Bill McKibben (at left) offers a sobering essay in the August issue of National Geographic (page 33ff), "A Deeper Shade of Green."
He sounds like a cross between economist and prophet.
Wonderful writer.
Powerful message.
Bottom line: we tend to make judgments about everything in terms of what will grow the economy.
We do so at the very time that everyone is telling us that our real desire is for deepened community life.
Ironic, isn't it?
McKibben points out that this intersection of insatiable material desire and longing for knowing and being known occurs as the window of opportunity is closing on our being able to do anything very significant about the rapid deterioration of our environment.
You can find the essay at:
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0608/voices.html.
Take a look. Important matters.
10 comments:
Larry, since I just saw Al Gore's new movie last night, I'll definitely take a look at this article. Gore really illuminated how our choices aren't the either/or of economic growth vs. environmental stability that we often get presented. The science on what we're doing to God's creation is pretty firm. If only we were willing to change...
The slight rise in earth temperature is due to changes in the sun and not anything we do on earth. The environmental activists have convinced the media it's our fault because they have the same world view. A leftist activists is a leftist activist whether they are disguised as a journalist or not. The environment is a political issue and environmental activists are liberal, anti-capitalists.
They might have slightly more creditability if the John Kerrys, the Barbara Streisands, the Robert Kennedy, Jrs. would practice what they preach.
Michael Crichton has written a book called"State of Fear" in which he documents the way they lie and make things up, the way they basically exist as fund rasing organizations and how they use fear to raise money.
Is Crichton's book one of his novels?
It never fails, whenever new truth emerges, reaction from the extreme right is boring in its predictability.
McKibben and National Geographic don't have reputations as environmental "liberals." Nor does NASA and its scientists.
Even Mr. Bush admits these days that we have a problem linked to fossil fuels.
I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than "bash the tree hugger" rhetoric this time.
The environment is very complex, to say the least, and for man to think that he has control over it, to any great extent, is pure vanity.
God said in Genesis 8:22
As long as the world exists, there will be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.
Check out the post on Hurricane Willie Peppers blog - A Christian agenda for ecology.
It has a revolutionary thought for activist lefties and uptight Bible quotin' righties to consider all the way around.
See the post at:
http://spiritfilledwind.blogspot.com/2006/08/christian-ecological-agenda.html
Many blessings...
As far as I know, God never promised to undo the penalities placed against men in Gen. 3 17-18. It was not to be mere punishment, but a continual reminder of man's fallen estate. God simply re-ordered the physical world in such a way that man would never be able to make himself too cozy in his state of rebellion against his Creator.At the time of the eternal judgement, the full rewards of redemption will be achieved.
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:12
Sounds like an undoing of Gen curses to me. I can't imagine how you could miss that.
And bearing God's image is what is missing in the creation to cause the problems we live with now. When His image is born, the image bearer is given rule and dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26 & Dan 7:14) And you are right, it sounds like Judgment Day, the day of New Heavens and New Earth. And I think that is a wonderful agenda for ecology.
Many blessings...
I believe this is talking about the New Covenant as contrasted to the old racial Israel which God cut off. The New Israel will be abundantly blessed. No individual of the old racial Israel is excluded but they are redeemed under exactly the same terms as required of all. Race is absolutely irrelevent with regard to salvation.
We still have to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow.
Dallas is far behind other cities when it comes to Green Development. There are a couple of buildings here and there, but nothing substantial.
Overall, Dallas has an arrogance about it that says "to heck with the environment as long since I'm rich"
We must start building green - or these summers are going to get worse and worse.
Amazing how off the subject the religious comments take us! No wonder people don't get it when we talk to them.
Check out this article in Sojourners Magazine issue before last:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0608&article=060841a
Even the National Association of Evangelicals admits there is a problem and sees a place for people of faith in the solution.
Some of the arguments here sound lots like the pro-slavery preachers of the 19th century, the concern being to protect their politics and the Bible rather than seeking truth, change and hope.
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