Evangelical Leader Urges Community to Rethink Climate Change

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: Now, in a year that has seen climate disasters across the world, our next guest, he says that action is a biblical mandate. Walter Kim is the president of the National Association of Evangelicals. And it’s recently released a new report detailing why climate change is also a religious issue. And he’s joining Michel Martin to discuss it.

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MICHEL MARTIN, CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks, Christian. Dr. Kim, thank you so much for talking with us.

WALTER KIM, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS: Michel, thanks for inviting me on to this program.

MARTIN: You (INAUDIBLE) called the National Association of Evangelicals. And in that capacity, you are leading a discussion around a report that the association just issued recently describing efforts to combat climate change as a biblical mandate. Talk a little bit, if you would, about how this report came to be.

DR. KIM: It was certainly an essential part of what we mean by the engagement of evangelicals with the concerns that pressed upon society as a whole and our world as a whole. It’s not a novel work. In fact, 1970, the NAE had a resolution on ecology, kind of looking at the impacts that pollution had on our ecological system. So, this is not a new topic. And this work loving the least of these is, in fact, a second edition of a work that came out in 2011. And so, despite the ways in which climate has been discussed and often very stark political terms, we wanted to recover that that send that it really is foundationally an expression of our faith, our stewardship of creation that God had given to us with a particular angle of the disproportionate impacts that climate change has on communities that are struggling with poverty. And so, it’s not just a matter of stewardship, it’s also a matter of solidarity with those who are most vulnerable.

MARTIN: Well, it’s interesting because this very issue is in the news as we are speaking now. I mean, obviously can’t help but notice that it arrives just as, in the United States, a significant new source of funding to address climate change has just been adopted after, you know, literally years of arguing about it. But that — it seems like that could be coincidental, also. So, was there some eureka moment for you where you just said, this is something we have to address, or what was it?

DR. KIM: Yes. You know, there is an issue of coincidence and the timing of the release of this documents with Inflation Reduction Act. But the issue has really stemmed back to the work that many evangelical organizations are doing globally. Working in some of the most vulnerable places where the impacts of climate change are deeply felt. So, this past summer, my family had a chance to visit some of the work of World Relief, which is the humanitarian arm of the NAE, in Malawi, Africa. And I was talking to someone who was deeply tied to the agricultural life of Malawi. And over the 20 years as he worked near Lake Malawi, he said that the hunger season is longer now and we’re deeply concerned. Because of the change in the rain patterns, the crops are diminished in quality, and they are coming at different times of the year. And it’s producing real strings (ph). It’s not just economic inconvenience or something that deals with the bottom line of agriculture, it’s actually a matter of subsistence, of vitality, of life. And we are seeing this happen again and again and again, even within America, the impacts of pollution on the developing lungs of little children. This becomes a critical issue of concern. And it’s not just a humanitarian issue, for us, it’s a deeply theological issue.

MARTIN: I have to — I mean, look, it’s not a secret that this report comes as a surprise to some, because the face of evangelicalism in the United States in this moment, and indeed in some — and also, at some parts of the world, is that white conservatives who are deeply skeptical about climate change. In a Pew Research survey conducted in January, white evangelicals with the religious group least likely to agree that human activity contributes to climate change. And, you know, President Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, was skeptical of climate change, expressed that skepticism and that, you know, white evangelicals were among the groups that supported him most strongly. So, I think some people will be surprised to hear not only that this report exists, that then, you’re calling upon your co-religionists to embrace this as a biblical charge. So, can you explain that disconnect?

