Driven by Values: Protect God's Creation

The Interfaith Climate Change Network Campaign

Have You Heard the One About the Rabbi, the Priest, the Pastor and the Prius (Toyota)?

No, it's not a joke. And neither is global warming.

Greenhouse gas emissions - in large part from cars, SUVs and trucks - are causing climate change, weather disasters, people to be displaced from their homes by rising sea levels, drought, floods, species extinction, and migrating diseases, such as the West Nile virus that has claimed lives in the United States this year. 

Is this what God meant when he called us to faithful stewardship in "the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you" (Gen 9:12)?"

(To read the rest of this essay, go to www.protectingcreation.org, click on Driven by Values, then More Info About This Campaign then Learn More about this issue.)

The Interfaith Climate Change Network, a partnership of the Eco-Justice Working Group of the National Council of Churches and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life is sponsoring a campaign called "Driven by Values: Protect God's Creation."

Here's some more information about this issue from the Driven by Values website:

As members of God's family and citizens of an industrialized society responsible for creating greenhouse gases that cause global warming, we must take steps to reverse this trend. One place to begin is with the cars we drive.

If God is With Me All the Time, Does that Include the Auto Dealership?

As people of faith, we use religious convictions to determine the movies we see, music we listen to, and activities we participate in. If we bring God to the movies, why do we leave God behind at the Auto Mall? There is no reason to drive gas-guzzling, climate-changing cars when there are options that give us freedom and reduce the impact on our environment. 

What You Can Do To Protect God's Creation and Prevent Global Warming

The effects of global warming can no longer be ignored. Our current dependence on oil is warming the planet, harming God's creation and the well being of God's children. Preventing climate change is an expression of our faith toward God. Honoring our covenant with God means that we must protect the integrity of God's creation in ways that invite technological and political innovation as well as individual responsibility. 

Here are three simple things we can do to honor our Creator and the natural gifts bestowed to us:

1. Choose an alternative to driving: 
   Next time you need to get to the grocery store or to work, ask yourself if you can get there by walking, bicycling, or taking public transportation.
2. Purchase with prudence: 
   When you find yourself in the market for a new automobile, remember that buying a car is a moral choice. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car that conserves energy and does the least damage to the environment.
3. Speak your mind - and heart: 
   If you are willing to do your part to reduce the harmful effects of global warming, shouldn't automakers and political leaders meet you half way?

Because it's not just about vehicles, it's about value.

Can We Build Cleaner Cars?

The answer is yes. Our auto industry can manufacture cleaner, more efficient cars and we can drive them.

The technology to build cleaner cars is already at our fingertips. And building automobiles with higher fuel efficiency is not only good for God's creation, but could create 72,000 new jobs during the course of ten years -and make U.S. companies competitive with foreign automakers.

When citizens express their concern, automakers respond.

Average miles per gallon for cars and SUVs in the U.S. are the lowest it's been since 1980, and it drops every year. Why? Because GM, Ford and Chrysler have not heard that clean cars are important to their consumers. 

You can tell GM, Ford and Chrysler CEOs you care for God's creation and want them to make cars that are good for the environment and the economy right from the Driven by Values website. Just go to www.ProtectingCreation.org and click on the Driven by Values campaign.

The "What Would Jesus Drive?" Campaign

What would Jesus do? Christians ask themselves this question when they face the often-difficult choices they confront in daily life. The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) used a variation of this question - “What Would Jesus Drive?” – in a campaign that stresses that transportation is a moral issue. One of the things we choose to do is to drive.

For more information about this campaign, go to www.whatwouldjesusdrive.org.