Spring 2000

From the Executive Director
A Great Cloud of Witnesses Clamouring for Clean Energy Now! by Jim Ball
Creation Care Interview
Environmentalists Reading the Bible
Christian Environmental Council Action
Evangelical declaration (elsewhere on web site)
NAE joins with EEN in Historic Conference
What you can do
Earth Day 2000 agenda
AERDO News: Community Transformation

From the Executive Director

"And God said, `Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness." (Gen. 1:3-4, NIV) Sunlight is indeed good. All life on earth is dependent on the light from the sun. All energy on earth comes directly from the sun or is stored sunlight. The Gospel of John tells us where this light comes from-Jesus Christ. "All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people." (John 1:3-4, NRSV) From a biblical perspective, both physical light (and life) and spiritual light (and life) come from the same source-Jesus Christ. At every moment all the energy in the universe is supplied by Jesus Christ, who is "sustaining all things by his powerful word," as the Letter to the Hebrews tells us (1:3, NIV). Did you know that enough sunlight reaches the earth's surface each year to produce approximately 1,000 times the same amount of energy produced by burning all fossil fuels mined and extracted during the same time period? It's time for us to begin to switch from energy sources that produce pollution to cleaner energy sources.

The theme for this year's Earth Day is "Clean Energy Now!" with a special focus on the threat of global warming. Over the past several decades many churches have begun to celebrate the gift of God's creation on the Sunday that falls closest to Earth Day, which is always on April 22. However, since this year April 22 falls on the day before Easter (Holy Saturday) many churches might forgo highlighting the gift of creation. There is a solution! This year we have chosen to designate April 2 as "Creation Sunday." This is an opportunity to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all of creation (Ps. 24:1; Col. 1:16) and to celebrate and give thanks for creation. The theme of Creation Sunday is "Celebrating Christ's Creation and His Sustaining Power." This issue of Creation Care is devoted to Creation Sunday. We hope it will help you understand clean energy and global warming from a Christian perspective, provide you with helpful suggestions as to what you can do, and also inform you about other activities we're doing in conjunction with Creation Sunday.

Many churches have already received from us a packet of materials to help them celebrate Creation Sunday. Besides information on clean energy and global warming, it also includes general resources such as the International Bible Society's Heaven & Earth devotional booklet (see article inside). If you would like a copy of the Creation Sunday Packet, we would be happy to send it to you free of charge. Many of the materials contained in the packet are up on our web site as well, www.esa-online.org/een/.

We hope that your church will choose to acknowledge and celebrate the Lordship of Christ over all of creation by observing Creation Sunday, whether you celebrate it on April 2 or at another time. Please let us know about your plans to observe Creation Sunday.

Finally, you'll notice that the Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation has been inserted into this issue, along with a list of prominent signatories. In conjunction with our Creation Sunday activities, we're attempting to get as many people to affirm this important statement of Christian commitment to creation-care as possible. If you have not already done so, please let us know if you affirm the Evangelical Declaration, and pass it onto others and encourage them to become signatories. Thank you for all you do on behalf of God's creation.

Friends through Christ,

Jim Ball
Executive Director, EEN

A Great Cloud of Witnesses Clamouring for Clean Energy Now!

Jim Ball

This year the theme of Earth Day 2000 is "Clean Energy Now!" with a special focus on the potential threat of global warming or global climate change. All I can say is: "It's about time!" Popular opinion would have us believe that biblical Christians have not warned for years of the dangers of air and water pollution from the burning of coal and oil to create electricity and power our vehicles. Popular opinion would suggest that biblical Christians have not been sounding the alarm for years about the potential threat global warming poses to God's creation because of the burning of coal and oil. And popular opinion would have us believe that biblical Christians have not been calling for years for increased energy efficiency and clean energy sources to reduce our dependence on polluting fossil fuels. Not so! The fact of the matter is that we are heirs to "a great cloud of witnesses" from our past and from Scripture that lead us to join with others in demanding "Clean Energy Now!"

For more than 30 years, prominent evangelical Christians have been prophets on these issues, a step or two ahead of the wider culture. Let me provide you with just a few examples. Two years before the first Earth Day in 1970, esteemed evangelical thinker Francis Schaefer, in a series of lectures at Wheaton College in 1968, warned of the severe consequences of air pollution and other forms of pollution.

These lectures were subsequently published as Pollution and the Death of Man in 1970. Indeed, although Schaefer would come to be known for his pro-life leadership, pollution was the first ethical issue to which he gave major attention. Also in 1970, the National Association of Evangelicals passed a resolution that highlighted the dangers of air pollution.

In a book published in 1971-29 years ago!-evangelical philosopher and ethicist Eric Rust warned of the potential threat of global warming caused by the rapid increase of the heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil fuels. "There can be a real danger that the changed construction of our atmosphere will form a stronger heat insulator and raise the temperature of our planet."

Rust's words came 17 years before the 1988 Senate testimony on global warming by James E. Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which catapulted global warming into public consciousness. In giving the keynote address at the 1979 meeting of the evangelical American Scientific Affiliation (ASA), Dr. Richard Bube-then Professor of Engineering at Stanford University and editor of the ASA's journal-declared that there was no debate. The continued burning of fossil fuels would result in global warming. "As a consequence we can expect a shifting of agricultural regions from fertile to infertile, a magnification of the CO2-related temperature rise, and a melting of the polar ice caps." Scientific findings over the last two decades confirm Bube's predictions.

