The climate and environmental crises are severe, immediate and complex problems that will have great effects on the planet and its people. As a Christian organization, BioLogos understands that humans have been given a responsibility to care for and serve our neighbors, both human and non-human.
Christian Leadership in Imagining a New Environmental Future
The particular challenges we are facing, such as the increased burden on the poor, hungry and homeless, call specifically to Christian communities to be leaders in imagining new ways forward. Sadly, many people who identify as Christian are skeptical of the evidence for climate change or reluctant to act. Just 8% of Christians actively discuss climate change in their churches, and only 32% accept the science of climate change.
It is time for Christians to take this calling seriously, flipping the script on the role of Christianity in the environmental crisis. We know that apathy and despair have long been particularly problematic responses to the environmental crisis, leading to inaction, mental health issues, and social conflict. Christian teaching provides a framework that can help to counter these responses.
The Christian community at its best has the potential to be a world leader in climate and environmental solutions:
- The Bible clearly calls Christians to care for and protect the natural world, and to care for those who are poor, hungry, and homeless—the very people most impacted by the climate and environmental crises.
- Christians have a long tradition and practice of spiritual discipline that cultivate hope and other virtues, even when outcomes are uncertain.
- Christians are a large and committed force of human labor, charitable giving, and volunteerism.
- Christians are a large political and financial block that could drive large scale policy changes and private sector environmental solutions.
Why BioLogos?
With the trust built around BioLogos as a reliable source of scientific information for Christians, we are well-positioned to leverage our ties to evangelical communities and large Christian organizations to motivate action. We can draw on a deep Christian theology of hope to communicate the messages of science in ways that combat despair and help people find their place in working toward solutions, even while recognizing the weight and complexity of the problems we face.
BioLogos has built a network of the leading voices in science and faith around issues of climate and environment from a variety of academic disciplines and has established relationships with many on-the-ground conservation groups. We can lead our audience toward these resources, equipped with the appropriate scientific understanding and the faith components to allow for the persistence, passion, and hope that our situation calls for.
Why Should Christians Care for Creation?
Christians should care for creation because of our love for others, our love for God, and our hope for the future. Change will not always be easy, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
Creation Groans: A Language of God Podcast Series
How should we respond to a problem that seems unsolvable? This is the question we ask in a series about the environmental crisis as we explore the fine line between hope and despair.