Why many evangelicals believe climate change is a hoax
A scan of the planet from 2013 as part of a study looking at rising temperatures. Photo courtesy of NASA.
NEW YORK — Millions around the world walked out of their workplaces and classrooms recently to join the global climate strike. The movement, which has gained much support in the past few weeks, was meant to encourage political representatives to action regarding environmentally-friendly policies.
Spearheading this global movement has been Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old from Sweden. The teen has been protesting in her home country since last year. Since then, she’s risen to international fame. Thunberg has been on the cover of several magazines and served as one of the primary figureheads of these global protests. She’s received almost unanimous support — but not from those who believe climate change is a hoax. Among them: some evangelical Christians.
Pastor Robert Jeffress, a member of Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board, appeared on Fox News to discuss the movement.
“Somebody needs to read poor Greta Genesis, Chapter 9 and tell her the next time she worries about global warming, just look at a rainbow. That's God's promise that the polar ice caps aren't going to melt and flood the world again,” he said in response to the Sept. 20 protests.
Many evangelical Christians, polls show, agree with Jeffress in believing God’s the one who has the whole world in his hands. Others who also oppose the possibility of climate change are convinced it is a hoax — and it’s not always connected to religion.
How many evangelicals believe climate change is a hoax?
In 2015, Pew Research asked American adults, of varying religious faith traditions, their view on climate change. They were divided into four groups: those who believe climate change is caused by human activity, those who believe it’s being caused by natural phenomenon, those who believe there’s no solid evidence the Earth is getting warmer, and those who aren’t sure.
Of white evangelicals surveyed, 37 percent said they believe there’s no solid evidence the planet is getting warmer — this is higher than all other religious groups polled.
Additionally, only 28 percent believe climate change is caused by human activity — a lower number than all other groups surveyed. By comparison, Catholics who are Hispanic, at 77 percent, say the Earth is warming due to human activity. Overall, 50 percent of U.S. adults, on average, said they believe the human activity causes climate change. Another 25 percent believe there’s no solid evidence.
Why do evangelicals tend to deny climate change?
The reason, rather than being fully religious, has more to do with politics. The seemingly unbreakable bond between evangelicals and political conservatism can be traced back to the Moral Majority — founded by the late Jerry Falwell — during the Reagan years of the 1980s, which encouraged Christians to advocate for more traditional values in politics.
At the beginning, these values included opposing gay rights, abortion and the teaching of evolution in schools. As many of the leaders of this movement tended to be members of the conservative right, a link was formed between those who are theologically and politically conservative — whether or not these two ideologies always align within the individual. Rather than only focusing on a few issues, being an evangelical Christian now almost seems to require being politically conservative, too. That includes in issues such as climate change during the Trump years.
Robin Veldman, author of a new book, The Gospel of Climate Skepticism: Why Evangelical Christians Oppose Action on Climate Change, explored this topic in depth.
“Part of being a part of the evangelical community is showing that you keep good theologically conservative company,” he told Newsweek, “and environmentalism is associated with being liberal.”
These ideologies explain part of the reason why evangelicals are one of the largest identifiable groups who oppose the climate change movement. But while they may be the loudest voice, evangelicals aren’t united in proving climate change is a hoax.
The Young Evangelicals for Climate Change are one evangelical group that believes they have a role in encouraging policies that preserve the environment. As the group says in their mission statement: “We commit ourselves to living faithfully as good stewards of creation, advocating on behalf of the poor and marginalized, supporting our faith and political leaders when they stand up for climate action, and mobilizing our generation to join in.”
Jillian Cheney is a student at The King’s College in New York City. She is currently the editor of EST Magazine, a student-run campus publication, and president of the school’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.