Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) announced the installation of a new solar heating system that will reduce the school’s financial costs and show its commitment to being good stewards of God’s creation.
“[U]sing solar and other forms of renewable energy reduces reliance on fossil fuels for energy production, thus directly reducing CO2 emissions which contribute to global warming, an environmental issue now of great concern,” wrote Diana Farhood, project coordinator for ABTS’ Institute of Middle East Studies, in the November issue of the seminary’s newsletter.
Founded in 1960, ABTS is located in Beirut, Lebanon, and trains Christian clergy who serve from Morocco to Iraq.
“Solar energy is the cleanest and most inexhaustible of all known energy sources,” she said. “This month marks a time in ABTS’ history where ‘going green’ and sustainability have been at the forefront of thinking.”
Farhood said “going green” is “really just another way of saying being more faithful stewards of God’s creation.”
Noting ABTS’ efforts at choosing environmentally sound options, Farhood said that “ABTS continually stresses the importance of being relevant and pioneering in today’s world and creatively bringing in anything which will ultimately aid in realizing our mission to see God glorified, people reconciled, and communities restored through the church in the Arab world.”
She also said it was a way to be financially faithful to ABTS partners who help fund the school.
EthicsDaily.com named LebaneseBaptists as its “Baptist of the Year” in 2006.
