Open letter regarding the Southern Baptist Global Warming "declaration"

xjcsa | March 12, 2008 | xjcsa

[xjcsa]

Several dozen leading members of the Southern Baptist Convention, including its current President and several past Presidents, recently released a "Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change." I attended Liberty University, a school affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and specifically affiliated with Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. Both the church and the University were founded and led by Jerry Falwell until his death last May. The school and church are now led by Rev. Falwell's two sons: Jerry Falwell, Jr. is the Chancellor and President of Liberty University, and Jonathan Falwell is the senior pastor of the church.

Nobody directly affiliated with these ministries appears on the list of signatories to the Declaration. I thought it appropriate to send the ministries the following letter regarding the situation:

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Rev. Falwell-

I am a 1997 graduate of Liberty University living in my hometown of Cedar Falls, IA. I spent four great years at Liberty and was awarded a B.S. in Religion with a concentration in Youth Ministries. I enjoyed my time there, and I have a great deal of respect for you and your brother, and for the institutions which you lead. You guys seem to be doing a great job, and I commend you. I hope to be able to visit the campus one of these days to see all the changes.

I write with concern not for Liberty or TRBC specifically, but for the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention, with which Liberty and TRBC are affiliated. I thought it was a good move to join the SBC at the time it happened, but a recent event causes me great concern.

This week prominent members of the SBC - including several men I remember having heard speak at Liberty during my time there - signed a document titled "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change." The document is mostly innocuous, but the following paragraph is a serious problem:

"Though the claims of science are neither infallible nor unanimous, they are substantial and cannot be dismissed out of hand on either scientific or theological grounds. Therefore, in the face of intense concern and guided by the biblical principle of creation stewardship, we resolve to engage this issue without any further lingering over the basic reality of the problem or our responsibility to address it. Humans must be proactive and take responsibility for our contributions to climate change—however great or small."

Here's my translation: "The debate on climate change is over. It's time to do whatever Al Gore and the Environmental Left say we should do."

The global warming movement is, in blunt terms, an evil, anti-human cult. Its aims are to impoverish developed nations and keep poor nations from improving their condition. And the "precautionary principle" which this "declaration" embraces is a deeply flawed and dangerous lens through which to view the world. It ignores the real - sometimes extreme - costs of the action advocated to "fix" the "problem," and serves as a mechanism to shut down discussion.

C.S. Lewis, in his excellent science fiction novel "That Hideous Strength," tells of a rather mad scientist who dreams of making the Earth look like the surface of the moon - so "clean", completely barren of organic life. The basis of organic life, as any Star Trek viewer knows, is carbon. The "mad scientist" essentially wanted to eliminate carbon. And now we see the scientific elites declaring war on nothing less than carbon - the basis of all life on earth.

If the SBC is truly embracing this "Declaration", then it is time for serious ministries to exit the Convention. If this is simply the views of a few, I urge you to enter the fight against the preposterous demonization of carbon dioxide and the embrace of an evil cult.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks and God bless-

[xjcsa] LU Class of 1997

[Volunteer]

Are you in Nashville, TN?

[Coldwater Creek]

Close to Memphis.

[streetpreacher]

Ronnie Floyd, Pastor of First Baptist Springdale (Springdale, AR)

Now there's a big surprise...

[streetpreacher]

Once again... Frank Page and I are on the opposite page...

[streetpreacher]

I'm really concerned that now that Dr. Rogers, Dr. Falwell and other's that brought the SBC back to their roots are gone, we are going to see a much more moderate leadership.

Hopefully, Dr. Land will help to keep the boat upright for a long time.

Southern Baptists have rejected and been downright hostile to the conservative resurgence of Reformed theology within the SBC and now they are reaping the consequences of a man-centered seeker-friendly theology.

In 10-15 years, Warren will probably be President.

[streetpreacher]

What’s the news regarding the Rogers family’s strained relationship with Gaines? What ever came of the deacon/Mid-America controversy?

[Ingtar]

Anyone who buys into global warming or climate change as they call it today is walking into a trap.

You mean like a certain Republican nominee?

[Coldwater Creek]

The Rogers have moved their membership. I just heard a day or two ago, that there is NO relationship between them and Gaines.

I don't know about the deacon/Mid America thing. I don't think that Bellevue has pulled all of the financial support.

[Sybeck1]

My father in law is a strident Bellevue member, in fact he has been down playing our church choices to my stepkids, and causing quite an uproar here on Sunday mornings. We live in Southaven and are attending First Baptist in Olive Branch. I won’t change my mind and go to Bellevue. One reason its not that close to home, and also with Dr. Rogers passing the church seems to have changed from what I am seeing.

[Coldwater Creek]

We have a family member on staff, and if I said their name you would probably recognize it.

My husband passed away in July, and that person has yet to say one word of condolence to me.........

[Coldwater Creek]

Did you watch the Tigers? They were awesome!!!!!!!!!

[Zionist Conspirator]

Well, one response would be that he [Falwell] was too fat to be spinning in his grave. He should have smoked for 40 years, but that would have been a sin.

Looks like @$$holes can be found even among the Class of '98.

I'm still trying to figure out why you felt compelled to post such a comment.

[blackbart.223]

"You mean like a certain Republican nominee?"

Exactly. Where do we go from here.

[norge]

Well, let’s try the delicious irony of a 400 pound preacher dropping dead at the relatively young age of 74.

The school he founded bans cigarette smoking, but obviously doesn’t care if you abuse your “temple” by overeating and not exercising.

My guess is that Dr. Falwell didn’t exercise once in his life...he was always corpulent.

I was perhaps cruder than I should have been, but the point remains just the same.

But I’m a huge fan of Sam Gado.

[swmobuffalo]

“You won’t recognize the SBC congregations in five years...they will be so ate up with saving the environment and reciting Bible verses as they do it.”

I disagree.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Well, let’s try the delicious irony of a 400 pound preacher dropping dead at the relatively young age of 74.

The school he founded bans cigarette smoking, but obviously doesn’t care if you abuse your “temple” by overeating and not exercising.

My guess is that Dr. Falwell didn’t exercise once in his life...he was always corpulent.

I was perhaps cruder than I should have been, but the point remains just the same.

But I’m a huge fan of Sam Gado.

And you chimed in on a thread that had nothing to do with any of that to slam the late Rev. Falwell because he was against smoking? Or are you another one of those people who don't like "fat Southerners" or "fat Zionists?"

Why are you allowed to get away with posts that would get most other people banned? Are you blackmailing somebody?

PS: A lot of religious people are opposed to smoking. Live with it.