Love thy neighbor, love the neighborhood

Environment | Debate over global warming heats up among evangelicals | Mark Bergin

Glaciers are melting. Sea levels are rising. Coral reefs are bleaching. And summer months are scorching. Since the 1980s, numerous environmental organizations have used such claims to push an agenda that would make life harder for the U.S. poor and for those with large families who need large vehicles. Now, with sincere evangelicals lining up on both sides, the environmental debate is getting even hotter.

Popularizing the phrase "creation care," the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is partnering with the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) to cast traditionally materialistic or pantheistic environmentalism in terms conservative Christians can embrace—or at least consider. "We don't use the word environmentalist," explained Rich Cizik, the NAE vice president of national affairs. "We are here to say we worship the creator, not creation."