The issue of global warming continues to distract the nation’s largest evangelical organization from its Gospel mission, despite strongly worded advice from Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family and others in a letter to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) last week.
The NAE board voted last year to instruct agency staff “to stand by and not exceed in any fashion our approved and adopted statements concerning the environment." The board has said that there is a "lack of consensus among the evangelical community” on global warming.
Jerald Walz, NAE board member, told Family News in Focus there has been a growing contradiction between the NAE board's position and personal statements made by Richard Cizik, vice president of government affairs at the NAE’s Washington, D.C., office.
"Richard Cizik continues to step outside the approved policy areas of the NAE," Walz said. "Using his public position, [he's] made statements that exceed NAE's goals."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, shares those concerns.
"Jerald Walz and others are sounding the same themes sounded by Dr. Dobson and the other signers of the letter that we sent," Minnery said.
Walz said he is deeply concerned about the NAE’s apparent shift in direction.
"I guess I was disappointed more with the fact that NAE seems to me moving more away from the gospel of Jesus Christ and more toward the gospel of political activism," he said.
Family News in Focus correspondent Steve Jordahl contributed to this report.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Read the letter sent to board members and to Dr. L. Roy Taylor, Chairman of the Board at the NAE.
