According to a recently released report by the Barna Group, Evangelical Christians are finally getting on the Green band-wagon. The cool thing to note is that, as I’ve mentioned in the past, we’re doing it for the right reasons. Christians have a responsibility to be concerned for the environment because it’s GOD’S CREATION!
A new guide from the Church of England offers church leaders a template for a year-long programme of practical action to reduce their congregations’ carbon footprints, as energy prices head upwards.
Good God I’m starting to sound like some bleeding heart liberal tree hugger but damn it if sometimes they just make sense! Today I came across the web site called The Story of Stuff. Annie Leanord lays it all out and draws a very compelling picture of the state of consumerism and the world we live in. This is definitely worth a watch.
What’s better than hypermiling? What’s more fuel efficient than driving a gas/electric hybrid? How about a gas/human hybrid! That’s right folks, I’m building a gas power assisted bicycle to drag me along on my 10 mile daily commute. I’ve been hypermiling in the Four Runner these days and I have the MPG up to about 34 miles per gallon. But, for a $10 broken weedeater and a few miscellaneous parts from the local hardware store, I’ll be getting closer to 150+MPG in the very near future.
I’ve been pondering a greener lifestyle these days. I’m not sure if it’s a result of making the jump to hippyspace (we just moved to Oregon) or if it’s merely a growing consideration for my pocketbook, but I’ve really started caring more about the environment. Christians have for so long been fatcat consumers, exhibiting an elite sense of entitlement syndrome. We rant about “those tree huggers” as if they’re the ones messing up our lives by opposing the legislation we care about when in fact we’re probably more guilty of carelessness than they are. Sure, care about unborn babies and the protection of family, but don’t do it at the expense of everything else in the world.
So, for Earth Day 2008 I had decided to write a big long post about how the church should care more about the world God created for us and maybe even start a book about it! IT’S Been Done!!! I just found a book by Tri Robinson, a pastor who wrote the book Saving God’s Green Earth. The book is about why the church should care about the environment and includes examples of things his church has done to be more environmentally responsible. There is also a web site for the book which features some great resources and may give you some ideas for how your church can be more eco-friendly.
We at miletwo::network are convinced that part of the church’s drive to becoming relevant in this culture is its response to environmental responsibility and sustainability. On April 22nd we’ll be releasing a Going Green guide with some simple ideas for churches to implement as part of their environmental responsibility initiatives.
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