Even though the Bible promises a "new heaven and a new Earth" at the conclusion of the book of Revelation, that's not a reason for Seventh-day Adventist Christians to ignore pressing environmental concerns, said experts who spoke with Adventist News Network (ANN).

"I believe deeply that as stewards of God's creation we've been entrusted with responsibilities that we sometimes neglect out of ignorance," said Dr. Zdravko (Zack) Plantak, chairman of the Department of Religion at Columbia Union College, an Adventist institution in Takoma Park (Maryland). "At times we have to be reminded how important God's earth is to God."

Such concerns -- sometimes dismissed by evangelical Christians as the rantings of so-called "tree huggers" -- are beginning to surface among those very evangelicals. In the United States, according to media reports, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is reportedly preparing a draft statement to urge the United States Congress to pass legislation that would impose controls on carbon emissions, which some believe is a source of global warming.

Adventists "need to resurrect again the beauty of our doctrine and importance of health and a healthy lifestyle," Plantak told ANN. "Stewardship is not only about money, but about [how we are] spending our life, time, energy and [includes] concerns about other things."

According to Dr. Allan Handysides, Health Ministries director for the Adventist world church, the effects of pollution reach beyond a brown haze in the sky -- they touch individual lives.

"If you look at pollution, it's a major, major health hazard," Handysides said, noting the clear links between air pollution and lung cancer. He noted that physicians and health officials in general are warning pregnant women to avoid eating fish, because of rising levels of mercury pollution in the world's waters.

"There's a lot of evidence of what pollution has done to contribute to ill health," he said.

But it's not just the pall of pollution over a city or in a river that Adventists should be concerned about, said Dr. David Dyjack, associate dean for Public Health Practice at Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California.

"Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of death of children under the age of 5. These infections are associated with poor indoor air quality in homes and huts," Dyjack told ANN.

The poor air comes from the burning of "biomass" fuels, such as wood or dried dung, he said, which is used in half the world's homes. Such burning creates irritants that make lungs more susceptible to infection and disease.

"We'd like to encourage communities to develop the capacity to make energy-efficient cook stoves, which use less fuel, produce less pollution, and require women to spend less time gathering firewood," Dyjack said. "That's the kind of intervention we'd like the world church to care about."

Over the years, Seventh-day Adventists as a church body have expressed their concern about environmental issues. The church's official belief statement includes an affirmation that "We are God's stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources."

Such a view, church leaders say, comes from Adventists' belief in a divine Creator of the universe, including Earth. Caring for the creation -- and respecting the creative act by resting on the Sabbath day -- are core values for Adventist Christians.

Adressing to the organizers and delegates of the 1992 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the so-called Rio Summit, the Adventist world church president declared: "Believing that God was right when He declared His work was good, we recognize our required collective and individual stewardship. Our personal lifestyle choices, weekly Sabbath celebrations, and commitment to improve the quality of life and health will continue to testify to what we believe is the earth's final crisis – a focus on human accountability to Him Who made the heavens, the earth, and the spring of living water.'

In 1996, world church leaders released a statement on environmental stewardship that notes, "It is the belief of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that humankind was created in the image of God, and is thus to represent God as His steward and to manage the natural environment in a faithful and fruitful way."

As Adventists contemplate getting involved in environmental causes, Handysides cautioned church members to be clear on their motives and understanding of the issues. He said he's particularly concerned about those environmentalists who invest plants and animals with the same spiritual value as human beings; while we are to be good stewards of all life, he said, we do not subscribe to anything that approaches pantheism.

Plantak adds, "Sometimes we think in extremes -- we either have [Sport-utility Vehicles] or we have to have bicycles. It has to be balanced; [we should] find ways we can be responsible. It is not an issue of being nature freaks and tree huggers; it's a matter of our relationship to God and our responsibilities." [Editors: Mark A. Kellner and Christian B. Schaeffler for ANN/APD]