Welcome to…..

CHRISTIANS FOR THE MOUNTAINS

“The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it; the world, and all that lives upon it.” (Psalm 24:1)

Christians For The Mountains is an initiative to summons faithful Christians to act responsibly to God’s creation. Our focus is local and regional, the southern Appalachian Mountains region.

We are people who place our faith in God as creator, sustainer, and ultimate owner of creation, who hope in God to restore and reconcile creation to its fullness, who are imparted with a love for that which God loves. Therefore we are impelled to act in behalf of creation. God has created humans with the awesome privilege and responsibility to serve and care for creation. In turn, creation serves humankind (Genesis 2:15, 16). Living within God’s created order brings social harmony, material sufficiency for human needs, and personal fulfillment. Living against God’s order, sin, brings about destruction, violence, and ultimate impoverishment.

We praise God for creating this beautiful, wondrous, ecologically rich and biologically diverse region. We thank God for the gracious gift of air, water, soil, living plants and animals, and the privilege to responsibly utilize these resources for our human sustenance.

We deplore the pillaging of God’s earth by forces of greed, ignorance, and apathy. These same forces furthermore devastate communities, corrupt government, and disrupt society. We believe evidence is clear that the basis of a sound economy involves good earthkeeping; therefore we deplore those voices who would set up a false choice between good jobs and a clean environment. (Isaiah 24:4-6)

Most people of Appalachia have a deep feeling for their home place. The mountains, the valleys, the woods, fields, and streams, living creatures and human neighbors are all close to their hearts. The ravaging of land through water and air pollution and egregious mining practices such as mountaintop removal should not sit well with people who call this area home. A strategy in which grassroots people who identify with their own sense of home and land can extrapolate to a larger vision for all of Appalachia (or at least their local ecosystem) should be achievable. Furthermore, to show that the Earth is The Lord’s, and therefore we dishonor God when we ruin God’s property, should be theologically understandable to all.

Christians For The Mountains is a grassroots network of Christians. We link together with all people irrespective of religion, lifestyle, nationality, or ideology in a common thrust to nurture and protect the planet. However, this network is especially for Christians to make our voice heard from the full strength of our faith. In so doing we can be effective in our task as well as more fulfilled in our own faith. As a network, we will share our energies and abilities together to honor God through responsible earthkeeping and advocacy.