Acton Institute Releases Celebrated Environmental Book
Updated 5:39 PM ET June 22, 2000
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Interfaith Council for
Environmental Stewardship (ICES) and the Acton Institute for the Study
of Religion and Liberty announce the release of the book "Environmental
Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition: Jewish, Catholic, and
Protestant Wisdom on the Environment." Written by prominent Jewish,
Protestant, and Catholic thinkers, this collection of essays brings a
much-needed, balanced perspective to current environmental debates.
The book is a Judeo-Christian response to modern environmentalism's
frequent flirtation with extremism. In recent years, sound science,
reason, and honest debate have too rarely been driving forces behind
environmental policies. Instead, too much influence has been wielded
through theatrical demands for immediate, drastic action on problems
that are often hypothetical or overstated -- or, at the very least,
require studied deliberation. Public policies that are designed too
hastily to combat alleged environmental threats often unnecessarily
hinder human initiative and dangerously delay or reverse the economic
progress necessary to improve human life.
"We do have a moral obligation to protect the earth," says Father Robert
A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion
and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "But we also have an obligation
to use the natural resources and creative intellect God gave us for the
betterment of humankind. The Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that the
welfare of people must come first, and that there is a clear distinction
between humankind and all other living creatures."
The "Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship," which serves as
the book's introduction, was released by ICES earlier this year.
"Earthkeeping News" has described the "Cornwall Declaration" as, "the
most significant contribution of religious conservatives to the debate
over environmental policy since the movement first emerged in the late
1970s." The three major chapters of the book are: A Comprehensive
Torah-Based Approach to the Environment; The Catholic Church and
Stewardship of Creation; and A Biblical Perspective on Environmental
Stewardship.
Copies of "Environmental Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition:
Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant Wisdom on the Environment," can be
obtained by calling the Acton Institute at 800-345-2286.
Contact: Michael Barkey of Acton Institute, 616-454-3080
SOURCE: http://news.excite.com:80/news/pr/000622/mi-acton-environment
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