About the Course

Our conversations around climate change usually don’t go anywhere, partially because the subject is so fraught with misinformation, suspicion, and a widespread sense paralysis before the magnitude of the problem. How can we distinguish truth from falsehood when it comes to climate change? And what, if anything, can be done about it? 

The future of creation ought to be of great concern to Christians, so it is a great irony that Evangelical Christians deny the science of climate change more than any other demographic. After all, God’s first instructions to humanity were to care for and cultivate the world. Humans have both rights and responsibilities when it comes to our planet and many of us struggle to navigate this polarizing topic as we seek to balance environmental concerns, economic development, and human autonomy. So what does our responsibility for the care and cultivation of the created order look like today?

In this course, Rick Lindroth, Professor of Ecology and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, walks us through the science of climate change, summarizes our options for confronting the problem, suggests strategies for talking more productively about environmental policy, and demonstrates how a distinctly Christian vision of hope for creation can guide us as we seek to be good stewards of the world God has entrusted to us.

What You'll Learn

  • What is the scientific consensus about climate change and its causes?

  • How can we distinguish credible climate change science from dubious climate change rhetoric?

  • What does the Bible teach about human responsibility toward the environment?

  • What options are available for confronting the earth’s changing climate?

  • Why have Christians been resistant to the science of climate change?

  • How can we make our conversations about climate change more thoughtful and productive

  • What are God’s ultimate intentions for the world he created, and what role do Christians have to play in God’s mission to redeem creation?

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Faith & Science

    • Introduction

    • A Christian Among Scientists

    • A Scientist Among Christians

    • A Theology of Work

    • A Theology of Creation Care

  • 2

    The Science of Climate Change

    • Science and Pseudoscience

    • The Grim Facts of Climate Change

    • Climate Change in Action

  • 3

    A Christian Response

    • Three Options

    • What Does a Sustainable Earth Require?

    • Why the Resistance from Christians?

    • A Fruitless Debate

  • 4

    Hope For Creation

    • Beyond the Cultural Divide

    • A New Vocabulary

    • An Angry, Courageous Hope

About the Instructor

Associate Dean for Research

Dr. Rick Lindroth

Rick is a professor of ecology and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on evolutionary ecology and global change ecology in forest ecosystems. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and is a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a nationally-known educator, who serves on the BioLogos board of speakers.