"THE GOSPEL OF CLIMATE CHANGE" - By: Leah Hickman| Breakpoint.org: May 27, 2015;
http://www.breakpoint.org/tp-home/blog-archives/blog-archives/entry/4/27438?spMailingID=11497783&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=541876883&spReportId=NTQxODc2ODgzS0
As reported in a New York Times article from May 20, President Obama used his commencement address to the graduates of the Coast Guard Academy to emphasize the importance of combating climate change. During the address, Obama asserted that "climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country." As a result, he argued, "We need to act, and we need to act now." During his speech, "Mr. Obama repeated arguments he cites often to promote his climate change effort, including a litany of grim facts and figures about rising temperatures, swelling seas and vanishing sea ice, dismissing skeptics of the phenomenon or those who refuse to act on it as guilty of 'negligence' and 'dereliction of duty.'"
Meanwhile, as Sen. John McCain pointed out, Isis fighters have taken control of two more Syrian and Iraqi cities, leading to the deaths of innocent people, yet the administration still has no strategy for combating Islamic State militants -- but "the president of the United States is saying that the biggest problem we have is climate change."
In light of the numerous worldwide threats to human life and well-being that have popped up in recent history, there is something very unsettling about our culture's extreme emphasis on the dangers of climate change. Proponents of the climate change movement, however, are able to excuse the apparent overemphasis on climate change by linking it to issues throughout the world. The New York Times article explains:
"In a report issued on Wednesday, the White House said climate change would act as "an accelerant of instability around the world," prompting water scarcity and food shortages that could escalate tensions and lead to overpopulation. It also said that rising temperatures would "change the nature of U.S. military missions," increasing the demand for resources in the Arctic and coastal regions that would be affected by higher sea levels, and result in humanitarian crises that are larger and more frequent."
The end of climate change, many seem to argue, will secure hope for all people and will mean our salvation. Proponents of the movement preach the end of climate change as if it were synonymous with the end of evil. They preach it as if they are promoting some new gospel.
Realistically, however, this focus on climate change just speaks to the incredibly warped perspective of our culture. Without a biblical understanding of mankind's purpose on earth and an acceptance of the mandate in Genesis 1 to "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28), the culture has a hard time understanding what humanity's relationship to the earth should be like. Without the understanding of mankind's inherent worth as a creature created in the image of God, our culture also forgets that humans have a unique role and a unique relationship with the Creator that sets them apart from the rest of creation.
Consequently, our priorities become severely mixed up. While we scramble around with our fruitless attempts to prevent global warming, the unborn within our own nation are robbed of their natural right to life and innocent people overseas meet with death at the hands of Isis militants. We cannot sensibly blame climate change for these issues. Climate change is not the evil at the heart of all problems. In fact, it is primarily a distraction from the real problem, and that problem is much deeper and much more complex than anything having to do with global warming.
That problem is the problem of the human heart. It is the sinful nature of humanity, not the possibility of "swelling seas," that poses the true "immediate threat" to our country. As long as this nation continues to misdiagnose the problem, we will see no improvement.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
http://www.breakpoint.org/tp-home/blog-archives/blog-archives/entry/4/27438?spMailingID=11497783&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=541876883&spReportId=NTQxODc2ODgzS0
As reported in a New York Times article from May 20, President Obama used his commencement address to the graduates of the Coast Guard Academy to emphasize the importance of combating climate change. During the address, Obama asserted that "climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country." As a result, he argued, "We need to act, and we need to act now." During his speech, "Mr. Obama repeated arguments he cites often to promote his climate change effort, including a litany of grim facts and figures about rising temperatures, swelling seas and vanishing sea ice, dismissing skeptics of the phenomenon or those who refuse to act on it as guilty of 'negligence' and 'dereliction of duty.'"
Meanwhile, as Sen. John McCain pointed out, Isis fighters have taken control of two more Syrian and Iraqi cities, leading to the deaths of innocent people, yet the administration still has no strategy for combating Islamic State militants -- but "the president of the United States is saying that the biggest problem we have is climate change."
In light of the numerous worldwide threats to human life and well-being that have popped up in recent history, there is something very unsettling about our culture's extreme emphasis on the dangers of climate change. Proponents of the climate change movement, however, are able to excuse the apparent overemphasis on climate change by linking it to issues throughout the world. The New York Times article explains:
"In a report issued on Wednesday, the White House said climate change would act as "an accelerant of instability around the world," prompting water scarcity and food shortages that could escalate tensions and lead to overpopulation. It also said that rising temperatures would "change the nature of U.S. military missions," increasing the demand for resources in the Arctic and coastal regions that would be affected by higher sea levels, and result in humanitarian crises that are larger and more frequent."
The end of climate change, many seem to argue, will secure hope for all people and will mean our salvation. Proponents of the movement preach the end of climate change as if it were synonymous with the end of evil. They preach it as if they are promoting some new gospel.
Realistically, however, this focus on climate change just speaks to the incredibly warped perspective of our culture. Without a biblical understanding of mankind's purpose on earth and an acceptance of the mandate in Genesis 1 to "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28), the culture has a hard time understanding what humanity's relationship to the earth should be like. Without the understanding of mankind's inherent worth as a creature created in the image of God, our culture also forgets that humans have a unique role and a unique relationship with the Creator that sets them apart from the rest of creation.
Consequently, our priorities become severely mixed up. While we scramble around with our fruitless attempts to prevent global warming, the unborn within our own nation are robbed of their natural right to life and innocent people overseas meet with death at the hands of Isis militants. We cannot sensibly blame climate change for these issues. Climate change is not the evil at the heart of all problems. In fact, it is primarily a distraction from the real problem, and that problem is much deeper and much more complex than anything having to do with global warming.
That problem is the problem of the human heart. It is the sinful nature of humanity, not the possibility of "swelling seas," that poses the true "immediate threat" to our country. As long as this nation continues to misdiagnose the problem, we will see no improvement.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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