Scripture: Hebrew 11:7
By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.
Thought for the Day: When does God give warnings of things yet unseen? I think God is often tapping on our shoulder, yet too often these warnings given by God have been completely ignored. Whether it is individuals, nations or the world itself, God consistently calls our attention to future dangers. Global Warming would be one such place where I believe God is warning us in a not so subtle way. Though only 45% of the public believes there is real consistency among scientist on this issue, the number is in fact 97% of all climate scientists believe Global Warming is real and humans are the main cause. It is truly a ‘head in the sand’ moment. One of the most often cited scientists from the skeptical side of Global Warming was Richard Muller. He was the go-to guy for those who didn’t (or didn’t want to) believe in Global Warming. In the last 12 months, the folks on the skeptical side have stopped mentioning him because he participated in an intensive research study funded, in part, by those who didn’t believe in Global Warming. He spoke about his findings in an editorial a year ago. He said, “I concluded that global warming was real and that the prior estimates of the rate of warming were correct. I’m now going a step further: Humans are almost entirely the cause.” Some will say I am just a tree-hugger or playing politics, but I believe this is a serious theological issue for those who understand the Biblical mandate for us to be stewards of the creation. Clearly we have done a very poor job, yet I believe God is giving us another opportunity. God has been pretty clear in the warnings. As people of faith, it is time to be the people who take the task of care-taking seriously.
Prayer: Merciful God, continue to call our attention toward the real dangers in this world. Awaken us when we are unable to see the peril right around the corner. Awaken us so we can change, act and reduce the potential for catastrophe. Amen.
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2 thoughts on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 06-14-13”
While I agree wholeheartedly with your spiritual and political viewpoints, I do think there is an inherent inconsistency in referring to a scientific premise as a “belief.” In its purest form, science is a methodology, not a belief system; although some have tried to create a belief system based upon science. A scientific premise like Global Warming is necessary dynamic as more and better data is observed and analyzed. I would also expect several changes in nomenclature as more is learned about this phenomena. Unfortunately, the evolution / creationism debate has caused many segments of American Christianity to develop a lack of trust in the scientific methodology,even though most of the creature comforts we all enjoy are the direct result of scientific discovery. A more responsible point of view would be for all Christians to recognize scientific discovery as a continued revelation of the Creator’s masterpiece and to further understand how we all can do our part of to preserve and care for it.
Jerry, you make an excellent point, and I should have used a different word than ‘believe’. Though I would describe some of the extreme agnostic/atheists (I don’t believe in atheists) as forming very strong ‘religious belief systems’ around their passion against religion in general. With that said, we need to claim that faith and science are almost often answering a different set of questions. As I mentioned in last Sunday’s sermon, the two creation accounts found in Genesis 1 & 2 were never intended to answer the what and when of creation. Instead, they were attempting to answer the who. The second creation account, the one with the Garden of Eden, is the earliest. It depicts God as intimate. This was the same God often described as ‘dwelling in’ the Jerusalem temple. Of course, when the Babylonians destroyed the temple and took a majority of the Jewish leadership into exile, there was a crisis of faith. Usually when a nation was defeated and their religious center was destroyed, it was understood that the victorious’ god killed the conquered people’s god. In Babylonian exile, the creation account found in Genesis 1 was developed as a response…a response that made a theological statement that ‘our God is ultimately removed from creation, and only the divine word is what touches the created order.’ Thus they were able to maintain a belief that God had not been defeated when the temple was destroyed. Again, these accounts were never intended to answer scientific questions but to illustrate what the people believed in their heart of hearts – that there is one God, and this God is above creation while also allowing the divine breath/spirit to sweep across formless voids to shape, create and guide.
Sorry, that’s a long-winded response to your very insightful comments. Thanks for your words!!!
Bruce