[Vision2020] [Bulk] Re: Church Urges Climate Change

Mon Mar 10 20:22:12 PDT 2008

It is a mixed message.  I went to Baylor University, a Southern Baptist 
institution.  In our science classes we studied evolution as fact, and there 
was little I learned there that would have been contrary to scientific 
understanding at any university in the 1950s.  Then a few years later the 
President of the University called for all the professors to sign a 
statement that stated each of them accepted the Bible as the inerrant word 
of God.  I'm not sure the outcome of all that controversy, but I do know not 
all of them signed, and ultimately the University went on to other issues 
that forced a number of fine professors out--the drama department took a big 
hit over the censorship of certain plays.

Sue H.

Sue H.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Rumelhart" <godshatter at yahoo.com>
To: "keely emerinemix" <kjajmix1 at msn.com>
Cc: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 4:43 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] [Bulk] Re: Church Urges Climate Change

>I can't help but be a bit perplexed at this, since Christianity has been
> openly hostile to the scientific method for centuries.  Maybe the
> Southern Baptists are different in this respect, I don't know.  Many of
> the same scientists that are telling them of this problem have been the
> ones trying to convince them that the earth is more than 6,000 years
> old.  How can they accept the Antarctic ice core data that covers
> 420,000 years of data as evidence of global warming when they can't even
> accept it as evidence of the earth's apparent age?
>
> Still, their support for anything scientific can't hurt, and I suppose
> their prayers can't hurt either.
>
> Paul
>
> keely emerinemix wrote:
>> Well, considering how often the Southern Baptists have gotten it wrong
>> over the decades (support for segregation, insistence on male
>> headship, ignoring poverty, stripping long-term church workers of
>> their responsibilities over the infallibility issue), it appears that,
>> in this at least, the tide has turned.  I'm grateful.  After a week of
>> flag-dipping for Jesus, hyper-masculine boys playing action-hero
>> Jesus, and other silliness, it's nice to hear of a Christian group
>> allowing the Spirit to change its hearts and minds on an issue that
>> the Church never should have been silent about in the first place.
>> I'm afraid Dobson and Colson have only solidified their intention to
>> continue to look at the world through GOP-colored glasses.
>>
>> And my thanks to Ted for his tireless work to educate us on
>> environmental issues, and to Nick for the links that illustrate the
>> Church's unfortunate Exercises In Missing The Point.  Concerning the
>> latter, and addressed to my off-list pal who wonders why I support
>> someone's demonstrating things that make Christianity look bad, I'll
>> say this:  My steadfast hope is in Christ Jesus and the ability of
>> those who know him to rise up against ecclesiastical bigotry and
>> absurdity for the benefit of those who don't know him.  If
>> uncomfortable news of our world upsets believers, they ought to
>> repudiate the dumb and seek more of the Divine.   Shooting the
>> messenger, my friend Prof. Gier, is the option of those who lack the
>> guts to confront the absurdity within.
>>
>> Anyway, good for the Southern Baptists!
>>
>> Keely
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>> > From: thansen at moscow.com
>> > Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:36:24 +0000
>> > Subject: [Vision2020] Church Urges Climate Change
>> >
>> > >From today's (March 10, 2008) Spokesman Review -
>> >
>> > ---------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Church urges climate action
>> > Southern Baptists vow to fight warming
>> >
>> > NEW YORK – In a major shift, a group of Southern Baptist leaders said
>> > their denomination has been "too timid" on environmental issues and
>> has a
>> > biblical duty to stop global warming.
>> >
>> > The declaration, signed by the president of the Southern Baptist
>> > Convention, among others, and released today, shows a growing urgency
>> > about climate change even within groups that once dismissed claims
>> of an
>> > overheating planet as a liberal ruse. The conservative denomination has
>> > 16.3 million members and is the largest Protestant group in the U.S.
>> >
>> > The signers of "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and
>> > Climate Change" acknowledged that not all Christians accept the science
>> > behind global warming. They said they do not expect fellow believers to
>> > back any proposed solutions that would violate Scripture, such as
