With an interfaith rally for clean energy scheduled for Thursday evening, this is an opportune time to look at some recent research on religion and climate change.
A majority of Protestant ministers continue disbelieve in manmade global warming, although that majority is less than it was in 2010, according to a report released in April by LifeWay Research, a Southern Baptist-affiliated agency.
Fifty-four percent disagreed that “global warming is real and manmade,” according to LifeWay. In 2010, that figure was 60 percent, while in 2008 it was 48 percent. The report cites a Pew Research Center survey showing similar trends among Americans as a whole — skepticism rising in 2010 and ebbing partially more recently.
Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, commented:
“Pastor opinions on global warming reflect their own political beliefs. 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 most Americans.”
Most pastors do say their church recycles.