Major Protestant denomination calls for climate change action
Released on Thursday, 7th of August 2008
7 August 2008
Major Protestant denomination calls for climate change action
The Baptist World Alliance has called on Baptists everywhere to strongly support government, corporate and community initiatives to address the causes of human-induced climate change.
In a resolution passed at its Annual Gathering at Prague, Czech Republic, on Friday July 25, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) affirmed the biblical teaching that God created all things and that God’s creation was good (Genesis 1:1-2:2), and that God had entrusted the care of creation to humans (Genesis 1:28, 29; 2:15).
The resolution further confessed that humans had often denied or ignored their interdependence with creation and abrogated their stewardship of creation, resulting in misuse of the earth’s resources, environmental degradation, and damage to ecosystems; and recognized the failure of Baptists to engage with these issues in an adequate and timely manner.
Significantly, the resolution called upon BWA leaders to strongly support and encourage government, corporate and community initiatives to address the causes of human-induced climate change, including but not limited to:
a) greater use of renewable energy technologies
b) caps on “greenhouse gas” emissions
c) carbon trading
d) greater use of “green” architecture, town planning and transport
e) encouragement to conserve, reuse and recycle goods.
BWA members and member bodies were urged to practice environmental stewardship, and promote education with the purpose of honoring God and enhancing the common good; and BWA Commissions and Workgroups were encouraged to make future recommendations to advance global Baptist action on climate change.
Other BWA resolutions were passed on peace and reconciliation, Zimbabwe, refugees and immigration, and involuntary fingerprinting of Roma people in Italy.
Baptists are arguably the largest Protestant denomination, comprising more than 100 million members. Many of these members are affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, which represents 214 member bodies.
Media contact: Ross Clifford 0417 685 201 or Rod Benson 0412 421 678
BWA President David Coffey: +44 1235 517 699 or bwapresident@tiscali.co.uk
All BWA resolutions from 2008 are available at: http://www.bwanet.org/default.aspx?pid=863
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