A Nobel laureate scientist and a leader of the evangelical Christian movement walk into a restaurant.
It sounds like the setup for a joke, a scenario that is screaming for a punch line that plays off the seemingly endless disagreements between faith and science.
But this is a true story, and Dr. Eric Chivian and the Rev. Richard Cizik have come up with a zinger no one could expect. They went to lunch together to agree on something – the need to curb negative human impact on the Earth. And the partnership they formed that afternoon in 2005 has led this odd couple of the environmental movement to be named, today, to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
“I must admit I approached that meeting with some anxiety,” said Chivian (pronounced chih-vee-an), director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, “I’m involved in evolutionary biology. I support stem cell research. I have gay friends who are married. I felt I had positions that would be at odds with his.”
Cizik (pronounced sigh-zik), vice president for governmental affairs for the 45,000-church National Association of Evangelicals in Washington, D.C,, had similar reservations. But, as they point out, they were not there to discuss their differences. What brought them together is what Chivian calls “a deep, fundamental commitment to life on earth.”
Together, they formed the Scientists and Evangelicals Initiative, which aims to unite the two communities to help bring an environmental message into the large and powerful evangelical movement.
interesting. thanks for posting!
Frankly, I have NO problem with clergy calling on the flock to be more environmentally considerate, as the Scripture, the Celtic Saints, St. Francis of Assisi, and others call us to be. Nor with joining with secular entities to proclaim that message, when the two are in unity. But the church and clergy must make it clear when they do this that we are not going to give up our beliefs to do so. Proclaim the message with our own unique, Chrisitan slant: we are proclaiming Christian stewardship, not scientific or new age styled earth worship.
My problem comes:
a) when the clergy gives in to hysterical pemi-scientific political propaganda (such as surrounds Climate Change aka Global Warming) and joins their voice in giving credence to political science as if it were the only view, then opens us up to ridicule when that scientific theory is discredited.
b) when the Church is merely jumping on a bandwagon fad, and then opens us to public ridicule when that bandwagon is proven to be nothing more than a passing fad.
c) when the church joins forces with anti-Chrisitan religious groups, such as Unitarians and wiccians, and willingly gives up our own beliefs to ‘go along’ because there is a common purpose. Then wakes up to find out we have lost our own identity as Christians.
Tony Campolo (not above reproach on some issues himself) gave a wonderful title to his book on Christian Environmentalism:
[u]How to rescue the earth without worshipping nature.[/u]
That kind of says it all (except we are not ‘rescuing’ the Earth, but caring for it).
Peace
Jim Elliott <><
pemi-scientific should be [b]SEMI-Scientific[/b]
sorry.