2006年VOA标准英语-Some American Evangelicals Call for Action

By Bill Rodgers
Washington, DC
22 February 2006
 
watch Evangelical report

Evangelical Christians² number in the tens of millions and represent a significant voting bloc  
  
Some prominent American evangelical leaders have launched a campaign to persuade their congregants that more needs to be done to stop global warming.

By embracing a cause normally advocated by environmental groups, these evangelical leaders have broken with many of their colleagues and the Bush administration on the global warming issue.

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America's evangelical Christians number in the tens of millions, and traditionally have embraced causes like the fight against abortion³ and gay marriage.  But now, some evangelical leaders are warning their congregations about the dangers of global warming. In full-page newspaper ads, 86 prominent evangelicals pledged to work to help solve the global warming crisis.  

Robert Andringa  
  
Robert Andringa, who heads the Council for Christian¹ Colleges and Universities, was among those who signed the statement. "God created the universe and gave us responsibility to be stewards⁴ of it,” he said.  “Also that we are to love God but also our neighbor.  Who is our neighbor? Well, among the things that Jesus taught us is the poor and the disenfranchised.  And on this particular issue, it hits the poorer hardest."

Some scientists think climate change is responsible for the rise of stronger hurricanes, like last year's Hurricane Katrina, and fiercer and more destructive typhoons in Asia.  Recent studies show glaciers⁵, such as those on Greenland, are melting faster and this could significantly raise sea levels, causing flooding in low-lying countries like Bangladesh.

Despite some dissenters⁶, most climate scientists believe human activity, especially the increased emissions⁷ of greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, is making the Earth warmer.
 
  
  
On its web site, the Evangelical Climate Initiative calls for pressing the U.S. government to curb⁸ carbon emissions.

"Many Christians don't want to look to government first, but in this case we believe that the issue is big enough and significant enough that individual action alone cannot work.  I'm convinced that we need government action," said Mr. Andringa.

President Bush, a devoutly⁹ religious man who regularly presides over prayer breakfasts, has a strong constituency among evangelicals.  On the issue of global warming, he and his administration oppose mandatory¹⁰ limits on carbon emissions.  He explained why early in his first term in office.

"We will not do anything that harms our economy, because first things first are the people who live in America and that's my priority," said Mr. Bush.

President Bush supports solutions other than mandatory limits on carbon emissions and favors more research into the causes of global warming.

 
Richard Land 
  
Evangelical leaders, such as Richard Land, agree and have criticized those who are calling for government intervention¹¹. "A significant portion of my constituency does not think global warming is a settled issue.  They don't think that human impact on global warming is a settled issue."

Yet pressure may build for more active measures, as evidence grows of global warming's effects on the environment.  

 
Paul Wapner
  
Paul Wapner of American University says the move by some evangelicals to press for change is significant.  "I actually think this is a big deal.  I think that to have this voice which speaks to many people who have either said to themselves, ‘My religious life is a private matter, it is not a matter of public engagement.’ This call to action, I think, speaks to some of those people to say, ‘hold on, I have a public responsibility here’."

Yet it may take some time to convince most conservative Christians, as Robert Andringa acknowledges. "It just takes a long time for people to understand issues that are sort of abstract or too technical, and we're trying to bring it home, not as technical experts but as followers¹² of Christ and ask, 'What is our responsibility?' It's to care for the creation and to care about those who are poor."

Even if Andringa and others persuade most evangelicals to join their cause, affecting such a vast and complex phenomenon as global warming will be difficult.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

4 stewards   

（轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家

参考例句：

• The stewards all wore armbands. 乘务员都戴了臂章。
• The stewards will inspect the course to see if racing is possible. 那些干事将检视赛马场看是否适宜比赛。

5 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

6 dissenters   

n.持异议者，持不同意见者( dissenter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He attacked the indulgence shown to religious dissenters. 他抨击对宗教上持不同政见者表现出的宽容。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• (The dissenters would have allowed even more leeway to the Secretary.) （持异议者还会给行政长官留有更多的余地。） 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

9 devoutly   

adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地

参考例句：

• She was a devoutly Catholic. 她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This was not a boast, but a hope, at once bold and devoutly humble. 这不是夸夸其谈，而是一个即大胆而又诚心、谦虚的希望。 来自辞典例句

10 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

11 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。