This article was written for Science & Theology News,
 a forum for professional dialogue between Scientists and Theologians.
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 "Green in Golden"

            Perhaps stereotypes are made to be broken.  Conservative Christians and professional scientists are often stereotyped as uninterested in environmental issues, while environmental activists are often stereotyped as uninterested in issues of faith.  But stereotypes of disinterest were replaced by dialogue on February 5 when the American Scientific Affiliation and the Sierra Club held a joint regional meeting at Colorado’s School of Mines.       

            By drawing upon the contacts of both the ASA, a fellowship of Christian engineers and scientists, and the Sierra Club, the conference organizations were able to offer lectures on topic as diverse as renewable energy sources and the book of Revelation, wetlands protection and development of grassroots advocacy groups.

            David Oakley, professor of physics at Colorado Christian University and a key organizer of the conference, aptly described the event as “a fascinating conversation between scientists, activists, theologians and ethicists.”  Because professing Christians are often underrepresented in environmental organizations, the ASA initiated this conversation in order to explore areas of convergence between their concerns as believing scientists and Sierra Club’s concerns as environmental activists.

            Calvin DeWitt, professor of environmental ethics and the conference’s keynote speaker, set the tone of the meeting as he roused the crowd by arguing that the Christian faith provides an inherent call to environmental awareness.  DeWitt insisted that love for God demands a corresponding love for God’s creation.  DeWitt challenged the crowd by asking who would believe that he respected Rembrandt if they observed him destroying Rembrandt’s paintings.  Good point.

            For the benefit of Sierra Club’s secular membership, DeWitt explained that John Muir, the club’s founder, was a devout Christian believer who had memorized nearly the entire Bible even before completing high school.  For the benefit of ASA’s Christian membership, DeWitt suggested that the Bible calls humanity to serve the creation as “gardeners.”

            The Sierra Club’s director of environmental partnerships, Melanie Griffin, echoed DeWitt’s spirit of cooperation, identifying herself as an Evangelical Christian.  Even though she acknowledged the potential sensitivity over terminology (is it the “creation” or the “environment”), she emphasized how organizations like Sierra Club need the support of faith communities “because religious groups speak with a special authority on issues of right and wrong.”

            What does the future hold for such collaboration between faith communities and the environmentalists?  When asked about the future of Christian environmental activism, Dewitt insisted that he was “absolutely optimistic.”