Christian views on environmentalism

Christianity has a long historical tradition of reflection on nature and human responsibility. Christianity has a strong tendency toward anthropocentrism, as emphasized in the early environmentalist critique of Lynn Townsend White, Jr. While some Christians favor a more biocentric approach, Catholic officials and others seek to retain an emphasis on humanity while incorporating environmental concerns within a framework of Creation Care. Christian environmentalists emphasize the ecological responsibilities of all Christians as stewards of God's earth.

Beginning with the verse Genesis 1:26–28, God instructs humanity to manage the creation in particular ways.

" And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."[6]

Adam's early purpose was to give care to the Garden of Eden:

" And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2:15)

Green Christians point out that the biblical emphasis is on stewardship, not ownership—that the earth remains the Lord's (Psalms 24:1) and does not belong to its human inhabitants. Leviticus 25:23 states:

"The land must not be sold permanently because the land is mine, and you are but aliens and my tenants."[7]

As a result of the doctrine of stewardship, Christian environmentalists oppose policies and practices that threaten the health or survival of the planet. Of particular concern to such Christians are the current widespread reliance on non-renewable resources, habitat destruction, pollution, and all other factors that contribute to climate change or otherwise threaten the health of the ecosystem. Due to these positions, many Christian environmentalists have broken tiers with conservative political leaders.[8]

The Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church have strong beliefs about the need for environmental awareness and actions. Reducing carbon footprints and moving toward sustainable living are priorities.[9] The British have played a leading role in the modern environmentalist movement, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1995 created an NGO, known as the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, to change the views of religions on environmentalism and global warming. For many years, an Anglican headed it up, the Secretary-General, Martin Palmer.[10]

As the scientific community has presented evidence of climate change, some members of the evangelical community and other Christian groups have emphasized the need for Christian ecology, often employing the phrase "creation care" to indicate the religious basis of their project. Some of these groups are now interdenominational, having begun from an evangelical background and then gained international and interdenominational prominence with increased public awareness of environmental issues. Organizations that have their roots in the evangelical Christian community include A Rocha, the Evangelical Climate Initiative, and the Evangelical Environmental Network.

Some prominent members of the so-called Christian right have broken with the Bush administration and other conservative politicians over the issue of climate change. Christianity Today endorsed the McCain-Lieberman Bill, which was eventually defeated by the Republican Congress and opposed by Bush. According to the magazine, "Christians should make it clear to governments and businesses that we are willing to adapt our lifestyles and support steps towards changes that protect our environment."[16] The increasing Christian support for strong positions on climate change and related issues has been referred to as "The Greening of Evangelicals."[17] Many Christians have expressed dissatisfaction with leadership they feel places the interests of big businesses over Christian doctrine.[18]

Many conservative evangelical Christians have embraced climate change denialism or maintained a neutral stance due to the lack of internal consensus on such issues. The Cornwall Alliance is an organization that takes an opposing view on the issue to the Evangelical Climate Initiative. The National Association of Evangelicals has stated that "global warming is not a consensus issue" and is internally divided on the Christian response to climate change.

The Latter Day Saint movement has a complex relationship with environmental concerns, involving not only religion but politics and economics.[19][20] Mormon environmentalists find theological reasons for stewardship and conservationism through biblical and additional scriptural references including a passage from the Doctrine and Covenants: "And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion".[21] In terms of environmentally friendly policies, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has some history of conservationist policies for their meetinghouses and other buildings.[22][23] The church first placed solar panels on a church meetinghouse in the Tuamotu Islands in 2007.[24] In 2010, the church unveiled five LEED certified meetinghouse prototypes that are being used for future meetinghouse designs around the world, the first one having been completed in 2010 in Farmington, Utah.[25]

Major Lutheran Synods acknowledge that the Bible calls us to care for God's creation. The dominion that God gave His human creatures has often been abused, carried out to the detriment of creation: loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, environmental damage, etc. We are called to live according to God's wisdom in creation with his other creatures. Sustainable living is needed.[26][27]

Environmental stewardship remains a deep commitment for many Presbyterians. Many mid-twentieth century progressive conservationists were Presbyterian or raised in the Presbyterian faith.[28]

Two of many such men and women of nature were John Muir and William Keith. Both Muir, the noted father of national parks, and Keith, a landscape artist, were raised in staunch Calvinist Presbyterian homes in Scotland during the nineteenth century. Besides his establishment of the Sierra Club, Muir particularly had a passion for the study of natural theology. Keith, in contrast, expressed his devotion to God through painting. Muir highly appreciated Keith's work and praised it as “a kind of inspired bible of the mountain.” Another early Presbyterian conservationist supporter was Carleton Watkins, a New York photographer responsible for many of Yosemite's iconic images, which helped build public support in the days of the national park's founding.[28] Their Reformed spiritual upbringing informed their ideas about nature and that humanity's role was as God's keeper of the land.[29]

Calvinist theology, which emphasizes God's sovereignty over creation, inspired such environmentalists to see God's glory in nature. Seeing that Calvinists like Presbyterians believe in God's sustaining power, they consider that the Divine intimately relates to the created order through providence. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin further taught that nature acted as the most apparent medium of God's revelation outside of Sacred Scripture.[30] The Westminster Confession of Faith echoes this teaching in the first chapter on Holy Scripture and the fourth on creation.[31]

The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, has a rich history of environmental concern. Inspired by the testimony of stewardship, Friends have sought to practice ethical economics and creation care since the earliest days of the Society's founding.[35]

Quakers have continued to express environmental concerns to this day. Numerous organizations and initiatives unite Quakers in the cause of environmental sustainability.

