Christian Statements on Climate Change

The Christian Post: "Climate Change: Evangelical Scientists Say Limbaugh Wrong, Faith and Science Compliment One Another"

In response to an earlier assertion by a nationally known radio talk show host that one cannot be Christian and 'believe in climate change', Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and Dr. Thomas Ackerman wrote in The Christian Post 8/31/2013.

"...For us, global warming is not a matter of belief - it is about applying our understanding of science to the climate of this planet. The author of Hebrews tells us, "faith is … the evidence of things not seen." We believe in God through faith. Science, on the other hand, is the evidence of our eyes. We can measure the extent to which natural levels of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere regulate and maintain our climate. We can track how excess heat-trapping gases, beyond what would naturally occur, are being added to the atmosphere every day by human activities. We can calculate how this artificially warms the Earth's surface, increasing risks of extreme heat, rain, and drought. We can see how these impacts often fall disproportionately on those with the least resources to adapt, the very people we are told to care for by our faith...."

The National Association of Evangelicals has put together a booklet that is downloadable as a pdf titled Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment. Dorothy Boorse, lead author describes this booklet:

"This document covers four ideas: a biblical basis for Christian engagement, a look at changing environments around the world, insight into how environmental variances affect the poor, and thoughts on what Christians should do.Each section includes text and examples, and each ends with a reflection from an expert to further the discussion."

The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) is a ministry that "educates, inspires, and mobilizes Christians in their effort to care for God's creation, to be faithful stewards of God's provision, and to advocate for actions and policies that honor God and protect the environment." Their 20 year old ministry is "grounded in the Bible's teaching on the responsibility of God's people to "tend the garden" through a faithful walk with our Lord Jesus Christ. Based in the scriptures."

From the Presbyterian Mission Ministries: “…God's work in creation is too wonderful, too ancient, too beautiful, too good to be desecrated...Restoring creation is God's own work in our time, in which God comes both to judge and to restore...” —PC(USA) Environmental Policy

From The United Methodists:

"All creation is under the authority of God and all creation is interdependent. Our covenant with God requires us to be stewards, protectors, and defenders of all creation. The use of natural resources is a universal concern and responsibility of all as reflected in Psalm 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."

The United Church of Christ's Resolution on Climate Change from 2007:

"..THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod of the United Church of Christ admits Christian complicity in the damage human beings have caused to the earth's climate system and other planetary life systems, and urges recommitment to the Christian vocation of responsible stewardship of God's creation, and expresses profound concern for the pending environmental, economic, and social tragedies threatened by global warming, to creation, human communities and traditional sacred spaces;..."

The Evangelical Lutheran Church statement on the Environment: Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice
includes these stirring words in response to the climate crisis:

"Our tradition offers many glimpses of hope triumphant over despair. In ancient Israel, as Jerusalem was under siege and people were on the verge of exile, Jeremiah purchased a plot of land (Jer 32). When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the world were to end tomorrow, he reportedly answered, "I would plant an apple tree today." When we face today's crisis, we do not despair. We act." (emphasis mine)

The Unitarian Universalist's statement on the Injustice of Global Climate Change:

"...The U.S. constitutes 5% of the world's population, yet we consume 25% of the world's fossil fuel resources. The U.S. constitutes 5% of the world's population, yet we produce 25% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.... The injustice of global climate change is that those who contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions are still the first to suffer. Those who contribute the most must recognize our responsibility for the suffering."

Ezekiel 34:2-4.
Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! 

Should not the shepherds take care of the flock? 

You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, 

but you did not take care of the flock! 

You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. 

You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. 

You have ruled them harshly and brutally.