When it comes to global warming, perhaps no greater witness can be found than the world-renowned climate scientist Sir John Houghton, an evangelical Christian. Dr. Houghton was the editor of the First Assessment Report in 1990 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was the scientific basis for the Earth Summit's treaty on global warming (called the Framework Convention on Climate Change) negotiated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. He again served as editor for the IPCC's Second Assessment Report in 1995, which provided the scientific basis for the international global warming treaty negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, called the Kyoto Protocol. To help the non-expert better understand the problem, Dr. Houghton has written Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, which was published by Lion Publishing, an evangelical Christian publisher. He states, "Enough is known to realize that the rate of climate change due to increasing greenhouse gases will almost certainly pose a large problem to the world. It will hit some countries much more than others. Those worst hit are likely to be those in the developing world that are least able to cope with it."

What shall we say, then, about the great cloud of evangelical witnesses who have clamored for energy efficiency, renewable energy and less polluting modes of transportation? As just one example, hear the wise counsel of former Calvin College Physics professor and now U.S. congressman and co-chair of the House Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Caucus Dr. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.). In 1980 he said, "Our best course of action is to make maximum use of non-depletable energy resources, especially those which result in a minimum of long-term environmental disturbance." I wish I had the space to relate the words of Carl F. H. Henry, Henlee Barnette, Harold Lindsell, Tony Campolo, Roland Moss, Howard Snyder, John Tiemstra, Theodore Malloch, Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Max Terman, Stuart Ensign, Glen Stassen, Orin Gelderloos, Sir John Houghton, Ron Sider and others.

The seeds of concern planted by these Christian leaders have begun to bear fruit in the evangelical community. Recently the Christian Environmental Council (CEC), an association of Christian leaders who have all signed the Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation, has aligned itself with this great cloud of witnesses on the biblical necessity of reducing air pollution and global warming pollution from burning coal and oil.

In October 1997, the CEC passed a resolution calling upon the United States to accept responsibility as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and reduce its emissions 10 percent by 2010. In December of that year the international global warming treaty called the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated. It requires the U.S. to reduce its emissions 7 percent by 2008-12. The Kyoto level is not all that the CEC called for but serves as a good beginning. In October 1999, the CEC passed another resolution calling for government and business leaders in the U.S. to implement a creation-friendly clean energy policy, and it endorsed the Earth Day 2000 Clean Energy Agenda

But what does the Bible have to say? Is this call by this great cloud of witnesses for clean energy to reduce air pollution and global warming pollution in accord with the Bible? Biblical Christians believe what the Scriptures tell us, that all of the energy of the universe comes from Christ. At every moment Christ is "sustaining all things by his powerful word" (Heb. 1:3, NIV). As Christians, our lives are about using the energy Christ gives us to do God's will. Whether that energy comes from the food we eat or from the electricity that powers our homes and offices or the fuel that powers our vehicles, it should not result in harm to what Christ loves.

The Bible clearly teaches that God has a special concern for the just treatment of the less powerful, and expects government officials and those with power to deal justly with them (e.g. Ps. 72:1, 12-14; Isa. 11:3-5; Lk. 12:42-46; Jas. 1:27). Air pollution hurts others, especially children and older people. As Dr. Houghton has claimed, and as the IPCC reports demonstrate, the threat of global climate change will hurt the less powerful of God's creation-the poor, the children and the unborn or future generations, and non-human creation-most. Therefore, Christians must continually bear in mind and lift up the principle that every step away from air pollution and global climate change is a step toward justice and the God of justice. Every effort to create a clean energy future for the world is part of Christ's reconciliation of all of creation, wrought by his blood (Col. 1:20).

I see a time when all of our vehicles run on hydrogen and the only thing that comes out of the tailpipe is water. We have the technology to do this now! I see a time when we have vastly increased our efficient use of energy in our homes, churches, offices, industries, and vehicles.

We have the technology and the know-how to do this now, through super-efficient appliances, compact fluorescent lights, passive solar design, superinsulation, improved window design, and a procedure that captures waste heat to create electricity called cogeneration. I see a time when we have phased out the use of coal to produce electricity and our electricity is produced from creation-friendly sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

Solar and wind power are currently supplying electricity all across this country. We have the capability to start the phase-out of electricity produced from coal now. With your help, we can begin to create a creation-friendly energy future right now.

Empowered by God's grace and guided by the Holy Spirit, the Christian life is about fulfilling the Great Commandments (Mk. 12:28-31). Helping society shift to creation-friendly energy sources and thereby reducing air pollution and the threat of global climate change presents all Christians with new opportunities to love God by loving what God loves. It gives us new ways to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, as we strive to be his ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:14-21). Let us be mindful again of the encouraging words of the author of Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (12:1-2, NIV).

Creation Care Interview

Interview with Richard H. Bube, Ph.D.

Creation Care: How long have you been doing research on solar technologies that capture sunlight and turn it into electricity?
Richard Bube: Our research on photovoltaics started in about 1968 with an investigation of stability problems in Cu2S/CdS solar cells, the first thin-film solar cells. It continued to about 1996, focusing primarily on materials issued related to solar cells containing CdTe or amorphous silicon. In 1998, my book, "Photovoltaic Materials," was published by Imperial College Press, London.

