Congratulations to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) for affirming their policy on the environment and rebuffing an attempt at intimidation by two dozen non-NAE members, including Dr. James Dobson.
The NAE board, which met March 8 & 9 in Minnesota, did not directly address or answer the letter signed by two dozen conservative evangelicals; however, it did affirm its 2004 position paper, For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civil Responsibility, as well as receiving a report from Rev. Richard Cizik, the NAE's vice president for government affairs and target of the Dobson letter. No action was taken against Rev. Cizik.
I just don't see what Dr. Dobson et al are objecting to. Let's take a look at two things from the 2004 NAE paper: first, the "Principles of Christian Political Engagement":
- We work to protect religious freedom and liberty of conscience.
- We work to nurture family life and protect children.
- We work to protect the sanctity of human life and to safeguard its nature.
- We seek justice and compassion for the poor and vulnerable.
- We work to protect human rights.
- We seek peace and work to restrain violence.
- We labor to protect God's creation.
Second, let's look at the text under the last principle (bold emphasis mine):
As we embrace our responsibility to care for God’s earth, we reaffirm the important truth that we worship only the Creator and not the creation. God gave the care of his earth and its species to our first parents. That responsibility has passed into our hands. We affirm that God-given dominion is a sacred responsibility to steward the earth and not a license to abuse the creation of which we are a part. We are not the owners of creation, but its stewards, summoned by God to “watch over and care for it” (Gen. 2:15). This implies the principle of sustainability: our uses of the Earth must be designed to conserve and renew the Earth rather than to deplete or destroy it.The Bible teaches us that God is not only redeeming his people, but is also restoring the whole creation (Rom. 8:18-23). Just as we show our love for the Savior by reaching out to the lost, we believe that we show our love for the Creator by caring for his creation.
Because clean air, pure water, and adequate resources are crucial to public health and civic order, government has an obligation to protect its citizens from the effects of environmental degradation. This involves both the urgent need to relieve human suffering caused by bad environmental practice. Because natural systems are extremely complex, human actions can have unexpected side effects. We must therefore approach our stewardship of creation with humility and caution.
Human beings have responsibility for creation in a variety of ways. We urge Christians to shape their personal lives in creation-friendly ways: practicing effective recycling, conserving resources, and experiencing the joy of contact with nature. We urge government to encourage fuel efficiency, reduce pollution, encourage sustainable use of natural resources, and provide for the proper care of wildlife and their natural habitats.
I just can't see what Dr. Dobson et al object to here, except that they perceive creation care as a threat to their conservative political agenda.
In any case, if Dr. Dobson et al want to dictate policy to the NAE, perhaps they should first pay their dues and become a contributing part of the organization, rather than taking potshots from the side of the road.
Technorati: James Dobson, Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals, global warming, creation care
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