Founded in 1987 as the Friends Committee on Unity with Nature and later named Quaker Earthcare Witness, the organization remains active in calling attention to the current ecological crises.[36] Based on Quaker convictions, the organization argues that the deeper cause of environmental problems has resulted from a more profound spiritual crisis of human separation from the land.[37]

The Earth Quaker Action Team is a non-violent protest organization that engages in the fight for ecojustice.[38] Numerous news stories have highlighted the groups’ demonstrations. Energy companies that they view as ecologically harmful are often the targets of opposition. For example, in 2016, the Quaker activist group pressured the Philadelphia-based power company, PECO, to utilize solar.[39] Another notable protest was in 2010 - Bank Like Appalachia Matters, or (BLAM!), which called for the PNC Bank to end financing industries engaged in mountaintop coal mining. By 2015, the EQAT was successful with its demands, and the bank ceased financing such enterprises.[40]

Catholic environmental activists have found support in teachings by Pope Paul VI (Octogesima adveniens, #21) and Pope John Paul II (e.g., the encyclical Centesimus annus, #37–38).

Pope Francis has published an encyclical named Laudato si' (Be Praised), which aims to inspire everyone – not just Roman Catholics – to protect the Earth. He endorses climate action and has made cases on Christian environmentalism several times. "Take good care of creation. St. Francis wanted that. People occasionally forgive, but nature never does. If we don’t care for the environment, there’s no way of getting around it."[41]

During a meeting with French President François Hollande in January 2014, Pope Francis shared his ongoing efforts in crafting an encyclical focused on the environment. An encyclical, regarded as the most developed and authoritative form of papal teaching, carries significant weight within the Catholic Church. Subsequently, the Vatican confirmed Francis' determination to present the first-ever encyclical exclusively dedicated to environmental concerns. During a lecture at the University of Molise in July 2014, Francis characterized environmental damage as "one of the greatest challenges of our times."[41]

The Seventh-day Adventist church is committed to environmental stewardship[42][43] as well as taking action to avoid the dangers of climate change.[44]

According to its official statement, the church "advocates a simple, wholesome lifestyle, where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled over-consumption, accumulation of goods, and production of waste. A lifestyle reformation is called for, based on respect for nature, restraint in using the world's resources, reevaluating one's needs, and reaffirming the dignity of created life."[45]

In 2010, Loma Linda University, one of the church's most prominent universities, introduced the Loma Linda University Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Studies. The center aims to address the comparative lack of environmental concern among Christians by increasing awareness of environmental issues. The center features animal displays representing global biodiversity hotspots of particular concern. Also, it introduces visitors to original scientific research conducted in the school's biology, geology, and natural sciences departments.

The Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative is an independent coalition of Southern Baptist pastors, leaders, and laypersons who believe in stewardship that is both biblically rooted and intellectually informed, and the Convention has published positions on scripturally-mandated stewardship of the environment.[46]

The United Methodist Church believes in the need for environmental stewardship. For Christians, the idea of sustainability flows directly from the biblical call to human beings to be stewards of God's creation.[47]

• Allen, R. S., E. Castano, and P. D. Allen. (2007) Conservatism and concern for the environment. Quarterly Journal of Ideology 30(3/4):1-25.
• Dewitt, Calvin B. (May 1994). Earth-Wise: A Biblical Response to Environmental Issues. Faith Alive Christian Resources. ISBN 1-56212-057-3.
• Elizabeth Breuilly (Author) with editor Martin Palmer. (1992) Christianity and Ecology ISBN 978-0-304-32374-6
• Ialenti, Vincent & Meridian 180. "Toward a Global Intellectual Response to Pope Francis' Environmental Thought." Religious Left Law. 1/18/2016.
• Konisky, D. M., J. Milyo, and L. E. Richardson, Jr. (2008) Environmental policy attitudes: issues, geographic scale, and political trust. Social Science Quarterly 89:1066–1085.
• Frederick Krueger, American editor. (2012) Greening the Orthodox Parish: A Handbook for Christian Ecological Practice ISBN 978-1469949369
• Guth, J. L., J. C. Green, L. A. Kellstedt, and C. E. Smidt. (1995) Faith and the environment: religious beliefs and attitudes on environmental policy. American Journal of Political Science 39:364–382.
• McCright, A. M., and R. E. Dunlap. (2003) Defeating Kyoto: the conservative movement's impact on U.S. climate change policy. Social Problems 50:348–373.
• Merritt, Jonathan. (2010) Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet ISBN 978-0-446-55725-2
• Schultz, P. W., L. Zelezny, and N. J. Dalrymple. (2000) A multinational perspective on the relation between Judeo-Christian religious beliefs and attitudes of environmental concern. Environment and Behavior 32:576–591.
• Wilkinson, Katharine K. (2012) Between God & Green Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-989588-5

• Creation Care Reading Room, Tyndale Seminary resources for Christian environmental ethics
• Various resources relating to Christianity and the environment
• A Rocha – An international Christian nature conservation organization
• Christian Environmental Association
• Care of Creation Inc., an evangelical environmental organization
• Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations, http://cfr.org/religion.
• "Conservative Evangelicals embrace God and green: Why some right-leaning evangelical Christians have become true believers in climate change. God and green go together, these conservatives say"
• Islam, Christianity, and the Environment
• Climate For Change: What the church can do about global warming by Elizabeth Groppe America 26 March 2012
• Radio Interview with Dr. Heather Eaton on the issue of Christianity, Ecological Literacy and the Environmental Crisis, University of Toronto, 13 July 2007.
• Global Heat Wave 10 September 2012 issue commentary by the Editors America published by Jesuits
• The Catholic Climate Covenant
• Evangelical Leaders Urge Action on Climate Change on NPR
• Prince Charles discusses the environment with the Pope, Associated Press, 27 April 2009.
• Creationism.org – Christian Stewardship of the Environment