DR. KIM: Yes. You’re right, Michel, the Pew study noted 54 percent of white evangelicals question the human impacts on climate change. But the flip side of that is nearly 50 percent actually do affirm it. And so, there is within — even the white evangelical segment — a diversity of opinions. I would which to expand what we understand by evangelicalism so much, you know, time and energy has been devoted to certain political dimensions of evangelical faith and its expression. But when we think about the movement of evangelicalism, this transformational work of Jesus Christ and the lives of people, globally, it is an incredibly diverse movement. And even within America, there is a rapidly shifting demographic of those within African- American churches, Asian-American church, Hispanic church, who theologically would very much align with evangelical beliefs. And so, I think it’s really important to know that even in these other expressions of evangelicalism, there is a very strong concern and commitment to the impacts of climate change. So, I think we are at an inflection point where even the movement of evangelicalism is shifting, is changing. And I would wish to affirm that this document is coming at a point that is in fact indicative of an expressive of the concerns of many evangelicals, particularly evangelicals of color, who are witnessing the impacts of climate change in urban centers and in their congregations.

MARTIN: So, is it your hope with this report that you will convert, if I may use that term, people who don’t agree with this perspective or is it your hope that you will energize the people who are not getting as much attention but who do believe that climate change is an urgent crisis, and as you put it, in sort of a biblical bandy, is that the idea?

DR. KIM: Yes. I think there’s a distribution on a bell curve. You know, on one edge, this document may not be moving fast enough, it may not be strong enough, it may not be stark enough in its expression of concerns. And on the other side of the bell curve, there are folks that may be incredibly skeptical and no amount of biblical argumentation or scientific evidence would really move the needle with them. But there are literally millions of people who are in this kind of movable middle. They are folks that are looking for, is there a biblical mandate for this issue? Is this a legitimate expression of our faith? And they are also asking, is there an accessible way for us to enter into the scientific discussion from people that we can trust that are part of our community that don’t seem to have an agenda? And for those who are looking for information to help them to persuade, you will find that in this document. For those who are looking for information for their own consideration, we want to invite them into this discussion. We don’t want to bludgeon people into this discussion. Because we think the urgency of the issue requires that convincing of as many people as possible in a manner that winds them, not bludgeoning them to a certain position. And I think this is expressive of the way of Christ.

MARTIN: What do you want people to do as a result of receiving this report? What do you want to happen?

DR. KIM: Yes. I would love for people to have a more expansive views of the scope of their faith. And it’s not nearly about personal transformation, which I think evangelicalism is very, very strong on this notion of coming to Jesus in a personal way. But there is a public dimension and responsibility to our faith, kind of like a civic expression of faith. And this is an issue that I think is incredibly important because it has profound impacts, again, on the most vulnerable. The people that Jesus would call us to care for, the least among these. And by making our kind of spiritual formation and mission in the world to include the public dimensions of faith, we are joining together with literally millions of Christians around the world, our global brothers and sisters who have incorporated this as a part of their faith because it’s not a luxury. Dealing with deforestation, the impacts of pollution, for many around the world is not a luxury.

MARTIN: White evangelical Christians have been so identified with conservative political actors in the last couple decades. The priorities have not been care for the poor. The priorities certainly have not been addressing climate change. The priorities have not been offering care to the least of these around the world. And so, I think the question would be, you know, what convinces you that that is possible? You know, it’s not a secret. We live in an angry time. And some of the people who have been at the forefront of the kind of anger in our politics have been prominent evangelical Christians.

DR. KIM: If you go to local communities, local churches, evangelical churches really have been at the forefront of soup kitchens, of providing trauma care, of engaging in racial reconciliation. Now, that may be hard to believe given the public nature of the discourse at times. But it is also the case, that globally, evangelicalism has been foundational in the formation of educational institutions, of physicians who, at great sacrifice, to their own well-being will enter into spaces of conflict. Look at what’s happening in Ukraine, and I assure you that evangelical institutions and churches are right at the forefront of providing care for the refugee crisis that is unfolding there. And I wish to add to that kind of work, the recognition that benefiting, blessing, loving our neighbors needs to include a concern about the issue of our environment. It’s an aspect of our stewardship, just generally. But specifically, it’s an expression of our solidarity in serving those who are most vulnerable. So, I want this to be a part of things in addition to the soup kitchens.

MARTIN: Tell me what this looks like. A year from now, if you are having the impact you hope to have, what does that look like?