CC: Many still have doubts about solar power. Is solar power "ready for prime time?" Do you see it contributing significantly to the U.S. power supply in the near future?
RB: Widespread use of photovoltaic solar power is critically tied to the development of effective and low-cost batteries for energy storage. It is likely in the near future that solar power will play an increasingly significant role in the selection of renewable energy resources, along with wind and geophysical.

CC: What are the benefits to God's creation of solar power? Why should we start to switch from burning coal to solar power and other forms of clean energy?
RB: Solar power provides two major advantages: reduced pollution of the atmosphere and reduced warming of the environment that results inevitably from other methods of energy production.

CC: Solar power technologies seem ideal for developing countries. If so, why?
RB: In developing countries there is often no real counterpart to a universal electrical power grid. Thus electrically powered applications need to have their own local power sources. Solar power technologies meet this need.

CC: This year we're asking churches to celebrate "Creation Sunday" on April 2. From a Christian perspective we're also trying to help them understand the issue of global warming and what clean energy is because this is the focus of Earth Day 2000. You've been saying that global warming poses a serious threat since the 1970s. In a nutshell, what should Christians know about global warming, and what should we be doing about it?
RB: Global warming is a complex subject; such warming may result from changes in the environment that are not caused directly by events on earth, and it may also be caused by changes related to human activities on earth. It is the latter that call for the informed response of Christians as they seek to live out what it means to be responsible stewards of God's creation. Two general effects may be involved: the direct production of heat as a result of human development and use of energy sources on earth, and changes in the environment (greenhouse effect) that may accentuate the effects of energy use on earth and the resulting increase in earth's temperature. As the population of earth increases, and the use by this population of energy sources that inevitably warm the earth also increases, responsible stewardship calls for us to minimize the generation and use of energy that causes heating in favor of processes that do not.

Dr. Bube is Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where he has taught since 1962, serving as Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1975-1986. From 1969-1983 he served as Editor of the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation. (ASA is an association of professional Christian scientists.)

Environmentalists Reading the Bible

Shocking Discovery! Evangelicals and Environmentalists Coming Together Through Scripture

After months of in-depth investigative journalism reporters for Creation Care magazine have uncovered a project that could profoundly impact the lives of thousands and thousands of Americans. The organizations behind this are code-named "IBS" and "EEN." We have learned that IBS stands for the INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY!!!

The IBS, publishers of the New International Version of the Bible and one of the most revered evangelical Christian institutions in the world, has been found to be involved in a radical, some might say revolutionary, IBS Booklet activity that simultaneously exposes what some might call a dirty little secret in the evangelical world. Creation Care magazine investigative reporters have been tracking their movements for months to bring our readers this story. We know this will come as a shock to our readers, but here is the unvarnished truth.

The International Bible Society is sharing Scripture with ENVIRONMENTALISTS. They're even giving it to them in an accessible and attractive format FOR FREE. Worse, our investigative reporters have uncovered the fact that these activities of IBS were underwritten by a grant from another group of radicals and troublemakers, the Evangelical Environmental Network or EEN. Surprisingly, those radicals and whistle-blowers at the International Bible Society now even brag about their activities. And EEN openly proclaims that it plans to give away approximately 5,000 copies of this IBS publication to Christians-especially through a packet mailed to churches to help them celebrate something they are calling "CREATION SUNDAY" on April 2.

The implications are staggering. These activities could actually change people's lives FOREVER. One anonymous critic complained: "IBS can't just give away Scripture to anybody, can they?" Another bemoaned this state of affairs. "What is the world coming to? A decade ago you wouldn't have seen this type of behavior from a respected evangelical Christian organization." However, our research has confirmed that these radical IBS activities do in fact comport with the mission statement of the organization, which was founded in 1809. And EEN was set up to help churches understand what the Bible teaches about caring for creation.

The uproar is actually about a rather small devotional booklet called Heaven & Earth: 30 Readings From the Bible's Teaching About Creation. IBS has been quite crafty in designing this publication, making it highly accessible, informative, inspiring, enjoyable, and pleasing to the eye. The content of Heaven & Earth is simplicity itself-it's just Scripture.

One would expect a project of this type to contain a great deal of carefully crafted rhetoric to lure the unsuspecting. Instead, in a stroke of rhetorical genius, IBS decided to forgo attempts to "spin" their readers and is giving them the plain truth from God's Word. Thirty brief readings, made up of one passage offered for reflection and another that serves as a prayer, lead the reader through biblical texts that tell of God's love for all of creation and our responsibility to care for it. This was simply too much for one of our anonymous critics: "To use Scripture to teach Environmentalists about what God has said about caring for His creation - it's shocking, simply shocking."

Exactly how are they reaching out to environmentalists? Our investigation found that IBS, with funds provided by EEN, placed an advertisement in the January-February issue of the environmental magazine, Sierra, and provided a toll-free number (will they stop at nothing?) where readers could call and request Heaven & Earth for free. The initial response to this overt and brazen act has been amazing, even to the originators of this radical project. In just three weeks over 100 requests for Heaven & Earth poured in.

