Interdependencies of Christian eschatology and global environmental change in American Evangelicalism: An analysis of eschatological discourses

This research will explore the relationship between Christian eschatology and global environmental change in the United States and asks how American evangelicalism embeds environmentalism, global climate change policies, environmental politics, and climate science into their beliefs and practices. I want to identify reasons for the promotion or rejection of environmentalism by religious institutions and analyse the interplay of social, economic, political and religious narratives in eschatological discourses. The term eschatology describes the discourse about "last things, the furthest imaginable extensions of human and cosmic destiny" (O'Leary 1994) and is used to summarize a variety of beliefs relating to the biblical End-Times. While eschatological beliefs exist to varying extends in all Christian movements, different and partially contrasting eschatological beliefs are of particular relevance in the diverse movement of American evangelicalism.
Generally, the relationship between religion and global environmental change can be described as a double-movement: Religious beliefs influence the perception of the environment and the resulting environmentally relevant behaviour while at the same time, religions embed matters of the environment into their belief and practices. This concept of a double-movement can also be applied on Christian eschatology. For instance, a belief in the imminent biblical apocalypse can result in a mind-set which sees less reason for environmental protection while global environmental change might be interpreted as a sign of the End-Times and thereby, the natural environment becomes a part of Christianity. Nonetheless, the influence of religions can be versatile and modern eschatological narratives contain certain implications for environmental attitudes, which can either aim towards an environmentally friendly behaviour or reinforce refusal and denial. Furthermore, religious elites and institutions have the ability to influence the political decision making process concerning environmental politics. Especially the evangelical movement influences American politics since evangelicals are not only a highly important electorate, but moreover, evangelical institutions and elites influence politicians through political networks of power.
Substantive for my research are theoretical concepts developed and advanced for instance by philosopher Pierre Bourdieu or anthropologist Talal Asad which explain that religions are constantly responding to societal developments and that religious practices are shaped by non-religious fields of a society. My research seeks to identify societal, political and economic elements in eschatological narratives which potentially influence environmental attitudes. Hence, my research draws from scholarship from a variety of academic disciplines to engage with the influence of environmental discourses on eschatological narratives. Nonetheless, as a geographer, I am particularly interested in spatial variations within the United States concerning American evangelical environmental attitudes in relation to End-Times beliefs as well as in examining the spatial origins of varying eschatological narratives.
A textual analysis from eschatological materials released in the last three decades (online and offline) allows me to identify dominant ideologies, attain a deeper knowledge of writer's perceptions and imaginations of the environment and also discuss societal transformations, which in my case will be the transformation of religion and Christian eschatology in the context of climate change. Crucially, on-site and virtual archival work will be conducted at sites of evangelical learning in the United States. Additionally, I will examine online forum discussion boards and interview evangelical clerics out of different regions in the United States to further investigate their perception of the environment and the origins of contemporary eschatological thought.