DR. KIM: Yes. It can look like the personal choices that we make with our treatment of waste as an aspect of our disciple ship. It could look like churches making choices that are more green in order to think about their energy or renewable energy. It could be taking the form of advocacy in terms of making choices to include within the public discourse, the importance of renewable energy. The impacts of pollutants in the environment and in the water that has this profound detrimental impact on those who are vulnerable. Again, children, in particular. We — in order to have this kind of comprehensive ethic of life, need to understand that those who are suffering from the impacts of pollution are really needing advocates. And again, this should be a part of our discipleship.

MARTIN: You know, Dr. Kim, it’s not — I don’t want to argue the kind of meanness is limited to one side of the political aisle, right, that, you know, certainly people on the political left have been unwelcoming, dismissive of people who don’t agree with them. I think — you know, we’ve seen examples of that. But it just seems in recent years there’s been a sort of belligerence on the part of — a belligerence, a tone, a dismissive, a kind of a demeaning posture toward people who don’t agree with them that people have come to associate with people on the political right, especially people who are connected to the evangelical movement. I just, you know, wonder, does that concern you?

DR. KIM: Yes. Michel, I am deeply concerned, as are many, about that belligerence in our society, the coarsening of our discourse and the way in which we present to other people, as you’ve, you know, described it. Not just wrong but evil, or idiots. Evangelicals could be — must be concerned, not simply about the principles of their faith, but the posture of their faith. And the belligerent ways in which evangelicals at times can enter into public discourse, I would say, is not reflective of the way of Christ. There are prophetic moments in which we need to, as people of faith, say strong things about the injustices that exist in our society, but the coarsening of our discourse, this general belligerence, whether it comes from evangelical leaders or other segments of society, is just profoundly not just unhelpful but wrong. With the issue of climate change and its impact on those who are vulnerable, it is too important for us to have this conversation relegated into this space of belligerence and demonization. The deep desire is that evangelicals would not be a source of that belligerence, but a source of the solution to address that belligerence and frame a different way forward with people that have deep disagreements over substantial issues of incredible importance and complexity. We have to find a way. And I hope Christians and evangelicals, in particular, would lead in a way that demonstrates it’s not just about the principle, it’s also about the posture.

MARTIN: Are you willing to, though, make common cause with people with whom you disagree in other contexts in order to advance climate change as a priority? Because this is really where the rubber meets the road, isn’t it? I mean, I think our understanding of the evangelical movement in a political context, at least in the last couple years in this country, decades even, has been focused on abortion and same-sex relationships, OK? And in opposition to both. And, you know, many people have said that that — the basket of issues needs to be broader, but that’s what people say. Are you willing to say that climate change is a sufficient magnitude and weight and causes suffering, as we’ve said, around the world, to the degree that it needs to be higher on that basket of priorities? Are you willing to say that?

DR. KIM: Yes. At the NAE, we have this kind of guiding document called “For the Health of the Nation.” And in that, it includes eight areas — it’s not comprehensive in that it covers every single concern that evangelicals could have with expression of their faith, but it covers eight areas of civic life and civic engagement for the health of the nation. And it includes stewardship of creation, it includes racial justice, it includes human rights, in addition to issues relating to sanctity of life or religious liberties. It’s an expression and an indication of a comprehensive application of a gospel fate, of a good news fate. So, the NAE actually has been involved in all the major refugee resettlement issues, whether it’s the Afghan refugee crisis or the Ukrainian refugee crisis. We have been, you know, hard at work at thinking and leading in the areas of immigration reform. We’ve also been really seeking to address the issue of racial justice and reconciliation. In fact, that is a major initiative at the NAE. So, we believe that following Jesus is not a partisan issue and it’s not even an issue easily reduced to any one topic, it’s expansive. And there are millions of evangelicals who look for, longed for, and in fact, are living this kind of comprehensive faith, even if those who dominate the public discourse are often aligned in more narrow ways.

MARTIN: Dr. Walter Kim, thank you so much for talking with us.

DR. KIM: Thank you, Michel.