Christianity Can Be Good for the Environment

Book of Nature courtesy of joosmesie / deviantart

In a sermon from 1789, John Wesley attempted to answer the question, “Why has Christianity done so little good in the world?” This question remains relevant more than two centuries later, as environmentally minded Christians wonder why their religion has done so little good for the world. Numerous studies of Christian communities and individuals from the last 50 years show negative correlations between Christianity and environmentally protective beliefs and behaviors. In fact, a 2013 study found that “Christians reported lower levels of environmental concern than non-Christians.” In other words, Christianity is demonstrably bad for the environment.

In 1967, historian Lynn White, Jr., connected the burgeoning environmental crisis to Western Christianity’s patently anthropocentric worldview. In the half century between then and now, theologians have done a substantial amount of work retrieving, analyzing, and reconstructing the Christian tradition in order to find ways in which it might foster behaviors that safeguard the Earth. Most denominations have issued position statements on a wide variety of environmental issues, many congregations have undertaken energy audits and implemented environmental programs, and some individuals have adopted environmentally protective behaviors. All of these groups—scholars, denominational leaders, and individual practitioners—are relating their activism to their faith commitments. On the basis of these and similar activities, some have proposed what Bron Taylor calls the “Greening of Religion Hypothesis”: the belief that more environmentally aware religions can and do inspire more environmentally protective behavior, and that they “are critically important in the quest for environmentally sustainable societies.” Unfortunately, as mentioned above, social-scientific studies of Christian communities do not seem to support this hypothesis. Despite the work being done by individuals, it appears that Christianity more generally is not yet the positive force for environmental good that we might like it to be.

The extant literature indicates that Christians are less likely to hold pro-environmental beliefs or engage in pro-environmental behavior, but it does not answer the question of why this is so. While some might argue that Christianity itself is bad for the environment, or ineffective at changing the behavior of its adherents, I would argue that the data offers greater grounds for hoping that it can be redeemed. I suggest that Christianity has not been good for the environment because most Christians are not being introduced to the idea that environmental concerns are religious issues. If this is correct, reform lies in the hands of local religious leaders.

In 2014, the Public Religion Research Institute and the American Academy of Religion published a study about religion’s impact on attitudes toward climate change. While only half of the general population reported being somewhat or very concerned about climate change, those numbers increased to 73 percent of Hispanic Catholics and 58 percent of black Protestants. This increased concern correlates to increased attention from their clergy: 70 percent of Hispanic Catholics and 51 percent of black Protestants report that their clergy leaders speak about climate change from the pulpit. In contrast, only 30 percent of white Protestants report that their pastors speak about the issue of climate change, which seems to depress congregational concern: just 43 percent of white mainline Protestants and 35 percent of white evangelical Protestants were somewhat or very concerned about climate change.

This pastoral neglect extends beyond the politically charged issue of climate change to encompass all environmental issues. In 2008, a Barna Group survey found that “89% of Christians and 85% of churchgoers had never ‘heard the phrase creation care’…most churchgoers (64%) reported that they had never heard any sermons ‘about how Christians should respond to environmental issues.’”

It is true that many denominations can point to official position papers that assert the importance of creation and our responsibility to care for it properly, and that the pope, patriarch, and numerous councils of bishops have made statements about the importance of caring for creation. It is not at all clear, however, that those statements have any impact on the behavior of their members. It is unlikely that parishioners will view environmental problems as issues of religious concern if their clergy remain mute on the subject.

David W. Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, stated that “All education is environmental education,” and this applies to religious education. When we offer religious instruction without addressing the environment, we reinforce the idea that ecological concerns are not religious ones. How we read scripture, and what doctrines we affirm, affects how we understand the environment. Not just the doctrine of creation, but the ways in which we talk about the human condition, salvation, Christology, and eschatology all affect how we understand and relate to other parts of this world. Recognizing this, many theological schools have begun to incorporate environmental education into their general curriculum. In 2017, STH joined the third cohort of schools pursuing certification from the Green Seminary Initiative, a project that involves integrating environmental education into all aspects of theological training. This initiative, and others like it, will help prepare future faith leaders to address some of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. These problems, however, are too serious to wait for the next generation to address. When local Christian leaders take up environmental issues, their congregations do as well.