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Statements on the Environment by Mainline Protestant Denominations
Religious environmental concern is not an entirely
recent development. A 1954 resolution on Natural
Resources by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declared:
Great natural resources have been entrusted
to our nation by Almighty God. We call upon the
Christian conscience to recognize that our stewardship
of the earth and water involves both a land-use
program which recognizes the interdependence of
soil, water and man and the development of a responsible
public policy which will resist the exploitation
of land, water, and other natural resources, including
forests, for selfish purposes and maintain intelligent
conservation for the sustenance of all living
creatures through future generations.
In the decades following, the National Council
of Churches of Christ and its member denominations
have issued many official statements on environmental
degradation in general, and on energy, toxic waste,
consumption, agriculture, climate change, biotechnology,
and other issues in particular. Orthodox Church
leaders, too, have strongly affirmed that the
fate of the planet is a legitimate and necessary
Christian concern.
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Careful
study, reflection, consultation and discussion
go into these documents. Drafts of denominational
statements may be revised in light of feedback
from church members. Usually the statements are
adopted by a majority vote of official delegates
to national church conventions.
What do such statements accomplish? Sometimes,
they commit a church body to meet certain goals,
carry out certain programs, or adopt a policy
position. More fundamentally, they direct members’
attention to environmental protection as a religious
responsibility. On the basis of longstanding ethical
and theological teachings, they offer guidelines
for caring for creation and urge Christians to
counter threats to ecological integrity and human
well-being.
Selected Church Statements
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