Southern Baptists Speak Out on Climate Change

Notable leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention agree that the U.S. government needs to take action to fight climate change and global warming, signaling a significant shift on the issue among many evangelical Christians.

Spearheaded by a young, 25-year-old Georgia seminary student, the "Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change" was issued Monday, according to CNN and Time.

With the signatures of 46 prominent Southern Baptists, the document’s writers call out the influential denomination for being “too timid” on the issue.

"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 document says. "We can do better."

The document’s young Thomas Jefferson, so to speak, is Jonathan Merritt, whose father, James, was the SBC president from 2000 to 2002. The senior Merritt also signed the document. Other signers include current SBC President Frank Page and Jack Graham, who presided over the organization from 2002 to 2004.

The declaration also pegs two major culprits of climate change and global warming: deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels.

In the past, the climate change crusade had been identified with the Left, a group most Southern Baptists avoid aligning with. However, the increasing scientific evidence toward global warming and the Biblical call for humans to be good stewards of the earth have many changing their minds.

The Southern Baptist Convention has 16 million members, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The entire statement is available for viewing at the Web site for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative.