"Forces of faith enter fray over energy policy"
by Brad Knickerbocker ("The Christian Science Monitor," February 27, 2002)
The biblical declaration about God's lifting of darkness as part of creation
is not typically thought of as a political pronouncement. But when a congressional
staffer recently expressed surprise that the faith community had anything
to say about federal energy policy, Paul Gorman, executive director of the
National Religious Partnership for the Environment in New York, replied straight
from the Old Testament: "Genesis, first chapter, third verse - 'Let there
be light.' "
As the Senate this week takes up major proposals on energy generation and
conservation, the leaders of major religious groups around the country are
looking over congressional shoulders, hoping to generate a little political
heat while spreading some theological light.
Yesterday, in a letter to every member of the US Senate, more than 1,200
religious leaders reminded lawmakers of the "moral obligations" involved in
deciding energy policy initiatives. Signers include high-ranking figures in
Jewish, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox denominations.
Not every denomination or member of the clergy agrees with this view. Presumably,
some favor oil drilling and nuclear power plants. But the political weight
of this week's message is clear.
Pulpit versus president
In general, the religious leaders take a line clearly at odds with the Bush
administration: They favor more conservation and renewable energy sources,
plus a "substantial" increase in vehicle fuel economy; they oppose more oil
drilling, especially in wilderness areas. Referring to the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, where President Bush wants to drill for oil, the religious
leaders say, "Conservation is a morally superior alternative to drilling in
such places."
When the administration was putting together its energy proposal last year,
Vice President Dick Cheney seemed to dismiss energy conservation and renewables
as scarcely more than "a sign of personal virtue," as he put it.
But such efforts, say the religious leaders, should be "the central strategies
of our nation's energy policy."
There's an urgency to the religious message. Like Mr. Bush's own energy
plan, it's tied to last September's terrorist attacks on the United States.
"We're telling the Congress that energy conservation is necessary for homeland
security as well as environmental protection and justice," says the Rev. Dr.
Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. "Lives
are at stake."
But this week's effort to influence the debate over national energy policy
has some important context that predates Sept. 11.
Launched in 1993, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment
now connects with 135,000 US congregations from Protestant, Roman Catholic,
Jewish, Orthodox, and Evangelical faiths, providing everything from energy-saving
tips for church sanctuaries to sermon ideas and Sunday School lessons. The
organization also has arranged retreats for corporate executives and environmental
group leaders.
While it didn't sign this week's letter, the generally conservative Southern
Baptist Convention has cited scripture to advocate environmental protection
Over the past two years, "interfaith climate and energy campaigns" have
been launched in 21 states, involving training sessions, letter-writing campaigns,
and meetings with lawmakers.
"I would say that this represents the increasing authenticity, motivation,
and maturity of creation-care work at the most local level in the religious
community," says Mr. Gorman.
A pastoral letter signed last June by all Roman Catholic bishops in the
United States sought to raise the level of debate about global warming.
"At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political
platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures," the
bishops wrote in their pastoral letter titled "Global Climate Change: A Plea
for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good." "It is about our human stewardship
of God's creation and our responsibility to those who come after us."
Image risks for both sides
It may be hard for the president - especially one who has declared such
strong faith - to be seen bucking so many religious leaders urging him to
"protect God's creation and God's children."
On Monday, Bush posed with experimental gas-electric hybrid cars in the
White House driveway, to promote the tax credits his energy plan offers for
Americans who buy the low-mileage vehicles.
The president may not be the only one with image problems here. As with
other kinds of social and political activism, religious groups risk being
seen as clearly partisan on energy and the environment - "the Green Party
at
prayer," as some have warned. Recently, the National Council of Churches
joined with the Sierra Club in sponsoring a TV commercial on energy conservation.
"Many of us thought this was inappropriate," says Gorman of the National
Religious Partnership for the Environment. "Our teachings are not those of
secular environmentalism, and these can't be bridged in sound bites. Our call
is to be distinctively ourselves, and for the long term."
Part of that distinctiveness comes in expressing a sense of environmental
protection (including energy issues) that transcends the secular.
In this sense, it's part of such profound theological questions as the biblical
meaning of "dominion ... over all the earth."
"More than ever our central message must be the need for religious, moral,
and cultural transformation," says Gorman. "This is about the future of religious
life itself, not just rapid partisan response to policy challenges."