By Mike Poteet

“The evidence is on the table.” That’s the verdict of Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program. Commenting on the significance of the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Steiner said, “February 2 will be remembered as the date when uncertainty was removed as to whether humans had anything to do with climate change on this planet.” The report’s conclusions are grave: global warming—the rise in the earth’s average surface temperature due to an increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—is real and ‘unequivocal’; and, since 1950, it is ‘very likely’ attributable in the main to human activity. What’s more, it will continue for several centuries—although, as the New York Times reported, “global warming and its harmful consequences could be substantially blunted by prompt action” (New York Times, February 3, 2007).

While sobering, the panel’s findings are not startling, especially for anyone who has seen the successful and critically acclaimed, but in some quarters controversial, Academy Award® winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount Classics, 2006, rated PG; available on DVD, ASIN B000ICL3KG). The film showcases the slide show that former vice-president Al Gore has been presenting across the country and around the world, a simple but compelling outline of the impact of global warming on the planet, both present and projected. The movie helped earn Gore a nomination for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize; Norwegian lawmaker Boerge Brende, who co-sponsored Gore’s nomination, said, “Al Gore, like no other, has put climate change on the agenda.”

Many Christians, from across the theological and political spectrum, have committed themselves to acting against global warming. As a part of this effort, many congregations are showing An Inconvenient Truth to their members and communities. While some of the youth with whom you minister are aware of and informed about the problem of global warming, you may want to consider screening the film as an opportunity for these youth to share their knowledge and concern with others who may be less informed. You may also want to help youth view and think about the film from an explicitly Christian perspective. This brief viewing and discussion guide offers suggestions for doing so.

Chapter 1 (“The River”)
About 0:00:00–0:01:25 (Gore’s appreciation of the farm where he grew up)

• Read Genesis 2:10-15; Psalm 148.
• What about God’s creation do you appreciate most? Why?
• How does the natural world glorify God?
• How do we fulfill God’s charge “to till and keep” the garden of creation today?

Chapters 11–12 (“Rising Temperatures,” “Hurricanes”)
0:28:09–0:34:15 (ending with Churchill, “period of consequences”)

• Read Jeremiah 17:9-10; Psalm 81:10-13. Gore says, “One question we, as a people, need to decide is how we react when we hear warnings” (0:33:31). Why are human beings sometimes so resistant to warnings? How might God use some of the immediate effects of global warming as a warning? What does the experience of ancient Israel teach us about the need to heed God’s warnings?
• Read Joel 1:15–2:2, 12-13. The prophet interpreted a natural disaster (a swarm of locusts) as both a warning from and a chance to return to God. How do the effects of global warming signal the same kind of decision-making moment for us?

Chapter 24 (“Old Habits + New Technology”)
1:05:15–1:09:30

• Read Luke 12:41-48. How does the lesson of Jesus’ parable (verses 47–48) apply to us as individuals and to the United States as a nation in terms of our responsibility to address global warming?
• Read Romans 12:1-2. How might Paul’s call for the “renewing of our minds” apply to the issue of global warming?

Chapters 30–32 (“The Solutions Are In Our Hands” to “Our Only Home”)
1:22:11–1:28:00 (end with image of the earth)

• Read Isaiah 39:1-8. Isaiah warns the king against trusting in Babylon—a trust that, in the future, contributed to Babylon’s conquest of Judah. How does Hezekiah demonstrate, to borrow the movie’s terms, a “failure of political will”? How can you call on politicians today to demonstrate greater will in addressing global warming?
• “It is your time” (1:27:55). Read James 4:13-17. What “right things,” even small actions, can you take today—not “tomorrow”—to respond to global warming?
• “Are we . . . capable of doing great things, even though they are difficult?” (1:24:55). Read Luke 1:37; Philippians 4:13. As a Christian, how do these verses motivate you to act on the issue of global warming?

Although some portions of An Inconvenient Truth betray Gore’s political bias, the vast majority of the film confronts viewers with clear arguments and an arresting call for action. Overall, in fact, the movie’s message echoes and underscores the wisdom of The United Methodist Church’s Social Principles: “All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways we use and abuse it. . . . Let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God’s creation” (¶160).

Sources and Additional Resources

• The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church
• The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA), “Global Warming: Are We Reaching a ‘Tipping Point’?”
• The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, “Lent Devotion—Caring for the Garden”

Michael S. Poteet is a freelance writer and an ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister. Mike earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of William and Mary, and his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. He and his wife are the proud parents of a son, Carl. Mike writes regularly for LinC and has written several other curriculum pieces, including Thinking Theologically About Body Image; Lessons at the Lamppost: A 4-Week Journey Through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and An Ongoing Initiation: Christian Living in Narnia and Beyond.