Christian evangelicals becoming more environmentally active: 9-24-19

Since the modern environmental movement kicked off in the late 1960s and, especially, in 1970 with the first Earth Day, people who identify as evangelical Christians have been among those least likely to consider ecological degradation a serious problem and among the most likely to deny that climate change is being affected by human activity.

No doubt there are several reasons for this, including a belief that somehow God would fix things if there really is some kind of climate problem.

But, as this report notes, things are changing in the evangelical world, and more of them, thank goodness, are taking environmental issues more seriously. It's about time.

The story notes that "in recent years, a few leaders have started connecting environmentalism with religion. They’re starting to find a receptive audience among evangelicals."

Among those advocating receptivity is Katharine Hayhoe, whom the story describes as "a prominent climate change scientist and evangelical Christian."

Her view: “As Christians, we believe that we have been given responsibility over every little thing on this planet, and we believe we’re to care for people who are less fortunate than ourselves.”

That wording may sound a little strange, as if only Christians are to be in charge of making sure not just the environment is healthy but also every other aspect of life. I've read about Hayhoe's work before and am convinced that's not what she means. But she could have worded it more clearly.

At any rate, it's good to see at least some evangelicals getting motivated to do what they can to protect the environment. In that, they join Pope Francis, who expressed -- quite eloquently -- his ecological hopes in an encyclical called Laudato Si.

What people of faith are coming to understand more clearly is that stopping environmental degradation requires not just individual action but also systemic approaches.

Let's just hope they haven't learned that lesson too late.

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A SEA CHANGE IN MUSLIM VOTING

Back in the early time of President George W. Bush, American Muslim voters tended to vote Republican. In his 2000 race against Al Gore, for instance, Bush polled 11 points better than Gore among Muslims. But as this Economist piece reports, those days are gone. In the 2016 presidential election, Muslims preferred Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump 78 percent to 8 percent. And it's looking as if whoever the Democratic nominee is for the 2020 race, he or she will have similar Muslim support. Clearly, words and actions have consequences.