>> > advocating population control through abortion.
>> >
>> > However, the leaders said that current evidence of global warming
>> > is "substantial," and that the threat is too grave to wait for perfect
>> > knowledge about whether, or how much, people contribute to the trend.
>> >
>> > "We believe our current denominational resolutions and engagement with
>> > these issues have often been too timid," according to the statement.
>> "Our
>> > cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence
>> may be
>> > seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. We can do
>> > better."
>> >
>> > No one speaks on behalf of all Southern Baptists, who leave decision-
>> > making to local churches. Yet, the signatories represent some of the
>> top
>> > figures in the convention.
>> >
>> > Among them are the denomination's president, the Rev. Frank Page of
>> South
>> > Carolina; two former presidents, the Rev. James Merritt of Georgia
>> and the
>> > Rev. Jack Graham of Texas; and the Rev. Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas, who
>> > helped conservatives solidify control of the denomination in the
>> 1970s and
>> > 1980s.
>> >
>> > Also backing the effort are presidents of three prominent Baptist-
>> > affiliated schools: David Dockery of Union University in Tennessee;
>> > Timothy George of Samford University's Beeson Divinity School in
>> Alabama;
>> > and Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North
>> > Carolina. More than 35 people signed the statement.
>> >
>> > Supporters plan to collect more signatures for the declaration through
>> > baptistcreationcare.org and encourage congregations to advocate for
>> > environmental protection.
>> >
>> > Even before Monday's statement, religious activism on climate change
>> had
>> > broadened beyond just liberal-leaning churches. The 1993 "Evangelical
>> > Declaration on the Care of Creation" became a guiding document for the
>> > Evangelical Environmental Network. The Rev. Rich Cizik, Washington
>> > director of the National Association of Evangelicals, became a
>> prominent
>> > environmental advocate, trying to persuade conservative Christians that
>> > global warming is real. Polls of younger evangelicals found they
>> > considered environmental protection a priority.
>> >
>> > But many of the most conservative Christians, including some Southern
>> > Baptist leaders, remained skeptical, and vigorously challenged
>> evangelical
>> > environmentalists.
>> >
>> > The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, backed by James
>> > Dobson of Focus on the Family and Charles Colson, founder of Prison
>> > Fellowship ministries, among others, said that while conservation is
>> > important, some environmental concerns "are without foundation or
>> greatly
>> > exaggerated." Last year, Dobson and other Christian conservatives
>> > unsuccessfully pressured the National Association of Evangelicals to
>> > silence Cizik on the issue.
>> >
>> > The last Southern Baptist statement on global warming came at the
>> > denomination's 2007 annual meeting, which approved a statement
>> questioning
>> > the belief that humans are largely to blame for climate change and
>> warning
>> > that increased regulation of greenhouse gases will hurt the poor.
>> >
>> > Even so, Jonathan Merritt, a student at Southeastern Baptist
>> Theological
>> > Seminary, began rallying denominational leaders to take a different
>> > approach. Merritt, 25, son of former convention president James
>> Merritt,
>> > said a theology class had inspired him.
>> >
>> > His professor had compared destroying God's creation to "tearing a page
>> > out of the Bible."
>> >
>> > "That struck me. It broke me," the younger Merritt said in an
>> > interview, "and that was the impetus that began … a shift of
>> perspective
>> > for me."
>> >
>> > -----------------
>> >
>> > By the Numbers . . .
>> >
>> > 1845 - Southern Baptist Convention Founded in Augusta, Ga.
>> >
>> > 16 million members
>> >
>> > 42,000 - Churches in the United States.
>> >
>> > 5,000 - Home missionaries serving in the United States, Canada, Guam
>> and
>> > the Caribbean
>> >
>> > 53 - Nations where missionaries serve.
>> >
>> > ---------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Seeya round town, Moscow.
>> >
>> > Tom Hansen
>> > Moscow, Idaho
>> >
>> > "People who ridicule others while hiding behind anonymous monikers
>> in chat-
>> > room forums are neither brave nor clever."
>> >
>> > - Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch (August 21,
>> > 2007)
>> >
>> > ---------------------------------------------
>> > This message was sent by First Step Internet.
>> > http://www.fsr.com/
>> >
>> >
>>
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