IBS Director of Product Development Glenn Paauw acknowledged these IBS activities. Further probing of Mr. Paauw revealed that not only did their strategy include giving Scripture away to environmentalists for free, their intention was also to educate evangelical Christians about what the Bible says concerning creation-care. Mr. Paauw admitted what some will not openly acknowledge, that a good number of evangelical Christians are not thoroughly aware of what the Bible teaches on this subject. According to Mr. Paauw, Heaven & Earth "is fresh and challenging for both groups," i.e., evangelicals and environmentalists. Incredible as it sounds, at this very moment evangelicals and environmentalists could be reading the same biblical texts. Before you know it they could be meeting together to discuss what they have in common.

EEN is not only helping to fund this outreach effort to environmentalists; it is spearheading an effort to get local churches to celebrate the Lordship of Christ over all of creation. EEN is asking local churches to observe Creation Sunday on April 2, suggesting that the theme for worship that day be "Celebrating Christ's Creation and His Sustaining Power" (Heb. 1:3).

As part of this outreach, EEN will be including Heaven & Earth in its Creation Sunday Packet. The Packet will also include worship materials, educational materials, and materials providing a Christian perspective on global warming and clean energy (the focus of Earth Day 2000).

"Besides being a wonderful devotional booklet, Heaven & Earth is a handy resource that pulls together many important biblical texts on God's relationship to all of creation and our responsibility to care for it. Pastors and Sunday School teachers need look no further for scriptural texts on this sometimes neglected dimension of Christian discipleship," said EEN Executive Director Rev. Jim Ball. Using the same tactic IBS employed with environmentalists, Rev. Ball said that EEN also has a toll-free phone number-1-800-650-6600-that people can call if they would like a free copy of the Creation Sunday Packet. Or if they prefer, they can email their request to een@creationcare.org or visit EEN's web site.

Christian Environmental Council Action

Christian Environmental Council Resolution on the Position of the United States at the Climate Change Summit in Kyoto:

Whereas Scripture persistently affirms that Christians are to seek justice for the less powerful of the Earth and to care for the rest of Creation, and
Whereas the potential consequences arising from Global Warming seriously threaten both, and
Whereas the upcoming third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-III) to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), to be held in Kyoto, Japan, December 1-12, 1997, promises to be the most important meeting to date of the Nations of God's Earth who are concerned about Global Warming, and
Whereas decision made at this meeting could determine for years to come the human response to the threat of climate change, and
Whereas reports indicate that the policy options being considered by the Administration on the position of the United States at Kyoto are substantially less than what is required to seek justice for the less powerful and care for the rest of Creation,
Be it therefore resolved, that we, the Christian Environmental Council, assembled in Portland, Oregon, October 18, 1997, call upon you, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore, to exercise strong, just, and decisive leadership in addressing the challenge of Global Warming. Specifically, we urge that the Clinton Administration advocate a legally-binding reduction of at least ten percent from 1990 levels in emission of greenhouse gases for all of the industrialized countries of God's Earth by 2010.

NAE joins with EEN in Historic Conference

In March 1999 the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), composed of 48 denominations and 42,500 churches, sponsored its first conference on the environment entitled "Compassion and the Care of Creation" at Malone College in Ohio. Previously the NAE had passed resolutions on the environment in 1970, 1971, and 1990. However, this was the first time the NAE had sponsored an in-depth discussion of environmental issues from multiple perspectives.

Jo Anne Lyon, Executive Director of World Hope International and president (in 1999) of the NAE's Social Action Commission, organized the conference with assistance from the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). "The conference was an historic occasion, the presentations were first-rate, and the discussions were stimulating and wide-ranging," Lyon said. "This was a good beginning to NAE's exploration of this vital part of Christian discipleship," she added.

EEN is editing the papers presented at the conference and will publish and distribute them to the denominations of the NAE and to evangelical leaders. This Spring the NAE-EEN connection continues when EEN will sponsor a presentation entitled "Caring for Christ's Creation" at the NAE's annual meeting in Washington DC.

To give you a sense of the quality and range of the presentations at NAE's "Compassion and the Care of Creation" conference, here's an offering of quotations from the papers presented. If you are interested in ordering a copy of the papers, contact EEN at een@creationcare.org or call 1-800-650-6600.

"Population growth, resource depletion, runaway technology, and atmospheric damage are making the 21st Century look like a dangerous era to live in . . . nearly 50 percent of the earth's land surface is desert to semi-desert... wild species are becoming extinct 50 to 100 times faster than they should be . . . over 150 million Africans are suffering from hunger and the effects of malnutrition, 1/6 of the world's land area is degraded due to the effects of overgrazing . . . Damaging the environment will set off a chain of events that may ultimately make people poorer . . . If we do not care about this world that God made, then how can we worship the Creator? If we are not committed to the life and welfare of those around us, then how can we serve one who taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? . . . What truth is there in an academic set of theories that we adhere to and call that believing in God when that belief is supposed to produce the life of the Holy Spirit which transforms us and touches our world? . . . If the 21st century is going to be different, it is going to take a different kind of Church, and a different kind of Christian . . . I think we have much to learn from each other when is comes to a gospel that is lived and not just spoken . . ."
- Clive Calver, President of World Relief

