BWA General Council Resolution 1989.1

We affirm that God is creator all life and as stewards of God’s earth, we members of the General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, August 1989, acknowledge the interdependence of all life. As stewards of God’s earth we are concerned for our global environment and threats to its delicate balance—today and for the future.

Every continent is affected by irresponsible patterns of life: the depletion of non- renewable resources, explosive population growth, worldwide deforestation, pollution of air, land and water, the use of synthetic materials which are not biodegradable, the failure to recycle and the buildup of waste.

THEREFORE, we call upon our worldwide Baptist family to:

Recognize and accept our responsibility for stewardship of God’s good earth;

Learn of the environmental dangers facing our planet;

Share information and resources developed in our various conventions and unions;

Pursue a responsible lifestyle, respecting the integrity of creation, and

Exert our influences through industry, business, agriculture, government and as persons to protect and restore the delicate balance of nature.

In particular, we call upon governments to lead their industry and people by example through their public utilities with special reference to greenhouse and other noxious emissions and effluence.

Citations

Original Source Bibliography: Lotz, Denton, editor. Baptist World Alliance 1989 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 1989.

Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Denton Lotz, ed., Baptist World Alliance 1989 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (McLean, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 1989), p. 61.

Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 1989.1 Stewardship of the Earth; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.

In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 1989.1).