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You could say my grandma was eco-friendly. Decades before caring about the environment was in vogue, she set her thermostat low and pulled on a sweater. She reused glass jars and tin cans for canning, baking, and crafts. She patched old clothes. When those became threadbare, she recycled the material to make rugs and potholders.

Yet if Grandma were alive today, she'd be perplexed by Al Gore PSAs, Prius-driving celebrities making "green" living trendy, and "eco-anxiety"—a new mental disorder characterized by intense fear about the dangers of global warming. Grandma probably never imagined commonsense simplicity (today called "conservation") would become a hot-button issue.

Taking Sides

The debate over environmentalism—specifically, global warming—has intensified over the past few years. Some Christian leaders assert the Bible mandates us to take responsibility for "Creation care"; others state that when God granted humans dominion over the earth, he gave us the right to use it. Many Christians express opinions that fall somewhere in between.

Two groups of evangelicals have been feuding over this issue for the past two years. They've held press conferences, released public statements, and sent letters to top government officials. This battle even drew extensive news coverage, including a PBS special report, "Is God Green?"

Both sides support their claims with climate experts and research data. The Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI), whose members include Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life; Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine; and Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, believes human activities cause climate changes. An advocate of immediate carbon-emissions reduction, the ECI is asking U.S. leaders to pass laws requiring businesses to reduce emissions, and encouraging churches and individuals to purchase energy-efficient appliances and vehicles. Essentially it's saying, Be proactive. Measures taken today will lessen the potentially devastating effects of global warming in the future.

On the other side is the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. Backed by James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, and Chuck Colson, chairman of Prison Fellowship Ministries, the Cornwall Alliance also acknowledges global warming, but it believes natural factors—not human activities—may be global warming's primary cause. Additionally, the Cornwall Alliance believes if world governments call for mandatory reduction of fossil-fuel use, gas prices will skyrocket and economic development in poor countries will slow, creating a far worse situation than global warming might cause. And, the Alliance suggests, global warming may produce benefits scientists haven't yet discovered. Essentially it's saying, Be prudent. Hasty actions without thorough study of global warming might cause bigger problems than we currently have.

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Thoughtful article, though a little bit of a let down, as I'm always up for choosing sides! Perhaps we can rely solely on interpreting the 'eco-culture' in this way, though it will be hard to remain on the 'middle ground' forever, which will continue to be a problem for Christians to consider.

You advise: "Pay bills online. You won't have to spend time—and money—buying stamps, writing checks, and driving to the post office." Writing from the UK, there is another side to this issue. Many rural Post Office are being closed, causing people to make unnecessary car journeys to Post Offices in towns. These closures are said to be due to falling business, which is partly due to the Government pressurizing people to get their pensions and other State benefits paid directly into bank accounts, as well as more and more people renewing vehicle licenses, etc. online. So your advice may actually cause more driving, not less.

Neither James Dobson nor Chuck Colson backs the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation. Although both have views on many stewardship issues similar to ours, neither serves on our board of advisors or has endorsed any of our documents. Readers who want a fuller picture of our views may read our newly released Cornwall Stewardship Agenda at http://www.cornwallalliance.org/docs/cornwall-stewardship-agenda.pdf, our Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Response to Global Warming at http://www.cornwallalliance.org/docs/a-call-to-truth-prudence-and-protection-of-the-poor.pdf (with signers and their qualifications listed at http://www.cornwallalliance.org/docs/an-open-letter-to-the-signers-of-climate-change-an-evangelical- call-to-action-and-others-concerned-about-global-warming.pdf), and the Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship at http://www.cornwallalliance.org/articles/read/the-cornwall-declaration-on-environmental-stewardship/ .

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