Southern Baptist leaders shift position on climate change

CNN ^ | March 10, 2008

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(CNN) Several prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that Baptists have a moral responsibility to combat climate change -- a major shift within a denomination that just last year cast doubt on human responsibility for global warming.

Forty-six influential members of the Southern Baptist Convention, including three of its last four presidents, criticized their denomination in a statement Monday for being "too timid" in confronting global warming.

"Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed," the statement says. "We can do better."

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, adopted a resolution last year urging Baptists to "proceed cautiously in the human-induced global warming debate in light of conflicting scientific research." The resolution said "many scientists reject the idea of catastrophic human-induced global warming."

On Monday, however, dozens of Southern Baptist leaders expressed a different view.

"There is general agreement among those engaged with this issue in the scientific community," their statement says. "A minority of sincere and respected scientists offer alternate causes for global climate change other than deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels."

The signatories pledged to do their part to fight global warming "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--big and small."

The signatories include Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention since 2006; James Merritt, president of the convention from 2000 to 2002 and Jack Graham, president of the convention from 2002 to 2004. The group posted the statement on its Web site...

[Codeflier]

I do not see their stated positition on GW. Am I missing something? Please point me to it. Thanks.

[Codeflier]

Nevermind. I see now you said there was no statement.

[GOPJ]

Several prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that Baptists have a moral responsibility to combat climate change -- a major shift within a denomination that just last year cast doubt on human responsibility for global warming.

Southern Baptists would be climbing aboard the Titanic as it was going under...

[SierraWasp]

Yes! I remember Hadacol!!!

Your point is prescient!!!

I also noticed the thread title about the Pope stating that "secularization" is even spreading within his church, too!!!

There's a verse in the old King James Version that essentially says: That old serpent, the Devil, knowing he hath but a short time, roameth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour!!!

Sounds a lot like Algore and GANG-GREEN, to me!!! Now here's a bunch of Baptist that certainly should know better, going right along with it and "leading" far too many astray. Judgement day has NOT been cancelled due to Global Warming!!!

[WilliamofCarmichael]

I just hope the charismatic Al Bore (hey! twelve percent charisma ain't bad) doesn't see this and adapt that Hadacol promise for his purpose. "The Fight Global Warming boogie makes you boogie-woogie all the time."

[Marysecretary]

They’re being sucked into that deception. Global warming isn’t anyone’s fault. Could be the sun spots, could be just a cyclical happening, could be almost anything, but it ain’t from US. The money they’ll grab is from US though.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

How the global warming flimflam might use the Hadacol slogan. You know how the intent of doing good makes a liberal feeeeeeeel. All liberals want that feeeeeeling.

I fear that I have inadvertently given the anthropogenic global warming flimflam a dynamite slogan that will win over liberals everywhere.

"The Fight Global Warming Boogie Woogie will give you a Boogie Woodie all the time."