Posted by Helen on: 01.22.2007 /
I was listening to Living on Earth on Saturday. This caught my attention:
Scientists and evangelical Christians tend to have very different worldviews, but the urgent challenges posed by global warming now have some of the most eminent leaders in each camp talking and working together to save “creation’. This week they announced a coalition: a new effort to convince non-believing politicians and the public of the need to take immediate action on climate change.
After the program I looked up the new coalition and found this Associated Press report:
Saying they share a moral purpose, a group of evangelicals and scientists said Wednesday they will work together to convince the nation’s leaders that global warming is real.
The Rev. Rich Cizik, public policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, and Nobel-laureate Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, were among 28 signers of a statement that demands urgent changes in values, lifestyles and public policies to avert disastrous changes in climate.
After a short introduction, Living on Earth went on to interview two people involved in the coalition: E. O. Wilson, a secular scientist, and Joel Hunter, pastor of an evangelical megachurch.
You can listen to the radio segment here:
I was impressed to hear this about Joel Hunter (they said it on the radio but this is from the AP report):
The Rev. Joel Hunter of Northland megachurch in Longwood, Fla., refused to become president of the Christian Coalition of America last year because he said the group would not expand its agenda to include the environment and poverty. Hunter has now endorsed the new project.
E.O. Wilson began his interview comments by saying:
The goal of [this] collaboration is to start dialog, to make friendships, to reach a mutual understanding and to recognize the common ground of concern over the environment which affects everybody the same, regardless of religious belief, political orientation or whatever.
We’ve asked the question here and the eBay atheist blog, “Can Christians and atheists work together to make the world a better place, and if so how?”
I was very happy to hear about this new coalition, because these people are actually doing it. Or at least have taken the first steps.
Comment by: Mike Clawson
1 01/22/07 9:52 AM | Comment Link |This actually made big news last year when a lot of conservative evangelical leaders signed a statement by the Evangelical Climate Initiative supporting action to counteract global warming. This is a huge shift for evangelicals, and one that really encourages me. It tells me that a lot of conservative Christians are starting to realize that they don’t have to walk in lock-step with the Republican agenda, and that scientists don’t always have to be viewed with distrust.
Comment by: Karen
2 01/22/07 11:30 AM | Comment Link |Helen, this alliance was the subject of a special report on NPR yesterday (one in a weeklong series they’re calling “Crossing the Divide”) and I was going to mention it here, so I’m glad you brought up the topic.
I was really heartened and encouraged by the whole subject, but something particularly struck me. Richard Cizik is the vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Here’s what he says about a change of thinking he had on the topic of the environment:
He held a particular, stereotypical, uninformed viewpoint that he wasn’t about to budge from. But then he changed his mind. Why?
He got educated. He learned something. He listened. He opened his mind.
That is SO crucial, in everything all of us work towards. Education, civil dialogue and getting good information out there is really the key to positive change. It’s wonderful to see that it can work for one guy and have such terrific repercussions for so many others.
Comment by: Helen
3 01/22/07 1:31 PM | Comment Link |Mike, I guess I’m behind - I didn’t hear about it last year!
I’m encouraged by it too.
Karen, yes, Cizik is a wonderful role-model. I hope others will follow his lead.
Comment by: Rachel
4 01/22/07 2:04 PM | Comment Link |Yes, in fact Rich Cizik has referred to his environmental awakening as “a second conversion.”
Comment by: Rachel
5 01/23/07 1:44 PM | Comment Link |On a related note, Christian and Jewish groups have joined together in defense of endangered species and formed a group cleverly named The Noah Alliance. I love how they chose a name connected to a sacred story that is part of both faith traditions.
There are so many ways that diverse groups can join together on important issues, while maintaining their unique values and identity. I see hopeful signs that our culture is beginning to move more in that direction.
Comment by: Helen
6 01/23/07 2:01 PM | Comment Link |Rachel wrote:
I hope so too, Rachel. I heard something on public radio yesterday morning about politicians working together - I think it might have been part of the series Karen mentioned, “Crossing the Divide”.
Comment by: Helen
7 01/23/07 2:16 PM | Comment Link |Rachel sent me this link about another group of people working together:
Carter, Clinton seek to bring together moderate Baptists
Comment by: Rachel
8 01/23/07 10:43 PM | Comment Link |Another excellent example of a broadly diverse alliance is the Save Darfur Coalition, which is currently made up of 179 member organizations. Here are a few:
American Jewish World Service
Council for Secular Humanism
National Council of Churches
Amnesty International
NAACP
American Humanist Association
National Association of Evangelicals
American Islamic Congress
Buddhist Peace Fellowship