Should United Methodist institutions divest of fossil fuel company stocks as a matter of Christian principle? Or is the faithful path to remain engaged and lean on companies to do more about global warming?
The church’s divestment vs. engagement debate is not new but will be revived — with vigor — at the General Conference beginning April 23 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Some delegates know where they stand, including Karen McElfish, a retired pediatrician from the Virginia Conference. She’s strong for divestment.
“Our call as people of faith, I think, is to be stewards of God’s beautiful creation. And to support financially the use of fossil fuels runs counter to that,” McElfish said.
But the Rev. Matt Miofsky, a Missouri Conference delegate, sides with Wespath, the denomination’s pension and benefits agency, in believing it’s better to stay at the table and push fossil fuel companies toward positive change.
“I want our investments to align with our UMC values, including care for the environment,” said Miofsky, a Wespath board member. “The question is how we best accomplish it. Wespath is a leader in sustainable investing and I support their strategy of engagement over divestment.”
Read more at this link.
No comments:
Post a Comment