"Rick Lindroth is among a small but growing number who argue faith is important to combatting hopelessness. Getting ‘re-enchanted with the Earth,’ he says, is the key."
"MADISON, Wis. — When he was a little boy roaming the forests and marshes of Illinois, Rick Lindroth adored catching frogs and climbing trees. His dream came true when he became a full-time scientist, paid to make observations in nature. Even when he’s not on officially on the job, with binoculars dangling from his neck, he will effortlessly spot a bald eagle’s nest from his fly-fishing stream in Big Spring valley.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison ecologist also belongs to an evangelical church and has struggled with deep despair over climate change. He has had a front-row seat observing the effects of a warming atmosphere through the aspen trees he has studied for decades. But he lacks the support of many within the evangelical community.
White evangelicals are less likely than other religious groups in the U.S. to see a strong connection between human activities and global climate change, according to the Pew Research Center. Just 54 percent of White evangelicals say that human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels, contributes to global climate change, compared with 76 percent of all U.S. adults, a Pew study in January found."
Sarah Pulliam Bailey reports for the Washington Post April 16, 2022.
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