The Greening of Christianity? A Study of Environmental Attitudes Over Time

Abstract

Many scholars have recently argued that there has been a "greening of Christianity." These arguments run counter to the ideas of Lynn White and others that have long suggested that the Judeo-Christian tradition fosters a "dominion over nature" ethos. Largely missing from this debate is strong evidence at the individual level that Christians have in fact adopted deeper environmental concerns over time. This study provides such evidence through an examination of longitudinal data from Gallup's annual surveys on the environment. The analysis reveals little evidence that Christians have expressed more environmental concern over time. In fact, across many measures, Christians tend to show less concern about the environment. This pattern holds across Catholic, Protestant, and other Christian denominations and for differing levels of religiosity. These findings support a conclusion that there has not been a discernible "greening of Christianity" among the American public.

Keywords: religion, environmental, attitudes, public opinion