A call to care for God’s world

Stewardship of the Earth is a moral obligation, according to the teachings of many faiths. In recent years, the connection between religion and ecology has been emphasized by several faith groups, particularly the National Association of Evangelicals – a lobbying organization that represents 52 denominations and 45,000 churches.

“I would say that this newfound passion, this concern for Creation Care as we call it, comes straight from God and the Holy Spirit who is regenerating people’s hearts to realize the imperative of the scriptures to care for God’s world in new ways,” said Richard Cizik, the organization’s vice president for governmental affairs, in an interview for “The Great Warming,” a 2006 documentary about climate change.

“… Climate change is real and human-induced. It calls for action soon. And we are saying action based upon a biblical view of the world as God’s world. And to deplete our resources, to harm our world by environmental degradation, is an offense against God.”

Cizik, a 1973 alumnus of Whitworth University, will be in Spokane this week to talk about the role of Christian evangelicals in the future of climate-change activism. He also will receive Whitworth’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for “extraordinary service to the community and achievement in his field.”

An ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Cizik has been recognized nationwide as a leading advocate of creation care, a Bible-based philosophy that teaches Christians to protect nature. He also has helped broaden the areas of civic responsibility for evangelicals to include compassion for the poor, human rights and restraining violence.

Despite criticism from James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and other conservative Christian leaders earlier this year, the NAE affirmed its commitment to protecting the environment. In March, Dobson and others suggested Cizik resign and argued that “Cizik and others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time,” such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

The NAE’s board, however, did not respond to the letter and instead emphasized their support for Cizik.

In addition to his work to promote environmentalism, Cizik is also known for his involvement on issues of common ground – working with both conservatives and liberals as well as people of all faiths through efforts such as Save Darfur and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.

As the NAE’s vice president for governmental affairs, Cizik’s primary responsibilities include setting its policy direction on issues before Congress, the White House and Supreme Court, as well as serving as a national spokesman on issues of concern to evangelicals.

He became a proponent of creation care in 2002, after hearing from the evangelical Christian scientist Sir John Houghton during a conference at Oxford, according to his interview for “The Great Warming.” Houghton’s presentation changed him, he said, and made him aware of his “Biblical responsibility to care for the environment.”

In that same interview, Cizik said that people in the pews would likely alter their lifestyle in order to protect the earth, but many haven’t heard the creation care message preached by their pastors. For some, environmentalism “has a sort of a ‘left-wing tilt’ in their minds,” he said.

“I think pastors should begin by teaching the word of God,” he said on “The Great Warming.” “This is God’s world. When we destroy or deplete it, we violate his will.”