Man’s multiplication and progress have combined to create environmental problems of huge proportions on the earth. Today responsible authorities view the waste and pollution of natural resources with undisguised alarm, seriously questioning whether the problems created can be solved without placing drastic restrictions upon present standards of living in the developed countries.

Threatened with the very real possibility of an uninhabitable environment within another lifetime, some groups and organizations have reacted with a zeal that has not always been according to knowledge, however borne of justifiable desperation. Others have moved responsibly but with little evidence of public support.

Recognizing both the immediacy of the danger and the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28, the National Association of Evangelicals vigorously affirms that ecology is not merely founded upon an instinct for human survival, but expresses man’s responsibility under God to act as a faithful steward of the natural world. The commandment to fill and subdue the earth (Genesis 9:1) implied a trust which we believe is violated by any wastage or spoilage of the environment detrimental to the welfare of mankind in the present age.

We pledge our cooperation to any responsible effort to solve critical environmental problems, and our willingness to support all proven solutions developed by competent authorities. We call upon our constituency to do the same, even at the cost of personal discomfort or inconvenience.