How Rick Warren on the Bible and climate change.

Question: Is climate change an evangelical issue?

Rick Warren: I signed on to one of the papers talking about the Climate Change Initiative. And people assumed that that meant that I agreed with everything in that paper. I don’t happen to agree with everything in that paper. But I do believe that climate change is a spiritual issue. And you tell me which side you want to believe – whether you believe global warming is catastrophic or gradual; or whether it’s caused by humans or not caused by humans and it’s just a cycle. Tell me which side you want to believe and I’ll show you which scientific papers to read, because there are scientific papers actually written on both sides.

People need to be honest enough to admit that even scientists have differences. Well meaning and good scientists have differences on that, regardless of where that comes down. As a believer in Jesus Christ, as a follower of the Bible, I believe we have a stewardship to take care of the earth.

That is a spiritual issue that we need to take better care of the earth. And whether global warming is as big a deal or not, or we’re the cause of it or not, we just need to take better care of the planet.

Recorded on: December 11, 2007