Religion rejuvenates environmentalism

By COURTNEY WOO
News21

Evangelical pastor Ken Wilson's environmental conversion began a few years ago with goose bumps, watery eyes and an appeal for help.

"I heard Gus Speth, the dean of forestry at Yale, say to a group of religious leaders, 'I used to think the top environmental problems facing the world were global warming, environmental degradation and eco-system collapse, and that we scientists could fix those problems with enough science,' " Wilson recalls. " 'But I was wrong. The real problem is not those three items, but greed, selfishness and apathy. And for that we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists don't know how to do that. We need your help.' "

Back home, Wilson thought more about passages in the Bible containing messages of stewardship for the Earth. He began preaching about a Christian duty to protect the environment, or "creation care," at the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, Mich., where he is senior pastor.

"It was like I was popping a cork," Wilson says. "People came up to me in the lobby after the lectures actually with tears in their eyes, saying thank you for speaking to this issue."

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[FedUpWithIt All]

1. Highly rec'd. Thanks for posting. n/t

[roguevalley]

2. more good news. thank you.

[Nihil]

3. K & R ...

... though I admit that I grinned when I noticed the author
of the article about evangelicals was "COURTNEY WOO" ...
:evilgrin:

[GliderGuider]

4. Yeah, I liked that woo too :-) nt

[wtmusic]

5. Just don't bring up birth control nt

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. That depends on the audience, and how you define "birth control"

As the article points out, one of the things which alienated "evangelicals" from "ecologists" was a perception that "ecologists" were advocates for abortion.

...

Evangelical attitudes toward environmentalism are complex. As early as 1970, the National Association of Evangelicals equated preservation of natural resources and ecological balance with preservation of God's creation.

But around that time, evangelicals began to clash ideologically with scientists and leaders of the early environmental movement over issues of population control and evolution, Wilson says. Environmentalists advocated abortion as a solution to population control, while evangelicals opposed abortion. Meanwhile, political conservatism began to dominate evangelical thought and environmentalists became associated with liberalism.

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In the case of Roman Catholics, the church (the Pope) opposes the use of artificial birth control (the "rhythm method" is OK.) On the other hand (last I knew) church members tend to disagree with the Pope on this matter.