The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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December 25, 2011

Our View: Embrace of global warming gives faith

The Free Press

Hallelujah to spreading the word about climate change.

That’s what climatologist, and evangelical Christian, Katharine Hayhoe is doing.

She doesn’t think being a scientist and Christian cancel each other out. She has chosen to be vocal about her trust in scientific data while retaining her beliefs as a Christian. She is married to an evangelical pastor and is the daughter of missionaries.

And she has a lot of guts for putting herself out there to spread the word about how real global warming is. It can’t be easy to be a scientist in the South where in the past few years conservative Christians have been claiming climate change is a hoax.

Her own words give a clear impression of how levelheaded she is: “People ask me if I believe in global warming. I tell them, ‘No, I don’t,’ because belief is faith; faith is the evidence of things not seen. Science is evidence of things seen. To have an open mind, we have to use the brains that God gave us to look at the science.”

And she knows the science is there when it comes to the global warming issue. She teaches at Texas Tech in Lubbock, conducting research and writing, and serves as a reviewer for the main United Nations report on climate change.

Hayhoe is used to insults, nasty emails and criticism for being vocal about the facts being facts in the matter of climate change.

Still, she meets with Christian colleges, church groups, senior citizens, professional associations and just about anyone else to explain that Earth’s climate is changing and that human beings are behind it.

That can’t be an easy road to travel. She dares to challenge many audiences that don’t want to be challenged or who think giving into science compromises their faith.

And some people actually let themselves be budged into believing her.

Knowing Hayhoe is out there doing what she does gives people who know global warming is happening a little more faith — in mankind.

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