What Christians Should Do About Global Warming

The topic of global warming is something that we hear about everywhere. As Christians, are we supposed to have a unique role in this? Here are a few things to consider.

When the Interest in Climate Change Began in America

In June 1962, Rachel Carlson’s Silent Spring was published. This book changed and condemned the overuse of pesticides, marking a change in the way we see environment. By 1972, DDT (an insecticide used in agriculture) was banned in the U.S. Then on April 22, 1970, the first national Earth Day was celebrated, with about 20 million Americans participating. Just months later, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. When we look at how much interest in the environment has been growing for decades, it.

Three Views on Climate Change

1. Climate Change Deniers – They believe people are overreacting. Climate change is natural and not mainly caused by humans. In this view, they believe that technology will fix any issues we face in the future.
2. Climate Alarmists – They believe climate change is real and driven by humans. In order to help slow it down the damage, people must make major changes to their lifestyles.
3. Climate Realists – The third view is people who see climate change as real and largely human-caused, but they believe it’s a manageable issue that can be helped over time.

While many people hold differing beliefs regarding this issue, from an economic standpoint, the economy must typically be strong to help bring changes of this nature. From a Biblical standpoint, here are a few things we must take into account.

What the Bible Says About the Environment

1. We are caretakers of the earth, not worshipers of it.

As Christians, we must have a biblical worldview when it comes to matters of the environment. In Genesis 1:18 we see that God gives Adam the command to be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth, and have dominion over creation. In other words, the earth had value because it was God’s creation, not because it in itself was divine. Our God-given role is stewardship, not worship.

2. Worship the creator God, not the creation.

Secondly, we must hold to the view that only God is worshipped, not His creation. Pantheism says everything is god, but the Bible states in Romans 1:25 that we must not worship the creation instead of the Creator. It’s common in our culture to replace Father God with “Mother Nature, and while commitment to caring for His creation is good, it cannot replace our worship of the Creator Himself.

3. Human life is valued above animal and plant life.

Additionally, we see in Genesis 1:29 that humans were originally vegetarian. However, after the fall, meat was permitted. Now this is not to say we should not care about animals. However, Scripture is clear that it is humans alone who bear God’s image. Laws that protect animals but ignore human life—especially through abortion or neglect of the elderly—reflect a worldview that is not biblical. As believers, we should be discerning and aware of this.

4. Our view on End Times shouldn’t encourage Earth’s destruction.

Another aspect to consider is that while we understand that the world will be renewed, it should never justify intentional abuse towards it. For instance, just as knowing our bodies will be resurrected doesn’t mean we should abuse them now, we should not use end-times theology as an excuse for poor stewardship of the earth God has given us dominion over.

5. Technology and cities are not evil.

As believers, we should also know that God gave us dominion to innovate. While He made trees; we made tables. He gave us water, we use it for electricity and other things in society. Using resources responsibly is part of bearing His image and honoring Him with our creativity. It’s not all bad.

6. Humans will be held accountable for the Earth.

We also see that Revelation 11:18 says God will “destroy those who destroy the earth.” In other words, our stewardship matters. We shouldn’t take what God has given us lightly, but rather seek to steward it rightly.

7. God will remake all that has been damaged.

Lastly, Scripture describes in Revelation 21 and 22 a new heaven and new earth, where God restores what has been harmed. It’s important that as Christians we know the earth has value, not because it’s divine, but because God made it, loves it, and will renew it. It is the hope that we have in Christ. Not only will we be made new, but so will the earth.

Ultimately, it’s a balance between loving and using what God has given us, while not abusing it because we will be held responsible. I pray this brings some clarity on the topic.

Read: Is Being Slain In the Spirit Biblical?