53 Percent of Pastors Say Global Warming Is ‘Real and Man-Made,’ Poll Finds

A majority of Protestant pastors say they believe global warming is real and man-made, although such sentiments aren’t held by evangelical pastors, according to a new LifeWay Research survey.

A total of 53 percent of Protestant pastors said they agreed with the statement “I believe global warming is real and man-made,” including 34 percent who strongly agreed and 19 percent who somewhat agreed. Thirty-eight percent disagreed (24 percent “strongly” and 14 percent “somewhat”), while 10 percent weren’t sure.

The poll’s findings are a major change from a similar LifeWay Research survey in 2010, when only 36 percent of Protestant pastors agreed with the statement and 60 percent disagreed.

“Fewer pastors are rejecting global warming and climate change out of hand,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet pastors are still split on the subject, likely following along with political divides.”

Mainline pastors (71 percent) were more likely than evangelical pastors (39 percent) to believe global warming is real and man-made.

Among other findings:

• Methodist pastors (80 percent) were the most likely to agree with the statement, followed by Presbyterian/Reformed pastors (67 percent), Lutherans (63 percent), Christian/Church of Christ (43 percent), Baptists (37 percent) and Pentecostals (32 percent).
• Seventy-eight percent of African American…