“Here, in the present life, it is possible for the Christian to have some share, through sciences and the arts, in returning nature to its proper place.”
Francis Schaeffer, Pollution and the Death of Man
Environmentalism has become a hot issue–global warming or not. Hollywood A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz advance the green cause by driving hybrids and narrating documentaries on environmental responsibility. Rock stars like The Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Alanis Morissette, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers do their part by fueling their massive tour buses with bio-diesel and setting up recycling centers at their concerts.
At the forefront of the ecological charge marches politician-turned-environmentalist, former Vice President Al Gore, who thrust global warming center stage through congressional testimony and his Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. But it turns out that going green is not just a cause célébre. Today’s environmental co-laborers include evangelical Christians.
Recent newspaper articles and television coverage, including media outlets like Christianity Today and World, tout the rise of the Christian environmentalists who have embraced the eco-friendly movement. Idaho pastor Tri Robinson gained national exposure when he and his church, Vineyard Boise Community Church, were featured for their ecological efforts on Bill Moyers’ series Moyers on America. Richard Cizik, vice president for government affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals, has established himself in Washington, DC, as one of the most influential evangelical lobbyists and an outspoken proponent for climate change, appearing on such shows as PBS’ Frontline and CNN’s Headline News. Mega-church pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren has also thrown his support behind the environmental campaign.
Yet, contrary to the current media portrayal, not all evangelicals are ecological neophytes. “I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the faith community is finally getting on the green wagon, because we were already there,” said Suellen Lowry, director of the Noah Alliance, an interfaith group of environmental advocates who played a key role in defeating California Republican Richard Pombo’s Endangered Species Act amendments. “Just look at the Noah story and other places in the Bible where God gives specific instruction on caring for creation, like giving rest to the land and animals. No Christian is climbing on anyone else’s wagon because it was really our wagon first.”
