Baptist group urges action on global warming

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Prominent members of the Southern Baptist Convention said on Monday that the church, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, has been too timid to speak out against global warming and must start taking strong stands.

The statement marks a significant shift in the way one of the country's most conservative churches regards climate change. If the membership at large accepts it, there could be political implications since evangelical Christians are a significant base for the Republican Party which has been wary of taking action on the issue.

Environmental and climate changes "have not always been treated with pressing concern as major issues. Indeed some of us have required considerable convincing ...," said a statement issued by 46 church members including the current and two former presidents of the 16-million-member denomination.

"We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues have been often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice," they said in a statement issued after study by their ad hoc group.

"Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. The time for timidity regarding God's creation is no more," the group said.

Evangelical Christians in the United States have been paying increasing attention to environmental issues in recent years, citing what they see as a moral imperative for proper stewardship of God's creation.

Polls have shown that evangelicals want a broader agenda that goes beyond the recent focus on abortion and gay rights to include issues such as the environment. But they are divided on what should be done with the lead being taken by more liberal church leaders.

POSSIBLE SHIFT