Why Climate Change Rhetoric Fails with Evangelicals

It occurred to me in the process of thinking about the similarities between much of the rhetoric used by those screaming about anthropogenic climate change and “rapture watchers” that the very fact that their rhetoric is so simple is one reason that climate change arguments will remain unconvincing for most dispensationalist Evangelicals. It’s not so much that these Evangelicals are taking a “the world’s going to burn anyway, so who cares” approach. On the contrary, it’s that the arguments for anthropogenic climate change and the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions—an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters and ecological problems—are exactly the same arguments used as “signs of the times” by many Evangelicals.

As a result, the more climate change preachers point to what Evangelicals see as “signs of the times,” the more they paradoxically reinforce the end-times beliefs of those they’re trying to persuade. The more they point to increased natural disasters, etc., the more it has exactly the opposite of the desired effect. The whole process is in line with the concept of “field” and struggle for social capital as formulated by French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu, with two competing players (paradigms in this case) making claims to the same rhetorical capital. But because each paradigm is entrenched and lays claim to the same data to reinforce itself, there is no real chance of one overthrowing the other with that data. Rather, only once one paradigm is completely overthrown can the other lay claim to the data in question. If each side is actually concerned with convincing the other as opposed to simply reinforcing its own base (which is often the real goal), the continued use of this kind of apocalyptic rhetoric is bound to fail.

What makes this even more ironic, however, is that (as we’ve already addressed) there is no evidence for increased frequency or intensity of natural disasters (at most, there are cyclical ebbs and flows), so the rhetoric on both sides cherry picks essentially the same anecdotal evidence to support opposing alarmist paradigms.

Tags: climate change, dispensationalism, Environment, Evangelicalism, global warming, Pierre Bourdieu, pre-trib rapture, signs of the times

2 Comments. Leave new

  • Interesting perspective: “The whole process is in line with the concept of “field” and struggle for social capital as formulated by French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu.”

    The way I see it is that Edward Bernays is the father of modern marketing here in the USA. That scheme was used by the ‘infiltrators’ to re-engineering American society from the ground-up and from the top-down. This is typical Jewish tactic for social engineering. Use laws to force people to move in a particular direction (top-down), while using mass media and education to brainwash them with your agendas, while also never mentioning the cultural truths that founded the nation and comprise the substance of their original social order. Bernays gets his ‘theory’ of marketing out of Moses (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and other passages).

    Lawyers do the same thing. They push their agenda while also throwing up distractions and traps that an untrained litigant will focus on instead of pushing their own agenda. No matter what name you put on this type of evil scheme, it’s all the same thing IN PRINCIPLE, and has been done since time immemorial. I believe you can find this in Sun Tsu’s “Art of War”.

    In the final analysis, it’s all about capturing the minds of the masses and brainwashing them into following your agenda. It’s totally anti-Christ and a violation of YHWH’s laws. It’s of the devil.

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  • I forgot to add that the KEY to all of this is the THREATS OF VIOLENCE or ACTUAL VIOLENCE (different forms of it) that hang over everyone’s head t/o their lives. Paul talked about this in 2 Corinthians 3 (“ministry of death engraved on stones”). Bourdieu’s “fields” are a distraction from the reality of what’s really going on. It all boils down to the simple formula of DISTRACTION and THREATS to direct people down “the broad way that leads to destruction” (- Jesus), while enriching and empowering the sociopaths who control the world. Also, there are the ‘Judas goats’ who work along with these rich/powerful people. A good example are law enforcement, tax collectors, loan agents, debt collectors, credit agencies, corporate slave colonies, ET CETERA. It’s all SO DISGUSTING that words fail for description. It’s totally and completely anti-Christ, and in violation of ALL of God’s laws. It’s COMMERCE, aka, “Babylon, mystery religion (- John, Revelation 18).

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