Resolution
on the Environment and the Church
Voted
by the 202nd Annual Meeting, June 9, 2001
As
Christians, we say that God created the earth and called
it good. Human beings are called to care for the earth. We
do not own it, but are to treasure it and nurture it as a
sacred trust.
WHEREAS,
A pattern of ecosystem changes produced by human behavior
threatens human survival; and a suffering earth, like the
prophets, cries out against human greed, neglect, and destructiveness;
and
WHEREAS,
Christians are called to respond as faithful stewards by
taking personal and collective actions to defend and heal
the earth; and
WHEREAS, "An
Open Letter to the Religious Community" signed in 1990
by 32 scientists of great stature and 271 spiritual leaders
from 83 countries urged people of faith to acknowledge that
the environmental crisis is so grave as to have "a religious
as well as a scientific dimension"; and
WHEREAS,
In response to the "Open Letter," the National Council of
Churches, U.S. Catholic Conference, Coalition for the Environment
and Jewish Life, and Evangelical Environmental Network founded
the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, whose
goal is "to weave the mission of care for God's creation
across all areas of organized religion"; and
WHEREAS,
The National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Working Group,
in which the United Church of Christ participates, works
to mobilize congregations through such efforts as the Environmental
Justice Covenant Congregation Program, the Energy Stewardship
Congregations Program, and the Interfaith Global Climate
Change Campaign; and
WHEREAS,
The national Justice and Witness Ministries of the United
Church of Christ encourages local churches, Associations
and Conferences to "engage in direct action for the integrity
of creation"; and
WHEREAS,
Despite these efforts by ecumenical and denominational bodies,
most churches in the Massachusetts Conference of the United
Church of Christ remain in a state of inertia with respect
to the need for Christians to defend and heal the earth;
and
WHEREAS,
The global environmental crisis is deepening, marked by scientifically-attested
evidence of climate change, ozone depletion, species extinctions,
a rising incidence of natural disasters and damaging impacts
of toxic pollution on human health;
BE
IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, That the 202nd Annual Meeting
of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ
urges:
- The
Environmental Task Team of the Commission for Mission and
Justice Ministries of the Massachusetts Conference to reach
out to all Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ
member congregations with a program of environmental education
and action; and
- Local
church members to prayerfully consider giving a high priority
to making the personal and congregational choices needed
to defend and heal the earth; and
- Pastors
and lay leaders in the Massachusetts Conference of the
United Church of Christ to work for public policy changes
which, along with individual and congregational actions
and choices, are needed to defend and heal the earth.
Proposed
by the Commission for Mission and Justice Ministries
|
