The Two Faces of Nature: Conflicting Conservative Protestant Views, 1970–84

This presentation explores two approaches that American conservative Protestants (evangelicals and fundamentalists) took towards defining what they considered the proper human-to-nature relationship in the 1970s and early 1980s.  Throughout the 1970s, this religious group championed a nineteenth century view of nature in which they regarded “wilderness” as an obstacle to be tamed.  They believed this idealistic struggle with nature forged hardworking, moral, and patriotic American citizens while simultaneously promoting conservation, pastoralism and a healthy balance between God’s creation and mankind.

By the end of the 1970s however, conservative Protestant leaders such as Jerry Falwell warned that America was on the verge of an economical, moral and military collapse.  In hopes of saving the nation, this religious group supported 1980 Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, and promoted bolstering of the economy and military at any cost.  Thus, with the help of these religious leaders, conservative Protestants took a political stance against environmentalist policies and relegated the romantic nineteenth century values of the wilderness to children’s educational material and the covers of other Christian publications displaying illustrations of God’s creative power. 

The overall importance of this presentation is that it illuminates the roots of present day political animosity held by the conservative Protestant towards environmental policies while revealing their friendlier version of an ideal nature.  To build my argument, I utilize pastor sermons, periodicals and documents from the following archives:  Liberty University, Wheaton College, and Regent University.  Perhaps the most interesting source will be Christian school educational material produced during the 1970s and 1980s.  These sources are a treasure trove in that they not only expose ideologies on a national scale, but by being used in schools, they reveal the personal values conservative Protestant parents wished to instill in the next generation of evangelicals and fundamentalists.