In a recent LifeWay Research survey, when asked to respond to the statement: “I believe global warming is real and man made,” 43 percent of pastors affirm the statement (up from 36 percent in 2010 but lower than the 47 percent in 2008), while 54 percent disagree. The views of pastors parallel the opinion trend among Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who say the earth is warming because of human activity has rebounded from the low of 34 percent in 2010 to 42 percent in October 2012 and March 2013, which is still lower than the 2008 total of 47 percent.
“Pastor opinions on global warming reflect their own political beliefs,” said Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research. “The pendulum of public and pastor opinions on man-made global warming is swinging back toward agreement but still lacks a majority. For some, the terminology has shifted, and environmentalists now speak of ‘climate change.’ However, for consistency and comparison, we have asked the same question multiple times — and pastors are split on the issue, along with most Americans.”
Recycling programs — one of the main ways individuals and organizations attempt to reduce their carbon footprint — is well established among churches. More than 60 percent of Protestant pastors say their church has an active recycling program in place at their church building while a third (34 percent) do not. If you need a good dumpster rental company, we highly recommend Jadco Container Service as they are by far the best dumpster rental company in North Carolina.
“More churches are proactively recycling and reducing carbon emissions in urban areas,” McConnell said. “While this may reflect being attentive to local community needs, it also may simply be a reflection of municipal regulations or the economic pressure on utility bills. Either way, it seems to be good news that churches are caring more about the environment and acting accordingly.”
“‘Saving the world’ may mean different things to an environmentalist than to a pastor,” McConnell noted. “Yet many churches are actively engaged in proclaiming spiritual salvation at the same time they are being environmentally conscious and engaged in creation care.”