"We are motivated to move ahead and do what is right, not because we have hope that we can ever solve these problems on our own - in the same way that we promote the development of medicine even though we know that people will still die, or we work for justice even though we know injustice will not be done away with before Christ returns. This is because our hope is not placed in our efforts, or, ultimately, in this created order at all, but in God. We work in hope because we believe God has come in Christ and continues to work his purposes through the Holy Spirit and will one day finish all that he has started (and that we work toward). No glass of cold water, or recycling campaign, if done in Jesus' name, will be lost. It will in some mysterious way survive and be laid at the feet of the Savior."
- William Dyrness, Dean of the School of Theology and Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary

"If God is really at the center of things and God's good future is the most certain reality, then the truly realistic course of action is to buck the dominant consequentialist ethic of our age - which says that one should act only if one's action will most likely bring about good consequences - and simply, because we are people who embody the virtue of hope, do the right thing. If we believe it is part of our task as earthkeepers to recycle, then we ought to recycle, whether or not it will change the world. We are to fulfill our calling to be earthkeepers regardless of whether global warming is real or there are holes in the ozone layer or three non-human species a day are going extinct. Our vocation as caretakers of creation is not contingent on results or on the state of the earth. It is, simply, dependent on our calling and our character as God's respons-able human image-bearers."
- Steve Bouma-Prediger, Professor of Philosophy, Hope College

"In the incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ, we see fulfilled at last the dominion for which God placed mankind over all creation. His dominion is the model for ours. Our challenge is to learn to reflect it."
- Calvin Beisner, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Covenant College

"In looking back on my years in medical missions it is the faces of those impacted by the interrelationship of poverty and the environment that gives me a sense of being compelled today. I recall sitting with a small boy infected with pulmonary anthrax as he struggled with his last few breaths. I well remember taking the body of a young pastor, whom we treated for onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and finally liver cancer, back to his village where his wife and five young children awaited the return of their father and husband . . . We must be grounded in God's love and care for creation and its creatures if our voices on this issue are to be winsome rather than strident. Our goal in development is not "growth" but, as Wendell Berry would suggest, the Kingdom of God. Our stewardship, and in scripture it is the same Greek word, oikonomia, involves sustaining God's creation, providing for its Sabbath rests, and enjoying it without destroying it."
- Evvy Hay Campbell, Associate Professor and Chair of the Missions and Intercultural Studies Department, Wheaton College

"We cannot look at issues of poverty and creation care without also becoming concerned for issues of justice and peace . . . . My struggle, just as for many of you're here, is with the fact that so little of the church in the United States has taken hold of this responsibility. Mission is often interpreted in a way that does not embrace either creation care or concern for the poor. As an Australian settling into life in the U.S., this has been one of my greatest areas of cultural adjustment . . ."
Christine Aroney-Sine, M.D.

"I believe the best way to improve both the human condition and the state of the environment is to raise people out of poverty. I believe that this can be done by encouraging, not limiting, economic growth. . . . If we have a sound framework based on clearly defined and enforced property rights, then I argue that wealth is created, making the human condition better off."
- Jo Kwong, Ph.D., Economist

"Our concern as Christians ought to include an interest in those without property and property rights, without representation within political systems, and without the opportunity to participate in stable social institutions. Our unique contribution is for us to be involved with those who currently are without a voice or advocate. . . . Our response needs to be biblically based and focused on the whole person, which means biological and therefore environmental. Jesus Christ has commissioned us to a ministry and message of reconciliation to God for all creation."
- Timothy Peterson, Ph.D., is Professor of Urban Studies, Messiah College

What you can do

From a Christian perspective, North America must begin to reduce its use of fossil fuels because burning coal and oil produces air pollution and global warming pollution. Biblical justice requires it. In this effort there are three basic goals: increase energy efficiency, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and increase the use of renewable or clean energy. Since every step away from air pollution and global warming is a step towards justice and the God of justice, implementation of a creation-friendly, clean energy policy will help to keep us and the nation on the path of righteousness.

Here are some suggestions on what you can do:

Pray.
Ask your members of Congress to endorse and work to implement the Earth Day 2000 Clean Energy Agenda. Personally write your U.S. Representative and your two Senators asking them to endorse and work to implement the Earth Day 2000 Clean Energy Agenda. Be courteous. Let them know you're a Christian, and tell them why you want them to endorse the Agenda.
Make your home as energy efficient as possible (e.g. superinsulation, retrofitting, passive solar design, efficient lighting). Buy the most energy efficient appliances or ones that use natural gas or renewable energy (e.g. a solar water heater).
Purchase vehicles that use less gasoline (e.g. more efficient vehicles or hybrid vehicles); use public transportation or bicycles.
Practice the three Rs-reduce, reuse, recycle-all of which save energy.
Help institute a church-wide energy efficiency program, with the savings donated to a particular cause such as missions; install thermostats with timers; utilize renewable energy; plant trees.
Include children and youth in all phases of the church's efforts.
Have your city become a participant in the "Cities for Climate Protection Campaign." Go to www.iclei.org for more information.
Have businesses in your community become participants in the EPA's "Climate Wise" program. Call 1-888-STAR YES.
Support international efforts to reduce the threat of global climate change.

To help you fulfill these tasks, form or join a creation-care small group in your church. Link up with state and national Christian efforts. Contact EEN for assistance at een@creationcare.org or call 1-800-645-6600.

