National Evangelical Group Makes Urgent Climate Call to Christians

The National Association of Evangelicals, or NAE, says it's a Christian responsibility to combat man-made climate change.

In a 50-page report issued this week, NAE leaders addressed the scientific evidence of the "reality of climate change" and the role of greenhouse gas emissions in that process.

The report  — "Loving the Least of These" — also covered climate change from the theological and personal perspectives, while outlining biblical arguments for environmental stewardship.

"The earth brings glory to God, and God continues to care for and sustain the natural processes of the world. The psalmist says: 'Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul' (Psalm 103:22)," the report states. "Because God's glory is revealed in creation, we should be intentional about caring for his artistry."

The NAE represents 45,000 evangelical churches. The organization first voiced the perceived dangers of climate change in a 2011 report. 

"These realities increase the urgency to understand the impacts of a changing environment on those who are increasingly vulnerable," said Dorothy Boorse, lead author of the 2011 study.

A Pew Research survey from earlier this year revealed that more than half of white evangelicals acknowledged the role of human activity in climate change.

But that figure pales in comparison to the percentage of Hispanic Catholics (86%), Black Protestants (81%), white Catholics (73%), and white nonevangelicals (72%) who acknowledge humans' role in climate change.

Three years ago, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication released its own findings on the link between climate change urgency and the Christian movement.

For the article, "A Social Identity Approach to Engaging Christians in the Issue of Climate Change," researchers deduced that those of the Christian faith derive their own values from a "sense of self, and social norms from the groups to which they belong."

The national survey also found that among Christians, one of the greatest motivators to fighting climate change involves the protection of "God's creation." 

Also, experimental data had indicated that stewardship messages about protecting God's creation lead Christians in the U.S. to "increasingly view environmental protection as a moral and religious issue and to increase their belief in the social norm that other Christians care about environmental protection."

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