“The American Left Takes Up Christian Environmentalism,” reports Patrick Reilly in the June issue of Capital Research Center’s “Organization Trends.”
E.Calvin Beisner, founding director of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, highlights the report in his weekly newsletter today.
“Religious green groups are distorting the tenets of Christianity in order to pressure church congregations to go along with the Big Government environmentalist agenda. It’s the height of cynicism and an opportunistic attack on capitalism that plays on the emotions of the nation’s churchgoers while cashing in on the popularity of some green initiatives.”
Excerpt from the article:
“What would Jesus drive?” is the slogan of the Christian environmentalists’ national campaign against sport utility vehicles (SUVs). EEN claims a “growing religious consensus that fuel economy and pollution from cars, trucks and SUVs are serious moral issues.”
EEN is not a church-sponsored entity in itself, but an independent organization that urges churches to integrate the environmentalist agenda within their religious activities. The activist group “seeks to educate, inspire, and mobilize Christians in their effort to care for God’s creation, to be faithful stewards of God’s provision, and to advocate for actions and policies that honor God and protect the environment.” EEN publishes suggested sermons for church leaders and interprets the Bible in a manner that supports environmentalist political goals.
It is just one example of how environmentalists are getting religion, and some Christians are going green. Not only SUVs—but also climate change, animal welfare, protection of rare plant species, and other “green” concerns—are increasingly the subject of a curious mix of leftist politics and religion, especially Christianity.
After decades of unsuccessful efforts to root out the “religious right” from American politics, the religious left is striving to compete. Today’s environmentalists are not content to argue science and public policy. Instead they are trying to use religion to advance their cause. …
Public date: July 2nd, 2009
