Since the first Earth Day in 1970, environmentalism has evolved from social movement to social norm. Concern for the environment has become commonplace. Recycling is a daily household ritual, and one is more likely to overhear people debating the relative merits of carbon offsets than disparaging idealistic tree-huggers.

But while environmental concerns like global warming have become culturally mainstream, politically they continue to face significant challenges, particularly among Republicans for whom resistance to policy change is entrenched. According to a National Journal poll published February 3, 2007, only 13 percent of Republican members of Congress believe that global warming is the result of man-made problems. That number is actually down from 23 percent the year before. This is in sharp contrast to a study released in the same month by a panel of scientists from 113 countries expressing 90 percent certainty that human-generated greenhouse gases account for most of the global rise in temperatures over the past half-century. But with Christian conservatives now engaging in the debate over global warming, Republicans in Congress may soon be forced to sing a different tune.

Though the Christian right has long been wary of environmentalism, namely because of the movement's association with liberal Democrats, many evangelicals view stewardship of the environment as a responsibility mandated by God. Environmentalism has successfully been repackaged for evangelical audiences with the more palatable name "creation care." The issue resonates with evangelicals, as illustrated by the growing number of Christian environmental groups like the Evangelical Environmental Network and Care of Creation, which were established out of the belief that environmental problems require a response grounded in faith.

The environmental issue around which evangelicals are most organized is climate change. In February 2006, 86 evangelical leaders issued a statement backing a new coalition to fight global warming, the "Evangelical Climate Initiative." The ECI calls for federal legislation that would require reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The National Association of Evangelicals recently affirmed its position that creation care is an important moral issue, and in January the group announced the collaboration of evangelical and scientific leaders in the effort to protect the environment, including action on climate change.

Of course not all evangelicals are united on the issue. In fact, some of the country's most high-profile evangelical leaders publicly denounced NAE's efforts on climate change. They argue that entering into the global warming controversy will shift the emphasis away from "the great moral issues of our time," i.e. abortion and gay rights. NAE refused to back down, setting up a showdown that some believe may ultimately redefine the relationship between evangelicals and the Republican party.

Regardless of whether evangelicals reach consensus on the subject of global warming, their political influence makes them a player in the climate change debate. Evangelicals overwhelmingly vote Republican, delivering more than three-quarters of their ballots to President Bush in the 2004 election. If they become as unified on environmental issues as they are on social issues, members of Congress will take notice, giving climate change legislation much-needed support from an unlikely demographic.

What are we to make of these bedfellows? Perhaps Care of Creation addresses the seeming contradiction best: "We're evangelical and we're environmental, and, yes, we think we can be both."