Left Perspective

Russell Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a Baptist Press column today about environmental issues. At one point he offered a very interesting claim:

I may be to the left of most of my fellow Southern Baptists on environmental issues.

Wow! If that is true, it is saying quite a lot because Moore should be considered as pretty far to the right. I dealt with Moore's testimony before a Senate committee on issues of climate change in an article for Ethics Daily last month. Moore (and others at the hearing arguing against taking action on global warming) cited scientists who work for companies that have received money from ExxonMobil, which should make one question their claims. He also put forth a theology that suggests we just give up because only God can redeem the earth. However, just because people will not be able to make everything perfect does not mean we should not try and make things better. If his perspective is "to the left," then no wonder so few Southern Baptists seem willing to take action on environmental issues.