Organizers Defend Environmental Statement
March 12, 2008
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March 13, 2008
Organizers of the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative defended their statement released Monday urging Southern Baptists to take better care of the environment and fight climate change.
The statement, "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change," was quickly criticized for not offering specific actions, being weaker than the Evangelical Climate Initiative, critiquing previous Southern Baptist Convention resolutions and the absence of support from leaders of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
Spokesperson Jonathan Merritt answered questions during a teleconference, along with his father, former SBC president James Merritt, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary president Daniel Akin.
The signers termed the declaration, widely reported as a major shift for leaders of the nation's second-largest denomination, an important "call to action" but admitted there are no specific actions recommended in the document.
Akin said it would not be "prudent" to propose specifics since the signers lacked expertise on the issue. James Merritt said he drives a hybrid car and that some churches were trying to be greener. The three spokesmen stopped short calling for other Southern Baptists to take similar actions, however, and refused to comment about a statement removed from an earlier draft of the declaration that affirmed efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who spoke briefly but did not take questions, discussed legislation he has sponsored with independent Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. Warner said he hoped the group "will come in behind us on the content that we are the trustees of this planet."
