Baptists and Global Warming

In a shocking...shocking development ...Southern Baptists are urging a fight against global warming.

After years of denial a group has released a declaration, signed by the president of the denomination Frank Page and other natables, including Timothy George of Samford University's Beeson Divinity School, and heads of other seminaries, that says they have been "too timid" on environmental issues and that the denomination has a biblical duty to stop global warming.

The declaration stated that the Baptists may have been "seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed." Yes sir, good observation.

Because just last year this was their message: "The Southern Baptist Convention rejected scientific claims that humans are to blame for global warming and dismissed the governmental efforts to reverse it. "

They now seem to be in agreement with Bessemer Opinions that humans have a responsibility to care for God's creation, as was posted on Earth Day 2007.

Or maybe they read the Bible, rather than just picking and choosing which verses they can use to hurt other people.

At any rate, better late than never, although I imagine many Baptists preachers will "go down " kicking and screaming over this. Of course, individual churches and pastors are not bound by this declaration anyway.

But it is encouraging. Now if only they will recognize the truth about poverty, gays and lesbians, war and such. For this I am not holding my breath.

That being said, I do have some good friends and in-laws that are Baptists and who are concerned about the environment and climate change, so there is hope.