Let us know what you're doing! Send email to een@creationcare.org

Resources Available from EEN

Evangelical Environmental Network Fact Sheets on "What is Clean Energy?" and "Why Should Christians Be In Favor of Clean Energy?"
The Lord's House: A Guide to Creation Careful Management of Church Facilities by Fred Krueger. Provides step-by-step instructions on how to do an energy audit and help your church become more energy efficient.
Planting a Tree this Afternoon: Global Warming, Public Theology, and Public Policy by Jim Ball, available from EEN. A short primer on the issues associated with global climate change.

These materials are available in whole or in part on the EEN web site. You can also order them by email een@creationcare.org or 1-800-650-6600.

You can also receive help from the EPA by becoming an "Energy Star Congregation." Contact EPA at 1-888-STAR YES. [Choose options #2 (commercial buildings) then #3 (small business).]

CEC Resolution on a Creation-friendly, Sustainable Energy Policy for the United States

Whereas Scripture consistently affirms that Christians are to love their neighbor, seek justice for the less powerful, and care for God's Creation, and,

Whereas the burning of fossil fuels by humanity is the major cause of air pollution, acid rain, and the threat of climate change, and contributes significantly to water pollution, and,

Whereas the resulting harm to humanity and to the rest of creation violates Christian values, and,

Whereas every step away from air pollution, water pollution, and global climate change is a step towards justice and the God of justice, and,

Whereas biblical justice requires that we not only seek to prevent harm, but that we strive to ensure that everyone has the resources to live the life God intends for them, and,

Whereas in the next several decades the peoples of the less developed countries will be seeking to enhance their lives by increasing their use of energy,

Be it therefore Resolved, that the Christian Environmental Council, meeting on St. Simons Island, Georgia, October 24, 1999, calls upon the citizens of the United States, especially its government and business leaders, to work to create a sustainable energy future. We urge that policies and practices be put in place now to increase energy efficiency, reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, and increase the use of creation-friendly renewable energy. Further, we request that the United States make its creation-friendly technologies readily available to the less developed countries of God's Earth. Finally, we endorse the Earth Day 2000 Clean Energy Agenda and urge government leaders to implement it on behalf of all of Christ's Creation.

Earth Day 2000 agenda

The choice is clear: we can meet our energy needs without threatening our children's future. The Earth Day Clean Energy Agenda outlines common-sense ways to mobilize American ingenuity and resources for a rapid transition to renewable energy sources. It will eliminate energy waste, phase out fossil fuels and nuclear power, and help the United States lead the world into a sustainable energy future.

CLEAN POWER: In the next decade, increase four-fold the amount of energy obtained from non-hydro renewable sources such as the sun and wind. By 2020, produce at least one-third of the nation's energy from renewable sources, and double the efficiency of energy use in homes,
buildings, transportation, and industry.

CLEAN AIR: Clean up our power plants by setting progressively tighter limits on all power plant pollution-including carbon dioxide, the major cause of global warming. Close the loophole that allows old coal-fired power plants to pollute much more than newer plants.

CLEAN CARS: Hold sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks and mini-vans to the same air pollution standards as cars. Improve the fuel efficiency of new cars and light trucks to a combined average of 45 MPG by 2010 and at least 65 MPG by 2020. Offer incentives that build strong markets for renewable fuels and for clean vehicles powered by hybrid motors and fuel cells.

CLEAN INVESTMENTS: Quadruple federal investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency within five years, and continue this momentum over the long term. Stop spending taxpayer dollars to subsidize the coal, oil, and nuclear industries. Provide adequate resources and job training for affected workers and communities to ensure a just transition to a sustainable energy economy.

AERDO News: Community Transformation

Getting Down to Earth with Missionaries and Earthkeepers Everywhere

The Evangelical Environmental Network is about to publish a handbook unlike any other. Several years in the making, with more than three dozen contributing authors, Down to Earth Christianity: Creation-care in Ministry provides a biblical foundation for and offers insights on how to integrate creation-care into relief and development work, health care, church planting, agriculture, forestry, urban ministry and more. The book was a project of the Association of Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO), which is composed of more than 40 major relief and development agencies located in North America such as World Vision, World Relief, and Floresta. Want to know how to create a homemade fungicide, or build a fertility trench, or design a small-scale aquaculture project, or build homes in the tropics-all in a creation-friendly manner? Down to Earth Christianity offers practical advice and checklists on how to go about it. Along with checklists and how-to tips, the handbook also provides practical "why-do" discussions that succinctly and plainly set forth how we should think about such issues.

"This book is something many of us have longed for and dreamed about for years," said the book's editor and long-time missionary Dr. W. Dayton Roberts. "It articulates a scriptural world-view which endows the ministry of Christian missionaries around the world-relief and development workers as well as traditional missionaries-with creation-care values that are both biblical and enlightened and can help unlock the secret of why we are here on Planet Earth."

Roberts has two main hopes for the book:

"...that it may gain recognition as a valuable instrument of missionary orientation, an essential tool for preparing Christian workers overseas, and that it may become the most attractive presentation available of Christian environmentalism-what we prefer to call creation care."

