Evangelical leaders behind the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign are now mobilizing Christians in the evangelical tradition by leading a traveling campaign for clean cars, spreading the word where congregants are listening: church pews and Christian radio throughout the South.

Reverend Jim Ball, executive director of the Evangelical Environmental Network and one of the ministers behind the campaign, and his wife, Kara, are driving their "What Would Jesus Drive?" Prius through the Bible Belt, preaching to Christians on the relationship between the cars we drive, loving our neighbors and protecting God's creation. Tour events include preaching engagements at churches, meetings with local religious leaders and clergy, and appearances on Christian radio talk shows.

"Six months ago we asked America 'What would Jesus drive?'," said Reverend Jim Ball. "Now as followers of Jesus have done throughout history, we're taking His teachings on the road. We are spreading the word that to love our neighbors and care for creation, automakers and politicians need to build cars that reflect our moral values."

In the last two months, the EPA reported that fuel-economy is at a 22-year low, Congressional leaders are making it harder to buy the most fuel efficient vehicles while increasing the loopholes for the biggest gas guzzlers, and Ford executives are back-peddling from their pledge to increase fuel efficiency.

"We need Christians to tell automobile executives and politicians to stop back peddling and start heading in the direction of fuel-efficient cars and SUVs," continued Ball. "The health of our children, global warming's impact on the poor, and our dependence on foreign oil demand it of us."

Stops on the "What Would Jesus Drive?" road tour are currently planned for Austin and Dallas, TX; Little Rock, AR; Nashville and Chattanooga, TN; Atlanta, GA; Columbia, SC; Charlotte and Raleigh, NC; Charlottesville, VA; and the Creation Festival, the largest Christian rock festival in the United States.

Last November, faith leaders from across the religious spectrum told Bill Ford and General Motors if they build fuel-efficient cars and SUVs, then people of faith will buy them. "My wife and I are going on the road, preaching at churches and on Christian radio to make sure we live up to that promise," continued Ball.

The Tour will highlight the role government leaders can play, including the Bush Administration. "We're asking President Bush to increase fuel economy standards, and state and local government leaders to do what they can, such as purchasing fuel efficient vehicles," said the Rev. Ron Sider, President of Evangelicals for Social Action and a key leader of the "What Would Jesus Drive?" effort. "We also want people of faith to purchase the most fuel-efficient cars that meets their needs."

"What Would Jesus Drive?" represents over 90 prominent Christian leaders who have signed the campaign's Call to Action, including author and speaker Tony Campolo, Habitat for Humanity's Millard Fuller, the Christian Reformed Church's General Secretary David Engelhard, and Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw.

"The 'What Would Jesus Drive?' campaign is raising serious issues, such as fuel conservation and Middle East oil dependence, that I think all evangelicals should consider thoughtfully," said Rev. Richard Cizik, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, a conservative evangelical organization.

Other religious leaders are sounding the alarm as well. Recently over 100 senior religious leaders sent a letter to the CEOs of the major automakers. "There is an emerging religious consensus that fuel economy and pollution from vehicles are serious moral issues that demand action now," said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. "We are glad to see the evangelical community play a leadership role in this urgent effort. As each of us draws from our own distinct religious tradition, together we are creating a new kind of religious consumer."

The final stop on the "What Would Jesus Drive?" tour will be Washington, DC, where Rev. Ball and other religious leaders plan to meet with the Bush Administration, Congressional leaders and Democratic presidential candidates on the emerging religious consensus that fuel economy and pollution from vehicles are serious moral issues and encourage them to raise fuel-economy to 35-40 miles per gallon.