Evangelical environmentalism is an environmental movement in which some Evangelical Christians have emphasized biblical mandates concerning humanity's role as steward and subsequent responsibility for the care taking of Creation. While the movement has focused on different environmental issues, it is best known for its focus of addressing climate action from a biblically-grounded theological perspective.
Some Evangelical groups have allied with environmentalists in teaching knowledge and developing awareness of global warming.
Overview
Evangelical environmentalists are committed to the authority of the Bible. Drawing from Genesis 2:15, humans are seen as caretakers (stewards) of God's Creation. Genesis states: "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." Richard T. Ritenbaugh writes, "Tend ('abad in Hebrew pronunciation) means "to work or serve", and thus referring to the ground or a garden, it can be defined as "to till or cultivate". It possesses the nuance seen in the King James Version's choice in its translation: "dress", implying adornment, embellishment, and improvement. Keep (Hebrew shamar) means "to exercise great care over".
From an Evangelical environmentalist perspective, the response to the ecological crisis involves the restoration of correct doctrine, the restoration of Christianity as guide, and a balancing of the Bible and biology. It is important to Evangelical environmentalists that they are not seen as worshiping nature; they feel obligated to the stewardship of creation because of their focus on the creator of nature.
In Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet Merritt states the Noah Covenant is God entering a Covenant with all the Earth by citing Gen 9:9-10. Merritt continues from Gen 2:15 ... "Cultivate it and keep it" New American Standard Bible "Tend it and watch over it" New Living Translation "Work it and keep it" English Standard Version "Take care of it and to look after it" Holman Christian Standard Bible "Till it and watch keep it" Revised Standard Version "Work the ground and keep it in order" The Message (Bible)
Specific actions
Many American religious organizations have a long record of opposing nuclear weapons. Rejecting the development and use of nuclear weapons is "...one of the most widely shared convictions across faith traditions". In the 1980s religious groups organized large anti-nuclear protests involving hundreds of thousands of people, and specific groups involved included the Southern Baptist Convention and the Episcopal Church.
In February 2006, a group of 86 notable U.S. evangelical Christian leaders launched the Evangelical Climate Initiative, a campaign for environmental reform, calling on all Christians to push for federal legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to stem global warming.
Televangelist Pat Robertson changed his stance on global warming. In October 2005, Robertson accused the Evangelical Climate Initiative of teaming up with "far-left environmentalists", but in the summer of 2006 on his 700 Club television show, Robertson stated that "they're making a convert out of me". He also said "We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels."
In March 2008, a group of Southern Baptist leaders issued a statement that their denomination had been timid when it came to environmental issues and that they have a duty to stop global warming. This declaration was signed by the President of the congregation. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States with 16.3 million members.
Michael Banach, the Vatican representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a Vienna conference in 2011 that the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster created new safety concerns about nuclear plants globally. Auxiliary bishop of Osaka Michael Goro Matsuura said this nuclear power disaster should encourage Japan and other countries to abandon nuclear projects. He called on worldwide Christian solidarity to provide wide support for an anti-nuclear campaign. Statements from bishops' conferences in Korea and the Philippines called on their governments to abandon atomic power. Columban priest Fr Seán McDonagh has written a book entitled Is Fukushima the Death Knell for Nuclear Energy?. Nobel laureate Kenzaburō Ōe has said Japan should quickly abandon its nuclear reactors.