Earlier this month, Darren Dochuk, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, wrote in the Washington Post about the historical intersection of crude oil and Christianity.
In the 1970s and 1980s, several important Evangelical ministers in Texas became independent oilers, and found a way to combine this with their faith. Specifically, these ministers “heralded church autonomy and gospel teachings about prosperity and end times, a message that anticipated the violent disruptions of the oil age and the need to save souls and reap God’s — and the earth’s — riches before the world’s end.”
Fast forward a couple decades, and those in the Trump administration are following in this tradition. At an event in Texas back in April, Vice President Pence talked about the “vast natural God-given resources” in the area--and he wasn’t talking about wind and solar.
Even our old friend Scott Pruitt used this rhetoric in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network when he was still the head of the EPA. Pruitt said his environmental views were influenced by a “biblical worldview,” and that “we have a responsibility to manage and cultivate, harvest the natural resources”.
With this history in mind, it's not surprising that Evangelicals in particular have low levels of belief in climate change, with only 28% of white Evangelicals believing climate change is human caused, compared to 57% of the general public. But in recent years, it appears the tide may be turning. And new research can show us how to engage Christians on this issue.
Earlier this month, a study was published in the journal Science Communication that analyzes which messages are effective in getting Christians to care about the environment and combating climate change. These are potentially very powerful findings: almost 70% of the population in the US identifies as Christian.
The study found that besides the idea of protecting the planet for your kids and grandkids, the most common response when asked why we should mitigate climate change was to “protect God’s creation.” The study also found that using a “stewardship frame” was an effective way to increase support for the environment as it made respondents see it as “a moral and religious issue.”
Climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe is ahead of the curve on this. A recent Washington Post profile of Hayhoe explored how she uses her Evangelical faith to convince others to care about the issue. She utilized the stewardship frame at a Citizens’ Climate Lobby conference, saying “We are called to tend the garden and be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us.” But she also expanded beyond just this conversation message, explaining that “We care about people who are suffering today — poverty, hunger and more. And those are the exact values we need to care about a changing climate.”
Fortunately, she’s not the only one that has expanded beyond the traditional stewardship and conservation focus to incorporate justice into the reasoning.
The Huffington Post’s Alexander Kauffman recently reported that the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, which together represent almost 6,000 congregations, endorsed the Green New Deal. And Evangelicals are getting in on the (climate) action too, with a group called the Young Evangelicals for Climate Action also announcing their support for the resolution, along with the Young Evangelicals for Social Action, who praised the GND because it “reflects biblical principles.”
So while Pruitt and Pence may being running to reap the earth’s riches before the world ends, something tells us the big guy would be on the side of those not actively destroying his creation.
After all, per the Book of Revelation, that’s his job!