Study of Christian attitudes toward man's stewardship of the environment: a case study in the Roanoke Valley

Abstract

A range of views exist on the question of the effects of the Judeo-Christian tradition on environmental ethics. Some believe that the Judeo-Christian tradition has played the significant role in bringing about the present environmental situation. Others maintain that the current environmental crisis is much more complicated, resulting from many divergent factors. Still others would say that the Judeo-Christian tradition, as expressed in the Bible, calls man into a sacred relationship with nature which can be defined as the environmental ethic of stewardship.

This thesis studies the relationship between Christian religious commitment and attitudes toward the environment.

A questionnaire completed by 242 individuals who attend church in the Roanoke Valley provides the case study data. The survey instrument measures Christian religious commitment and attitudes toward the environment. The results of this study will provide further understanding of indicators for environmenta1 ethics.