Here is an excerpt from Chapter Six on healthcare, "To Your HEALTH -Inwardly, Outwardly, Integral!" by E. Anthony Allen, M.D., M.Div. Dr. Allen is a physician living in Jamaica who is the Founder-Director of the Community WholePerson Health Centre.

Only a few years ago, international travelers had to be sure they carried a yellow fever vaccination certificate among their documents. Today, yellow fever is no longer a scourge, and has gone the way of polio, smallpox and measles, at least in the world's most developed countries. While civilization has eliminated some health hazards, however, it has introduced many new ones, especially those coming from a failure to care for creation. Creation-care is essential for effective healthcare. But as Christian health workers, the basic question we must ask is: Am I a treater or a healer? How we respond in our thinking and action will determine our effectiveness in tackling the consequences of degraded creation on human health.

Treating must give way to healing

We need to change our mechanistic "treater" approach to a "healer" approach, recognizing that patients are more than the sum of their organs. The patient is sometimes a desperate person living a life in desperate circumstances. A Christian healthcare worker as a healer engages patients in their life situations to help them live their lives the best possible way.

To do this, a change in both the social and physical environment is needed, because all healing requires social as well as physical and environmental healing. Healthcare practitioners must become a change agent in their society, working with the community and with the patient, as health educators as well as political advocates. The goal is to help transform patients (and their communities) from victims into fellow change agents.

Real "health"

Health means "wholeness," the result of an integration of various systems-between mind, body and spirit, between the individual and others, between the individual and nature, and between the individual and God. Each part of every system affects all the other parts, and each system within the individual and in the universe mutually affects all the others. God, at the center, is the author and sustainer of the creation.

Hazards, old and new

Humankind has been careless with creation, and we are now suffering from the backlash. Two kinds of environmental hazards threaten human health:

Traditional hazards are usually those resulting from underdevelopment: polluted drinking water, deficient sanitary facilities, food contamination, improper waste disposal, natural disasters, and indoor air pollution resulting from the use of coal and biomass fuels.

Modern hazards result from unsustainable development where stringent health and environmental standards are lacking and where there is over-consumption of natural resources. These hazards include water and air pollution, toxic chemicals, climate change and ozone depletion, radiation threats, noise pollution, and the emergence of new infectious diseases, along with the increased virulence of many old ones. Traditional occupational hazards have given way to new ones as the civilization advances. Where evils such as social injustice and warfare exist, we see a convergence, even in "developed" countries, of traditional and modern hazards, creating double jeopardy for the poor and marginalized.

Chemistry and our immune systems

The human immune system is under constant pressure from exposure to chemical agents. These are found in pesticides, disinfectants, cosmetics, plastics, vinyl compounds, alcohol, car emissions and industrial chemicals. The danger is partly due to the excess production of what are known as free radicals, which contribute to destroying human cells. Many large chemical industries are under no obligation to test their substances for their effects on the human immune system. Thus an average person may know very little about something which is endangering his or her health.

To make matters worse, exposure to many of toxic elements occurs simultaneously, increasing permanent overall effects on the immune system.

A weakened immune system leads to vulnerability to infections ranging from colds and mild viral infections to severe influenza and other diseases such as arthritis, lupus and certain cancers. More frightening, a single chemical can produce all three effects: cell toxicity, allergic reactions and long-term immune system damage.

Focusing on specific chemicals

Air pollutants, especially oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, when ingested, can lead to complications such as asthma and pneumonia, and may contribute to cancer and emphysema. Burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas) in industry and transport is a major source of these emissions. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere combine with moisture and fall to the earth in acidic rain. This, in turn, affects photosynthesis (by which plants make food from air water and carbon dioxide), destroys some life forms on land and water, and can damage structures such as metal roofs, buildings and statues.

Nitrogen dioxide is also produced in homes with the use of gas fires and cookers, contributing to increased respiratory problems.

Other air pollutants include "heavy metals" such as mercury, zinc, iron, copper, lead, silver, cadmium and chromium. These agents are released from elements such as carbon when certain forms of coal are burned. The released agents, called particulates, are extremely small and contaminate soil and water as they fall to earth. Contaminated vegetables or fish can cause nervous system damage or death, especially when eaten by children. Ironically, some fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, used to ensure successful farming, actually contain these metals.

DDT (Dichloro-Dephenyl-Trichloroethane), a dangerous toxin now banned in the U.S. but formerly used in pesticides to kill mosquitoes and other insects, is still a problem elsewhere. It remains in the air and is dispersed over long distances. It dissolves in fat, but not in water. When it settles in a river or pond, it bonds to the fatty tissue of fish, which can be consumed by humans or animals. Once within the body, DDT can become even more concentrated. In spite of available knowledge about DDT, it is still widely used in many countries.

Slow lead poisoning may result from gasoline and materials involved in automobile repair. It is advisable to use water filters to prevent lead poisoning from water pipes, and to avoid excessive chlorine consumption, which scientists believe may contribute to cancer. Water softeners should be avoided, especially when feeding infants, as these may increase the water's sodium content.

Watch your waste!

Waste hazards from nearby industries are the bane of many cities and towns. Water contaminated by waste emissions reduces the supply of good water, which may be followed by a corresponding food scarcity. Solid waste, or trash, is also a threat. Landfills designed to dispose of trash may themselves be unsafe by attracting rodents and parasites. They may also pollute the groundwater.

