Climate change is no hoax, conspiracy theory, or myth. It is real and happening now. Mounting scientific evidence proves that global temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, and there is no natural cause behind it. The average global temperature has risen by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since the 20th century. Glaciers are melting and sea ice is shrinking, and sea levels could potentially rise three feet by the year 2100. The amount of carbon dioxide, a gas that warms the atmosphere, found in the air has nearly increased by half since the 1960’s. Weather patterns are wreaking havoc and animal and plant species have already started to vanish (National Geographic, “Seven things to know about climate change”). Features of the Christian world view, such as their deep-seated beliefs in anthropocentricism, and the different interpretations of stewardship and worshiping in a “pagan” approach, help explain why some Christians reject environmentalism and refuse to take climate change seriously.
Studies conducted by political scientist, Matthew B. Arbuckle, and public policy expert, David M. Konisky, have found that as a group, American Christians have less concern for the environment as than those that are non-Christian. Along with this, it was also reported that those claiming higher levels of religious commitment also claimed to have lower levels of concern for the environment (Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 19). This correlates with the idea that Christians are deeply anthropocentric, or the belief that, “Humans are separate from, and superior to, nature, and that God has given humans license to multiply without limit and to dominate and exploit the rest of creation (Zaleha & Szasz, pg.20).”
This interpretation was born directly from the bible. Genesis 1.26-30 reads, “So God created human kind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the Earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the Earth’.” Because of this, some Christians believe that the Earth is theirs to do as they please, and that entertaining the idea of climate change or supporting environmentalism goes against the teachings of the church.
However, anthropocentrism alone doesn’t explain why Christians reject the idea of climate change, and part of the blame can be attributed to the different interpretations of environmental ‘stewardship,’ and worshiping in a pagan manner. To fully understand, some background history is needed. Richard Elliot, a Hebrew Bible scholar, states that ancient Israelites were the first to believe in a single god, whereas Pagan religions at the time personified the forces of nature and called them gods. Elliot claims that, “The Israelites conceived a God above and beyond the now desacralized forces of nature (Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 21).” In Paul of Tarsus’s New Testament Epistle to the Romans, he wrote, “God had abandoned pagans because they ‘worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator (Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 22).’” This solidifies the early Christian ideas that there is an unequivocal divide between God and nature, and to idolize nature was to commit idolatry.
The differing denominations of Christianity decipher what it means to have stewardship over the Earth in different ways. On one side of the scale you have the views from the United Methodist Church, which recently stated, “As a matter of stewardship and justice, Christians must take action now to reduce global warming pollution(Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 23).” Coinciding with this is the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis released a statement in 2015 stating, “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications,” and said that, “Our concerns for the environment direct us to be stewards of all creation (Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 23).” These denominations clearly believe that the call to take better care of the Earth is urgent and must be answered quickly.
On the other hand, there are the more conservative Southern Baptists, who have a position near complete denial on climate change. Statements have been made in attempt to completely separate themselves from pagan ideas. The Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Policy Statement, “defines stewardship as lying somewhere between two extremes, ‘using nature without any reservations, leading to environment destruction,’ and, ‘a pantheistic view of the world that puts nature at the center of the universe rather than God (Zaleha & Szasz, pg. 23).’” In, fact there are even movements with the goal of stamping out the religious and political environmentalism movement, which is known as the “Green Dragon (Resisting the Green Dragon, Lecture 10/30/17).”
Those who share this view believe that environmentalism elevates nature above the needs of the human race, and see it as the greatest threat to society and the church. Dr. James Tonkowich states, “Taking care of the Earth sounds like a good idea and it is a good idea, what people don’t understand is that environmentalism is its own worldview (Resisting the Green Dragon, Lecture 10/30/17).” They believe that environmentalism offers its own false doctrines of god, creation, and humanity. According to these people, climate change is hoax fabricated to gain power, as whoever controls environmental regulations controls the economy and therefore the population (Resisting the Green Dragon, Lecture 10/30/17).
The denominations of Christianity may disagree on how severe climate change is, but there is no doubt a problem. Some Christians might reject environmentalism and refuse to take climate change seriously due to the belief in anthropocentrism, or the thought that humans are separate and superior to nature, and that God have humanity permission to dominate the rest of creation and multiply without limit. However, this alone doesn’t explain why Christians reject climate change and part of the blame can be attributed to the different interpretations of “stewardship,” and what it means to worship in a pagan manner. All hope is not lost, as there are still measures that can be taken to reverse climate change. One hundred and ninety-five countries have already signed the Paris Agreement, promising to try and keep the warming of the Earth below 2 degrees Celsius (National Geographic, “Seven things to know about climate change”). With this, and other proactive measures, humanity will be on the right track.
Originally published 15.10.2019