The tendency among many liberals is to think that all evangelical Christians are alike. But apparently, that notion is as valid as thinking that all people of color are alike, since a group of evangelical Christians is starting a national campaign to publicize the issue of global warming and to engage the administration in being more proactive about addressing the issue and in doing so, has already encountered criticism from other evangelical Christians:

A group of 86 evangelical Christians began a campaign Wednesday that links their faith with an attempt to fight global warming. The leaders, who face opposition from some conservative evangelicals, want the U.S. government to pass legislation requiring the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. . . .

The Rev. Leith Anderson, a former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, said the group’s effort marked an important change in the evangelical community, where many are realizing that some issues, such as global warming, AIDS and other humanitarian crises, need strong government involvement.

That notion runs counter to the views of certain conservatives. . . . The group’s efforts have sparked criticism by other evangelicals, some of whom question the scientific evidence on global warming.

Frankly, I’m rather (pleasantly) surprised that any group of evangelical Christians would actually disagree with Bush’s policies and support the kinds of ideas traditionally associated with liberals. But I guess that as a liberal, I should know better than to assume that all members of a particular group are identical or that there is no diversity within such groups.

Whatever the case is, I hope this trend toward more proactive environmental activism among conservatives continues, although it will be very interesting to see how they deal with opposition from other conservative Christians. Stay tuned . . .