Recently a number of conservative Southern Baptist leaders endorsed the document, “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change,” which asserts: “We believe our current denominational engagement with [climate change] issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice. Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. We can do better.”

Although many of the signers are my friends and respected colleagues, I am writing to say why I will not sign the document, and why I wish they had not.