The Black Church Declaration on Environmental and Economic Justice
Black Church Environmental and Economic Justice Summit
Washington, D.C., December 1-2, 1993

Preamble

We, the African-American Churches represent the historical consequences and exist as the response and result of race segregation and discrimination. Though our institutional life and existence are due to such historical circumstances, our being is of God manifested in the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. We continue to live in the community of that Spirit.

Traditionally, the mission of our African-American Church reflects responses to the religious, social, economic, and political needs of our people. Accordingly, our Church has combined into one the model of Mary, gathered around the Word in preaching and sacraments, and the model of Martha, serving the basic human survival needs. (Luke 10:38-42). We recognize that presently those needs are intricately linked to the preservation of God's Holy Creation which we are called to proclaim and protect.

It is that mission which has bought us together at the Black Church Environmental and Economic Justice Summit on December 1-2, 1993 in Washington, D.C. We have come as the leadership of the six historic Black Churches, members of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, together with local pastors, and lay leaders of our congregations under the theme: 'The Earth is the Lords".

We have come to condemn environmental racism which leads to the disproportionate toxic dumping in our community. We have come to condemn the rampant materialism and greed of our society which contributes to the pollution of the earth.

As church leaders, who are committed to the full authority of the scripture, we are aware of the ways in which we, too, have degraded creation and fell short before the glory of God. It is out of that confession that we make the following commitments:

Commitment

We commit ourselves to be vigilant and steadfast as we deepen our resolve as servants of Jesus Christ to be faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit in living out our environmental justice concerns. In these times, the Spirit leads the Church into an understanding of life as one: inter-related and inter-dependent; and into an understanding that human dominion is not mastery and control of nature, rather dominion is stewardship of creation.