Acton Institute (www.acton.org), 120 Pages, Paper, $10.00

Here is another book on a hot topic today: environmentalism. The book approaches the issue objectively when so many people do not. Note this statement in the Introduction: “If you’re an evangelical who agrees with the ECI [Evangelical Climate Initiative, a recent statement favorable to the idea of global warming by certain evangelicals, including Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals], then you care about the environment. If you disagree with the ECI, then you don’t care about the environment because you’re expecting the Lord’s return any day now. One could chalk this up to media bias, except that those who spearheaded the ECI have done little to challenge it themselves. A fair and honest debate about religious responses to environmental issues should always distinguish theological principles from prudential judgments” (italics in the original).

This treatise is divided into three parts: Torah-based approach to the environment, the Catholic Church and the “stewardship of creation,” and “a Biblical perspective on environmental stewardship.” The latter points out that there are other considerations in this issue than the air we breathe. Impaired economic growth and infringement of private property rights may harm populations far more than dealing with global warming.