Relationships among evangelical college students’ worldviews and their anthropogenic climate change literacy.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2016. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Fred Finley. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 253 pages.Research is warranted on how a student’s worldview relates to his/her anthropogenic climate change knowledge, belief, and acceptance of anthropogenic climate change (ACC). ACC is the one of the most challenging issues today. In the U.S., evangelicals are the most resistant accepting the scientific evidence for ACC. Why some evangelicals accept ACC and why many do not is not well understood. The study focused the environmental, religious, economic, political, and epistemological areas of participant’s worldview. Differences emerged between study participants through qualitative analysis of participant responses to the study’s instruments. The data suggests the strong possibility that religious beliefs are at the core of evangelical worldviews. The data showed that specific religious beliefs largely influence whether a person accepts or resists ACC. Certain religious beliefs such as social justice and creation care seemed to be the best potential avenues for solidifying acceptance of ACC and encouraging climate action. The data showed that when religious beliefs are shown to be connected and consistent with ACC impacts and action, evangelicals are more likely to engage in the ACC conversation and movement. Beliefs such as these may be the starting point for the ACC conversation with a member of the evangelical culture