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Thermal Thursday: Christianity and Environmentalism [1]

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Date: 2022-09-15

A few DKos commenters often complain that progressive Christians don’t make enough noise, which I think is sometimes a valid complaint. So I’ll use this space to discuss progressive Christianity’s views on the issues. These are not my views alone. Note that there are and have long been progressive Christian religio-political groups, some of whom are trying to become more vocal and get more noticed.

Multiple passages in the Bible have been used to justify stewardship of the Earth but also its destruction for our own purposes. The Bible begins in Genesis by telling us to “have dominion over the Earth,” but elsewhere makes clear that this means to tend and protect it. In fact, Revelations predicts that God will destroy “the destroyers of the Earth”. Of course, that particular verse is ignored by those who wish to exploit our resources and ignore climate change.

The modern US Christian environmental movement seems to have begun in the 1980s. There are details at the link:

Although there were scattered statements made in the 1970s, it was against the backdrop of the anti-environmentalism of the Reagan administration that church and religious organizational activity focused on the environment began to increase dramatically.

More recently, several left-wing Christian groups are working to further the cause of environmental protection and fighting climate change. As explained by the Progressive Christianity website (bolding mine):

Progressive Christians are perfectly comfortable holding faith and science in harmony. For example, they believe God created the world but did so through the process of evolution. Rather than being in conflict, they argue that faith and science can peacefully coexist. -snip- Although progressive Christians take the Bible seriously, they don’t always take it literally. For them, affirming “biblical inerrancy” would require impossible beliefs including God’s support of slavery, genocide, and oppression of women. Like most Christians throughout most of church history, when progressive Christians do theology, they turn to Scripture—but also to reason, tradition, and experience. -snip- Progressive Christians care deeply about social issues. For example, most of them support common sense gun safety laws. They advocate full equality for women at home, work, and church—including the right to serve as clergy. In the spirit of Jesus the healer, they seek to expand health care to as many people as possible. They think America should warmly welcome immigrants, as Scripture clearly teaches. They believe racism is deeply embedded in society and that Christians should do everything in our power to eradicate it. Although they affirm individual rights, they also believe in the common good, so they encourage widespread adoption of vaccinations and other safety precautions in the face of pandemics. And they acknowledge the destructive reality of human-made climate change and seek to mitigate its worst consequences.

Elsewhere, one of their authors suggest “walking the stations of the Cross” during Lent whilst contemplating climate change. These include seeking a deeper understanding of the links between climate change and racism, poverty, species extinction, migration, disease, hunger, conflict, and so on. With each “station” is an observation, a prayer, and recommended actions — such as joining with 350.org or the Poor People’s Campaign, or cutting back on utilities and vehicle use.

You may have heard of the Poor People’s Campaign’s but may not have realised that one of their priorities is climate change (bolding mine):

Enact a federal jobs program to build up investments, infrastructure, public institutions, climate resilience, energy efficiency and socially beneficial industries and jobs in poor and low-income communities: Prioritize rural and urban areas that have been hit by deindustrialization, climate disasters and economic crisis. Invest in: socially beneficial sectors (care economy, health care, long-term care, teaching, service sectors)

environmentally sustainable infrastructure jobs that expand and retrofit public and affordable housing, water / sanitation systems, public transit, utilities / broadband access, and sustainable food production and distribution

expand health care and public health infrastructure, training and capacity, including rural hospitals and community care clinics, nursing capacity, EMT, long-term care, mental health and substance abuse

convert vacant properties into affordable public housing

repair and retrofit schools to be energy efficient and climate resilient and otherwise build up teaching and school capacity

What a terrific wish list! This is the movement co-led by Reverend William Barber and recognises that environmental destruction is linked to racism and poverty:

The Campaign challenges the five interlocking issues of systemic racism, systemic poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism and seeks to build an agenda rooted in love, justice, and a moral framework.

And Reverend Barber has the ear of this President. During his inaugural prayer (full text at the link), he focused on the many injustices but linked them and mentioned again:

Grant us wisdom and courage for the facing of this hour until, together, we make sure there is racial justice and economic justice and living-wage justice and health care justice and ecological justice and disability justice and justice for homeless and justice for the poor and low-wealth and working poor and immigrant justice—until we study war no more and peace and justice are the way we live.

Even many right-wingish Christians, although unfortunately not the majority, equate Christian faith with taking action on climate change. The link is to a long but readable article on “conservative” Christian environmental activism. They point out that reaching people to change their views on environmental issues can be difficult when their identity is wrapped up in their politics:

How strong are these political influences? For a large segment of evangelicals, “their statement of faith is written primarily by their politics, and only secondarily by their faith,” said Katharine Hayhoe, the prominent climate scientist and herself an evangelical Christian, who was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people for her work bridging divides. “If the two come in conflict, they will go with their politics over what they claim to believe.”

A lot is being accomplished, however, especially with younger evangelical Christians. Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, for example, are taking the Faithful Action Pledge and volunteering to write, speak, advocate, meet with elected officials, and involve their churches:

We are young evangelicals striving to live out what Jesus said was most important: loving God fully and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Climate change is already impacting our neighbors and God’s creation here in the United States and around the world. We believe God is calling us to faithful action and witness in the midst of the current climate crisis. Therefore, we commit ourselves to living faithfully as good stewards of creation, advocating alongside those who are poor and have been historically oppressed, supporting our faith and political leaders when they stand up for climate action, and mobilizing our generation to join in.

The parent group of the young evangelicals is the Evangelical Environmental Network. Their website can be found here:

Indeed, one cannot fully worship the Creator and at the same time destroy His creation, which was brought into being to glorify Him. Worshiping the Creator and caring for creation is all part of loving God. They are mutually reinforcing activities. It is actually unbiblical to set one against the other.

So there you have it: Don’t let anyone tell you that “Christians don’t believe in climate change”. There are many Christian groups who not only believe in climate change but are actively working to combat it. And if it’s your primary issue of concern, you may want to join one of these progressive Christian groups. Or at least read all the actions they are taking so that you can do likewise!

Ceiling Cat says Make It So:

(h/t Chuas2)

And finally, let’s elevate our Community Cred and repost The Needs List! From Aashirs nani (with permission) on Helping Humpday, with some variations on bolding for variety’s sake (and of course, with a pootie):

When sending via PayPal, be sure to select “Send to family/friend” to avoid fees on either end. Be aware, both donor and recipient, that GFM not only charges fees, but also money received through that platform is treated as taxable income.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/15/2122985/-Thermal-Thursday-Christianity-and-Environmentalism

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