This article, from the New York Times, truly amazed me. I still have serious doubts about how far across the aisle Evangelicals and various progressive groups, such as environmentalists, anti-poverty activists and human rights activists can work together.
I haven't yet read the Reverend Jim Wallis' book The Politics of God: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Just Doesn't Get It. The early reviews are good and I'm looking forward to curling up some cold night, in a warm room, with this book. Until I do, I have to withhold judgment out of simple fairness. But I do know that Rev. Wallis is a respected progressive Evangelical. And I've long admired his magazine, Sojourners.
This New York Times article sounds like exactly the type of cause he's talking about, where people of faith, regardless of whether they consider themselves "right" or "left" can come together to solve a serious issue. According to the article, 100 Evangelicals, many of them scientists, have banded together to encourage Congress to take action on global warming. As the leaders point out, they've long lobbied Congress to take action on "behavioral sins" (their opinion, not mine) such as legislating against abortion. So, they should equally encourage legislative leaders to take action on global warming, which is an issue of stewardship of God's creation that has been entrusted to us by our Creator.
Considering how much of the right, with encouragement from the business community, has been in denial about global warming, including Andrew Sullivan, a conservative who is usually better than that, this article is both startling and hopeful.
If the environment concerns you more than ideology does, this has got to give you a reason to hope too.
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