Evangelical Leaders Say Spill Raises Moral Issues

Leaders of a group that encourages evangelical Christians to care for the environment say the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico raises moral challenges for the country.

The Revs. Jim Ball and Mitchell Hescox, leaders of the Evangelical Environmental Network, are visiting southern Louisiana to offer prayers and support for people who have lost jobs because of the spill.

Ball says they took a boat ride off the coast Thursday and were saddened by sights of oil-spattered marshes where brown pelicans and other birds were nesting.

He says the oil spill is a stain on the nation's stewardship of God's creation, and should inspire people of faith to embrace cleaner energy sources. Ball says how the nation responds to the disaster is ultimately a matter of values.