Similarly, nutrients from human feces which flow to or soak into the sea upset the ecological balance there, affecting fish life and killing coral reefs. This can lead to erosion or recessing of the shoreline. Improper disposal of feces also leads to communicable diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

Non-biodegradable substances raise another issue, as their elements do not decompose in tandem with the environment. Styrofoam, plastic and metal are examples. Not only are the components of these materials harmful to the environment, they take millennia to decompose, thus taking up increasing space on the earth as time passes.

A five-way relationship

The healing relationship in creation-care and healthcare goes five ways. It includes not just the Christian health practitioner and the patient (and the family) but also members of the community, the environment and the Creator. Throughout the healing process, the caregiver facilitates this five-way relationship while working with the life of the person and the community. This differentiates the "healer" from the "treater."

In contrast to traditional western compartmentalized thinking, the Christian health practitioner sees that the spiritual, mental, social and environmental dimensions are bound up with the physical dimension. They are mutually interactive parts of the whole person. Attention to these interrelationships is necessary for dealing with both the effects and prevention of environmental hazards. A "healer" approach can also help reduce an individual's vulnerability to hazards.

Let's ask ourselves

The clinical management of a patient and community must therefore be systemic as well as systematic, comprehensive and dynamic. A protocol designed for healthcare practitioners or their teams should start with a self-examination that can reveal blind spots and heighten awareness.

Do I have a holistic perspective?
Do environmental problems touch home, or do I see them as merely academic issues?
Am I fully informed of the hazards in my environment?
Have I developed a position on the ethical and justice aspects of creation-care?
What dimensions do I see for health promotion? Does it include education and Christian action for community advocacy?

Such questions can be part of a curriculum for environmental health training for professional and non-professional healthcare practitioners. The importance of the behavior of Christian health workers as role models cannot be overstated.

Let's discover our community

Developing a profile of the community's environment is important because most clinical syndromes in a given place are caused by some common environmental hazard. A truly holistic assessment of a place may involve the following:

A review of the place's history and socioeconomic factors.
An overview of the surroundings-homes, workplaces, farms-and their hazards; and people's lifestyles and habits.
A study of the "interconnectedness" among the factors, e.g., does poverty due to drug abuse lead to families living near a toxic waste dump?
An appraisal of whether the community is cohesive and determined enough to advocate for justice and for meeting the needs of the poorest of the poor. How can we support and encourage legal action where there is negligence by industrial, governmental or other organizations?

Let's examine the patient

In addition to the usual medical questions we ask of a patient, we may add queries about the following:

One's exposure to foreign elements (chemicals, toxins)
One's "wellness literacy." Is this patient able to discern the links and interactions between the various dimensions of his or her person? And the interaction between themselves and the environment?
One's spiritual health. How does the patient see God? Is faith translated into corporate church life, spiritual disciplines, inner healing and love of neighbor?

The patient's role, and God's

In addition to the relationship of a patient with the "healer," a patient must develop a relationship with God. The patient is an active participant in terms of expectancy, cooperation and self-help.

If accepted by the patient, we can facilitate divine healing and spiritual commitment to Christ through the sharing of our faith and through prayer. In clinical and hospital settings that do not allow such practices by health employees, external arrangements with a chaplain, pastor or mature prayer team should be made. We should always be respectful while evangelizing and praying in cultures where non-Christian religions predominate.

Let creation work!

A healthcare worker who is aware of God's creation will recognize the healing forces of nature both outside and within the body, both forces working in tandem. The Bible has several references to natural healing practices.

The use of natural methods in addition our usual medical practices boost people's immune systems to withstand the effects of natural hazards.

A healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, grains and legumes, vitamin and mineral supplements will fight against the free radicals that destroy body tissue cells and the immune system. Antioxidants as well as cancer-fighting phytochemicals and bioflavinoids are found in plant foods. Exercise, rest and relaxation build and strengthen the immune system. God gave the Sabbath not merely for a full day of church activities or work. It was a health measure. The use of pleasant colors and sounds for de-stressing and relaxation. And what healing powers are released in faith and humor! Exposure to fresh air and the practice of deep breathing relaxation. Herbal products, when properly standardized and with adequate information about side effects and drug interactions, can also help build the immune system and strengthen certain organ systems.

More than just healing, our challenge as Christian healthcare workers is to help patients and the community become transformed from being victims to becoming responsible change agents. Specific measures can be outlined to work to make the environment friendlier as well as to avoid the hazards of a damaged environment.

Community focus groups can assess the environment, their own awareness and compliance and make resolutions for themselves and the community.

Communications can include developing local literature as well as using published books. In addition, audio-visual aids, community dramas, songs, stories and the public media (radio and TV) can be employed.

Promotion of healthcare and creation-care means continual assessment and monitoring of the environment and seeking to bring about the necessary change. Professionals and community workers will need to develop new skills or find access to them in disciplines such as epidemiology, environmental impact studies for development projects, and pollution monitoring.

The patient, the community and healthcare worker need to join efforts with local clergy, churches and other Christian ministries. All have a God-given prophetic role. Joint intercessory prayer will become necessary to combat, in God's strength, the spiritual forces of evil resident in the institutions bent on environmental destruction in the name of profit or power.