Evangelicals and Global Warming

Many argue that forces are already well in place to produce an unprecedented rise in global temperatures with devastating effects on all forms of life on the earth. Consequently, some in the evangelical Christian community argue that believers have a moral obligation to take whatever actions are necessary to stop global warming so as to preserve God's creation, even if doing so requires a substantial change in the way we live and use the resources God has given as part of His creation. There are others who argue against this proposition on the grounds that global warming arguments are not based on sound science.

In this symposium we assume that honorable voices can exist on both sides of the issue. There are many questions which need to be answered. First, is the globe actually warming and, if it is, how can it be measured? Second, if warming is occurring, is it exceptionable or unexceptionable? Have there been previous periods of warming which bear no relation to human activity? If warming is caused by human activity independent of any natural forces which might increase global temperatures, what policies ought to be mandated to change human contributions to warming and how would these policies impact different segments of humanity? This symposium hopes to pose and attempt to answer these and other questions and explore their meaning for Believers.