Former Vice President Al Gore found a responsive crowd among thousands of Baptists when he brought his green message to Atlanta Thursday.
Speaking to nearly 2,500 Baptists at a luncheon during a wider Baptist gathering, Gore, a Baptist, challenged them to face the very real moral crisis of global warming and appealed to save God's creation.
"When did people of faith get so locked into an ideological coalition, that they have got to go along with the wealthiest and most powerful who don't want to see change of the kind that is aimed at helping people and protecting God's green earth?" Gore asked.
He decried religious leaders who rejected global warming as a real crisis and urged the Baptist crowd to spread the message of the dangers of climate change.
"We who are Baptists are not going to tolerate heaping contempt on God's creation," said Gore, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change. "It's up to us to send that message, as Christians, as Baptists, as Americans."
His green message came in the middle of a broad Baptist meeting which has drawn Baptists from over 30 organizations representing 20 million Baptists throughout North America. The "Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant" is spearheaded by former President Jimmy Carter and aims at ending internal divisions and creating cooperation among Baptists around social causes.
The Rev. Jimmy Allen, an organizer of the Baptist meeting and a former Southern Baptist president, said Gore's presentation was key for the conference.
"This (climate change) is an issue that has found its day," Allen said, according to Cox News Service. "It is one of the major moral issues of our time."
Evangelicals are increasingly speaking out against greenhouse gas emissions and signing up to make environment protection a priority. They argue that "creation care" is a biblical mandate and some, like the Rev. Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals, equate the issue with the sanctity of life in importance and urgency.
But not all Christian groups agree with the assessments of the threat of global warming and say it's diverting attention away from more important issues like protecting traditional families and the unborn.
Gore's green message, however, seemed to resonate with Baptists at the Atlanta conference who showed their support by giving him several standing ovations.
"The environment is the No. 1 issue in terms of how we are putting hands and feet to the call of Christ - not just saying but doing," said Bailey Edwards Nelson, a 24-year-old divinity school student at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, as reported by The News & Observer.
Calling creation care a Christian responsibility, Jan Moore of Venice, Fla., said she will apply evangelical witnessing to the issue.
"For the ones who choose to ignore it, it is our job to bug them until they get on board," Moore told Cox News Service.
Gore challenged Baptists to make a difference by not only using environmental-friendly products but by challenging political leaders to pass legislation that would reduce carbon emissions.
"The purpose of life is to glorify God," he said. "And if we continue to heap contempt on God's creation, that is inconsistent with glorifying God.
"In every crisis there is an opportunity for a reawakening and for a reassessment and for a change of course and an opportunity to do things better, and that's what the climate crisis is really all about."
Comments
It's not easy being green, just ask Kermit.
Wow, that will be cool. The Baptists are now going to live like John the Baptist, wearing camel skin and eating locusts and honey. Get your cave now, before the big rush. Hey guys, how about a little discernment here?
One way we honor God is by being good stewards of what He has placed in our command, which includes taking care of the earth. It doesn't mean we worship creation. I'm not sure where you got that from, but no one ever said that or implied that.
Perhaps each true FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ should first ask if we are worshipping the Creator or the creation. Let us each examine ouselves to be sure that we are not violating the Lord's commandments regarding idolatry before we simply pay mindless homage to modern notions of enviornmental stewardship.
Will the real Christian please stand up!
Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Al Gore might be sincere but they are not Christians.
Christians know that GOD condemns homosexuality (Sodom & Gommorrah) and that the scripture teaches in 8 (eight) different places against homosexuality.
Come on my American brothers & sisters your history as a Christian nation is a proud one, with some mistakes yes, but you have been a light shining on a hill, Salt among the nations, please take right ground, we are praying for you.
100% South African
JC,
What does that have to do with taking care of our planet?
"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22).
Enough said.
kc:
1: Do you believe, that as stewards of this earth (which is what God asked us to be) that we should take care of it?
2: Do you believe that we are being good stewards of our earth?
Yes , we are to pray to God for wisdom in how to treat his creation. We are to have faith that things can change...but faith without works is dead. Which I think is what you are saying too (I hope). On our own, we cannot change. But God also gave us commn sense. If carbon emissions and coal power plants are polluting our air (which they are), we don't need to ask God if we should explore alternative energy. If I see a man dying on the side of the road, I'm not going to ask God if I should stop and help him. Common sense says something needs to be done., and I'm gonna do it. Common sense is God whispering in our ear. People need to listen more often.
wilderness and seedplanter thank you for the good links.
Prophet- How does a Christian talk?
What I do not believe in is Al Gore I believe he is a charlatan. My Faith is in the God of our Holy Bible. This planet has gone through many changes when God has wanted change and or he lets it happen. We humans are lost without God, fervent prayer is what is needed, not scare tactics by a bunch of socialist non-believers. When I said keep your eyes on Jesus, and have faith, that is so you don't follow the un-Godly. I don't believe humans will fix climate changes
unless we do it through prayer and God decides just like Noah and the Ark.
Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life not Al Gore.
And it is good to be green just not stupid.......Prophet
Wow, kc, are you even a Chrisitan? Because you don't talk like one.
I came to the conclusion that you did not believe in global warming by your two posts from Saturday. The first one says:
"jammieholland said
"Hear me O America, There is no Global Warming, look at the so-called evidence, there is no Global Warming. WAKE UP BAPTIST! Its ok to be green, just not stupid. "
THANK YOU and Amen.!"
And the second says:
"Al Gore... he says he invented the internet. Now he is inventing global warming ad will get richer from carbon credits."
http://www.ourcivilisation.com/aginatur/pointlss.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy#Existence_of_a_scientific_consensus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scientists_opposing_the_mainstream_scientific_assessment_of_global_warming
http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba230.html
http://www.globalwarminghoax.com/e107_plugins/links_page/links.php
http://www.globalwarminghysteria.com/ten-myths-of-global-warming/
Prophet i mean
Hahaha there you go again, you said "I merely stated an opinion. I just find it odd that you don't believe in the possibility of global warming"
How could you know that I don't believe in the possibility of global warming?
Where is your faith "Profet"
kc
You said "Prophet- Because I don't worship Al Gore you have decided I want to trash the earth?" Show me where I said that.
You also said "What was it that made you so mad about my post was it that I said we need to keep our eye on Jesus?"
Show me where I got mad.
I merely stated an opinion. I just find it odd that you don't believe in the possibility of global warming. We all have our opinions. I would like to know your take on why the polar caps are shrinking. Why climates are changing. Why weather patterns are changing. I'm sure that your views on that are nothing that I haven't heard already, but it would be refreshing to hear it from you.
I have never heard Gore speak on anything at all, much less his views of global warming. My opinions come from facts stated by a number of different sources that I have come across over the years.
I've heard it said that there is no concrete proof of global warming. But, then again, there is no concrete proof that it isn't. I choose to err on the side of caution, and the earth...instead of laziness and mankind's selfish ambitions.