NEW ORLEANS — Where would Jesus drill?

Religious leaders who consider environmental protection their mission are making the Gulf of Mexico oil spill a rallying cry, hoping it inspires people of faith to support cleaner energy while changing their personal lives to consume less and contemplate more.

"This is one of those rare moments when you can really focus people's attention on what's happening to God's creation," said Walt Grazer, head of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.

Activists in the movement often described as "green religion" or "eco-theology" are using blogs and news conferences to get the word out.

Believers in the stricken coastal regions are looking at the consequences of the oil's reach and asking what good can come out of it.

During worship services on a recent Sunday, pastor Eddie Painter of Barataria Baptist Church in the fishing village of Lafitte told his congregation a silver lining in the tragedy might be renewed government commitment to restoring the region's battered coastal marshlands.

Painter said, "I think we're called to be good stewards of God's creation, but I have no patience with people who are using the situation to push a political agenda."

The push for an ecological Great Awakening since the oil spill began in April has come from liberals as well as theologically conservative groups such as the Evangelical Environmental Network, which previously sponsored an ad campaign with the slogan "What Would Jesus Drive?" that called for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

In a resolution this month, the Southern Baptist Convention declared that humanity's "God-given dominion over the creation is not unlimited, as though we were gods and not creatures" and called for "energy policies based on prudence, conservation, accountability and safety."

"Caring for creation is an extension of loving your neighbor as yourself," said Russell Moore, dean of Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Ky., who wrote the statement.

For progressive believers, it's an easy sell. But many conservatives consider eco-theology a distraction from the church's primary mission of converting souls — or even a stalking horse for socialism or earth worship.