Are too many churches these days more concerned about saving the earth than saving souls?
A British sociologist and a prominent American theologian are among those who think so.
Frank Furedi, who teaches at the University of Kent, suggested that churches have replaced theology with ecology, using ecological virtues as a platform to assert their authority in society.
"In recent years, some in the church have sought to gain the public's ear through the greening of traditional doctrines, and Christ the Saviour is fast becoming Christ the environmental activist," wrote Furedi in a recent article that appeared in the independent online publication Spiked.
"Western society is continually in search of rituals and symbols through which moral probity can be affirmed," he continued. "It appears that, for many church leaders, the project of saving the planet offers more opportunities for reconstituting rituals and symbols than the saving of souls."
As an example, Furedi pointed to the Church of England which launched an "eco-crusade" entitled Shrinking the Footprint in 2006.
The leader of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, had complained that "early modern religion contributed to the idea that the fate of nature is for it to be bossed around by a detached sovereign will, whether divine or human."
In response, Furedi suggested the possibility that those "misguided early modern religionists" had received that idea from the Book of Genesis, which gives the account of when God gave mankind dominion over all the Earth and every "creeping thing that creepth upon the earth".
He also criticised Dr Williams for protesting "about nature being 'bossed around' not only by Man but by God."
Dr R Albert Mohler Jr, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in America, agrees that ecological concerns appear to act as a replacement for "abandoned doctrines" and "outdated concerns" - such as evangelism.
"Furedi's argument is both insightful and troubling," wrote Mohler in his blog after reading the British sociologists' comments. "There can be no doubt that his argument is true with respect to many churches and denominations."
As Mohler observed, creation care and climate change has increasingly become an important as well as divisive issue for Christians and churches across the world.
Although nearly all Christian leaders affirm the need to protect God's creation, many split when it comes to the reality of global warming and prioritising environmental concerns among other moral issues.
