The Gospel of Climate Skepticism: Why Evangelical Christians Oppose Action on Climate ChangeWhy are white evangelicals the most skeptical major religious group in America regarding climate change? Previous scholarship has pointed to cognitive factors such as conservative politics, anti-science attitudes, aversion to big government, and theology. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork, The Gospel of Climate Skepticism reveals the extent to which climate skepticism and anti-environmentalism have in fact become embedded in the social world of many conservative evangelicals. Rejecting the common assumption that evangelicals’ skepticism is simply a side effect of political or theological conservatism, the book further shows that between 2006 and 2015, leaders and pundits associated with the Christian Right widely promoted skepticism as the biblical position on climate change. The Gospel of Climate Skepticism offers a compelling portrait of how during a critical period of recent history, political and religious interests intersected to prevent evangelicals from offering a unified voice in support of legislative action to address climate change. |
Contents
| 1 | |
The EndTime Apathy Hypothesis | 25 |
Practical Environmentalism | 47 |
EndTime Beliefs and Climate Change | 69 |
The Embattled Mentality and Climate Skepticism | 86 |
How Evangelical Subcultural Identity Sustains | 114 |
Skeptical Environmental Stewards | 132 |
part two how skepticism became the biblical | 159 |
Awakening the Sleeping Giant | 190 |
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action on climate activism activists Acton Institute American Evangelicalism Answers in Genesis anti-environmentalism argued Assembly of God attitudes toward climate Beisner Bible biblical campaign chapter Chris Christian Right Climate Change Denial climate change skepticism Colson conservative cool millennialists Cornwall Alliance creation culture Declaration denomination discussed earth embattled mentality end-time apathy hypothesis end-time beliefs envi environment environmental attitudes environmental concern environmental issues environmentalists evan evangelical climate evangelical environmentalism evangelical mass media example faith Falwell focus group fundamentalist gelicals Georgia global warming God’s Green hot millennialists human Ibid informants Inhofe Internet Archive interview James Watt Jesus Ken Ham leaders liberal mass media millennialists moral pastors percent Pew Research Center political premillennialist programs promoting climate skepticism radio Religion religious Republican responsible ronmental scientific secular sense Seventh-day Adventist signatories social Southern Baptist statement stories talk theological tian tion views white evangelicals worldview