Evangelical Environmentalism’s Moral Imperative

Acton Commentary (Jordan Bailor): Evangelical Environmentalism's Moral Imperative

I have a post in my head that addresses the evangelical controversy over environmentalism, but I have been too busy to write it. With this post, Bailor also gets at many of the issues I have been reflecting on. Maybe I'll get that post out of my hand and into a post soon, but I liked what Bailor had to say.

In these and many other ways, the opposition to evangelical activism on climate change has been conflated with the larger issue of environmental stewardship. But of course Christian responsibility for the environment, termed “creation care” by Cizik, is much broader than the question of global warming. While it may be an effective rhetorical strategy to assert that your opponents do not “care” for creation, such claims obscure rather than clarify the real crux of the debate.

In its exposition of the commandment against bearing false witness, the Heidelberg Catechism, an important confessional document for Reformed Christianity, observes that the commandment obliges the Christian to “love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it.” It also says that Christians are “to guard and advance” the good names of our neighbors. The attribution of false motives to opponents of climate change activism runs the risk of violating these significant moral imperatives.

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For instance, progressive Christian activist Tony Campolo has the integrity to admit that the claims of conservative Christians that government does not bear the primary responsibility to care for the poor are not due to a lack of care about poverty. Instead, notes Campolo, “The Religious Right, by conviction, is convinced that helping the poor is something that should be done individually or by the church.” There is a shared commitment to viewing poverty as a moral issue, but disagreement at the level of policy and prudence about the best ways to address the problem.

In the same way, Christian care for the environment is indeed a moral issue, and one that will only demand greater attention as technological advances and scientific abilities increase. Both the evangelical opponents of and proponents for government action on climate change bear a responsibility to be open and honest about their points of consensus and disagreement.

For conservative evangelicals who oppose political action to address climate change, this means making it explicit and clear that the broader question of the moral imperative of environmental stewardship is a non-negotiable point of Christian belief. Dobson and others do warrant a measure of blame for the ill-chosen wording of their letter. By only explicitly mentioning pro-life issues, marriage, and sexuality as “great moral issues of our time,” the signatories opened themselves up to a great deal of legitimate criticism. Jim Wallis, a prominent progressive evangelical activist, was quick to point out that war, poverty, and environmental issues are also important moral concerns.

For those who are global warming political advocates, such as Cizik and Wallis, this moral imperative means acknowledging the commitment of their opponents to “care” of the creation, even amidst the sometimes pointed disagreements over the means and institutions responsible for that care. With this shared commitment perhaps the dialogue on climate change might advance beyond vilification and demagoguery.