I wrote this as a reply to a piece on HumbleORadio. Check it out. It's a reflection about comments made about global warming and God's judgment by Rev. Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals’ vice-president of governmental affairs.
Here's my comment:
It's hard anymore to define what "Evangelical" means. I have about given up trying. So many people have so many different associations with the word it almost just does not mean anything anymore. So, putting aside that rubric for a moment, there is in fact a growing sense amongst historic orthodox Christians (Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox) that concern for the glory of God and the good of man must include concern for the health of God's world. I am certainly one of those, being what many would call an evangelical Protestant. But I am uneasy about Cizik's position for several reasons. First, even assuming he is right on the science of global warming, how does he know America will face judgment from God if we don't attend to global warming? There are many sins, even environmental ones, that I think might be closer to the front of the line as to God's judgment. That's just empty talk. Just blather. He doesn't know that. The phrase "destroyers of the earth" in Revelation 11:18 could possibly be, but probably is not, a reference to environmental degradations. However, Israel's disregard for the land, their failure to give sabbath rest to the land, was one of the reasons for the time-length of their exile. God does care about his earth. Third, (and OK, I expect to get it here), as passionate an environmentalist as I am, I am not convinced as to the extent or causes of global warming, and I fear that many very real tangible environmental issues that involve public health - and the integrity and beauty of creation - are being put aside amidst all the global warming hoopla. Fourthly, Cizik speaks for himself. Certainly not for me.
We do have reason to believe as Christians that the "fall" included the fall of the whole of the created order. And yes, we also affirm and believe in a "new heaven and new earth." Until this earth is renewed by the events of those days, we have a responsibility to love God and love our neighbor, which means caring for God's creation motivated by both loves. And Cizik is right that evangelical Christian citizens should not care only about abortion and gay marriage. Many other issues matter in the ongoing role we have as lovers of God and neighbor, and even as we seek to present the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot preach the gospel with integrity to our neighbor if we are killing him with our waste products. And pray tell, how many people do you know, when they need retreat, when they need to get away and pray and be with their God, prefer parking lots and freeways and such? We need special places, not only for the sake of God's glory (as their beauty reflect back to him) and for the sake of the creatures (which God declared to be "good" and which he blessed), but also for the sake of our own spirits as we seek to hear God amidst the din of this noisy and dirty world.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
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4 comments:
Whether Cizic is right about the applicability of Revelation 11:18 to the global warming problem may be subject to legitimate theological difference of opinion, as with most biblical statements of prophecy. Nevertheless, your criticism of Cizic misses the mark. Cizic and those evangelical Christians like me who see the need to promote action on global warming see the effort to protect and restore creation as a mission and a form of evangelism. Clearly, it is not the only or even the most important form of evangelism, but it cannot be cavalierly kicked to the curb, as Dr. Dobson asserts.
Rather than focus on Revelation, let's look at the other end of the Bible. Here we find a scripture which I find profoundly important and foundational:
"And behold, God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day." Gen. 1:31
God saw what He made, and it was very good. What he made was wilderness. Turn a few chapters further: men build a tower of bricks and asphalt. Was that very good? Cities spring up like Sodom. Were those very good? God takes care to save every creature from the flood. Wilderness is very good.
This theme is continued throughout the old testament. Wilderness is a refuge for God's people and for individual Christian leaders. Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Elijah all got tremendous contact with God in the wilderness.
Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness prepared him for ministry. Even when he was in Jerusalem on the night he was betrayed, he sought out the Garden of Gethsemane instead of the Temple of Herod for his final prayer.
Paul's sojourn in Arabia prepared him to respond to his call. Time and again, the scripture shows us the value of wilderness in helping us focus on God and establishing right relationship.
I may not agree with everything Cizik says, but the response he has received is distinctly un-Christian. Calling for a member of another church to be fired! How unscriptural is that. Church disputes are to be settled within the church amicably, not by sending out letters demanding Cizic be fired.
Lucky,
Your criticism of my post misses the mark. Did you read it?
I have no idea what Dobson said and don't care really. You seem to be assuming I am with him on this or whatever.
I don't think Cizik could possibly be more passionate than I am about the responsibility Christians have as far as Creation Care. But he is doing the same thing Jeremiah Wright is doing, the same thing Dobson and Pat Robertson do all the time, and that is invoking God's coming judgment lest we do this or that. It is irresponsible.
As an environmentalist the real difference I have regards the focus on global warming carbon footprint. We have quite enough very very real and obvious environmental issues to address I fear all credibility will be lost in the global warming hoopla.
Policies that I would support generally would be so out there politically for most conservatives, I am sure Dobson would disavow me in a moment. Because of my radical passion I wish people like Cizik (and Dobson) would stop saying such stupid things and diminishing the credibility of our evangelical witness, which includes creation care.
Joel
Your point is well taken that you did not say you sided with Dobson on the letter he and others sent to have Cizik fired. It was referenced in the column you were commenting about, but you did not adopt it. I apologize for reading that into what you wrote.
I did read what you wrote and think I was trying to get to the point three you were making about why working on global warming matters and is not merely hoopla. I am sorry that my critique went off on a tangent about creation care. We obviously agree on that point as a general principle. Where we may disagree is whether global warming is a distraction or significant enough to warrant concern.
What I think makes global warming important is that is about the whole creation. I see God's creation as having established three critical cycles for the support of life: hydrologic, nitrogen and carbon. Without balance in these three cycles, we will always have problems as people and we will see problems reflected in the physical world. Global warming has the potential to disrupt all three of these cycles.
Tackling global warming can also correct other environmental problems as well. Conservation of energy has no negative environmental effects of which I am aware. Reducing the length and number of commutes means more time for church and family. Not purchasing that big plasma screen television perhaps encourages us to spend less time in front of it.
Here are just a few things that I see as advancing the Kingdom and reducing carbon footprints:
1) Buying food that's grown locally
2) Carpooling
3) Use Solar Energy for demand growth
4) Energy Conservation to reduce demand
5) Conservation of open space
6) Building up organic matter in soils
7) Planting native trees and shrubs
8) Cutting back on coal mining and coal power
9) Cutting back on packaging plastic
10) Using our feet more and our wheels less
I certainly hear your point about not letting global warming become the only issue. It is not. Nevertheless, doing these 10 things would help other problems as well. Would you agree?
Lucky,
I agree with all the specifics, and that all of them are important whether or not global warming is real. I'm sorry for that "did you read it" comment. I was being a grump. I was feeling pigeonholed and that always makes me grumpy, but part of that was my own ignorance of what I was stepping into in commenting on Cizic's comments. I didn't know about Dobson's letter. Anyway, we're pretty much on the same page as far as I can tell. Sometimes it takes a tiny little spat to get there. :-) Blessings, Joel
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