Some battles have to be fought. Some have to be surrendered. The current melee between environmental scientists and evangelical leaders is the latter. There are simply too many things the two groups hold in common: a high level of motivation, a wide range of followers, and a zealous passion for preserving the environment; God’s creation. The battle is over politics, and when we’re operating under the influence of a Kingdom mindset, politics must ultimately play second fiddle to the will of Christ for the church.
The Friendship Collaborative is a national initiative that seeks to build bridges between science and faith by fostering friendly relationships between environmental scientists and (primarily) evangelical leaders. Its conception and growth can be traced back to the friendship between Ken Wilson, senior pastor at the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor, and Carl Safina, renowned marine environmentalist and co-founder of the Blue Ocean Institute. Their friendship is an unlikely one, spanning the cultural divide that has emerged between the two traditionally isolated groups of people. Drawing on their own experience, the two laid the framework for an organization that would create more working relationships such as their own. The best thing about the Friendship Collaborative is that, as the name implies, friendship plays a prominent role.
The primary method for building these relationships are day-long workshops in which groups of approximately 12 scientists and 12 faith leaders listen to presentations concerning environmental stewardship from each other’s perspectives, and then discuss. So far two of these events have been held, first at Ohio State University, and then at the University of Michigan, in a display of just how effectively differences can be overcome. In both cases, the atmosphere has been friendly and respectful, with both groups taking away a wealth of information. The workshops also foster more trust between the two groups, which have become increasingly skeptical of one another over the past few decades.
So how does all of this relate to creation care? The Friendship Collaborative is the sister program to Creation Care for Pastors. Since most climate and environmental news comes from the scientific laboratory rather than the pulpit, many evangelical leaders are reluctant to listen to it, let alone preach it. They’re afraid of the congregational consequences that may arise from aligning themselves with what’s often viewed as very different from church priorities. The Friendship Collaborative allows us an outlet for bringing these differences to the table, and if not reconciling them, at least convincing the combatants to lay down their arms. When this happens, and evangelicals begin working hand in hand with environmental scientists to inform the public of issues and act to solve them, I think the results will be staggering.
On our website, there’s information on past workshops, including an overview of the content that’s typically covered. There are also a few downloadable transcripts from prior workshops, and this list will be expanding with time. In the news section, subjects of interest relating to moving forward with environmental stewardship and sustainability are posted. More information about the two founding organizations, the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor and the Blue Ocean Institute, is also available.
