With a letter referencing divine providence, Scott Pruitt, a Southern Baptist layman serving as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, resigned July 5 amid a series of controversies over spending and alleged self-dealing. Pruitt, a member of First Baptist…
God wants humans to use natural gas and oil, not ‘keep it in the ground,’ says EPA chief
The Southern Baptist head of the Environmental Protection Agency says he opposes regulations restricting the mining of non-renewable energy resources because the Bible tells him so.
Baptist activist ready to ‘get in the way’ of pipeline construction
Opposition to a proposed interstate fracked natural gas pipeline that would cut through mountain ridge tops and other environmentally intact landscapes from West Virginia through Virginia and North Carolina is entering the stage of civil obedience, according to a Baptist church member arrested during a sit-in at the office of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Feb. 2.
Trump signs orders supporting controversial oil pipelines
President Donald Trump signed executive acts Jan. 24 to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, reversing Obama administration environmental policies. The order hands a potential defeat to clergy who stood last year with Native American tribes protesting…
Franklin Graham, Pope Francis promote veganism — but for very different reasons
For some Christians, going vegan may be a sudden thing after attending a church talk about factory farming and animal cruelty. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, they are struck with a life-changing conviction — this one to give up…
The seminary professor who blazed a trail for environmental justice among Baptists
April 22, 1970, was an important day in the nation’s history. It marked the first celebration of Earth Day — an event that put environmentalism front-and-center in American society. With more than 20 million participants across the United States, Earth Day…
Realm of earth, rule of Heaven: Bodified faith and environmental activism
The greatest failure in the history of Christian thought is the separation of souls from bodies, spirit from soil, the wrenching of hearts from habitation-all representing the abdication of the realm of earth from the rule of Heaven.
Is politics trumping concern for the planet?
“Politics is generally a mediocre to horrible platform for change.” That was a statement left by an anonymous person on my previous blog article. I am not sure what all the writer was suggesting, but how else can important changes…
Climate translation and Paris COP21
By Scott Stearman In a meeting I attended at the Council on Foreign Relations, David Sandalow made a semi-funny 2-degree joke about climate change. Sandalow is a fellow at Columbia University and a former Undersecretary of Energy. He participated in…