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Gas Mileage as a Moral Issue On November 20, spokespeople for the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and its member groups met with representatives of auto makers in Detroit. They went to Detroit to open a new dialogue between the American car industry and people of faith concerning the moral dimensions of cars&emdash;the resources they consume, the pollution they produce&emdash;and to ask car makers to commit new resources and willpower to producing the cleanest cars possible. One member of the National Religious Partnership&emdash;the Evangelical Environmental Network&emdash;puts the question bluntly for Christians, asking, "What Would Jesus Drive?" The National Religious Partnership spokespeople delivered a letter to auto industry leaders signed by more than 100 religious leaders from all over the U.S., including Texas bishops Michael Pfeifer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, Paul Blom of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Ben Chamness of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Texas Impact is one of 21 state interfaith groups working with the National Religious Partnership through the Interfaith Climate Change Network. At the same time that the Evangelical Environmental Network is launching the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign, the interfaith groups are holding events in Christian and Jewish congregations throughout the country to raise fuel efficiency as a moral issue for people of faith. Texas Impact hosted one such event on November 10 for several Central Austin congregations. Our event focused on fuel efficiency as an environmental issue, but also as a moral issue concerning how we use our limited resources to "do justice and love kindness." We explained to congregation members that one gallon of gas costs about the same as two loaves of bread from the supermarket. Choosing to buy more gas means we have less money available to feed the hungry, care for the sick, or house the homeless. Congregation members had the opportunity to test drive a fuel-efficient hybrid electric car and learn how the hybrid engine works to save gas. We were especially happy to have more than two dozen Sunday school children come to see the hybrid car and learn about God's call to care for creation and each other. The children brought donations of non-perishable food that they put in the trunk of the car, to benefit the food pantries of the participating congregations. |
Click here to read the text of the religious leaders' letter. Click here to view photos from Texas Impact's November 10 event. TAKING ACTION
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