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Is Christian Theology to Blame for the Climate?
Should theists become naturalists to help save the planet? Jim Mason on Medium argues that theistic belief in providence results in a rejection of responsibility for the earth. Is he and others who criticize Christians and Christian belief right to see in this faith a cause for climate change?
The deep divides found in our nation and far beyond today have many causes, but one of the greatest is the concern about the future of this tiny blue speck in the cosmos we call home. There are those who consider climate change a human-caused existential crisis of unprecedented proportions, sort of an updated version of the Permian Extinction which saw the loss of about 90% of species on the earth. There are others who believe it is a politically-motivated and largely unsubstantiated assault on our way of life and that the misguided overreaction will result in far more harm than is justified by the facts.
I have no desire to wade into the politics or the science of climate change. My interest in this my concern that one of the many reasons for the widespread discomfort with traditional Christianity in Europe and North America is related to the issue of climate change. I mention Europe and North America because while Christianity is seen to be in decline in these areas, in other parts of the world it is growing. This is certainly not caused by the…
