Greenpeace
I was walking through downtown DC today to meet a friend for lunch. It was rather cold, and there was a slight wind that chilled any exposed skin. It was about a twenty-five minute walk from my hotel to my friends office. As I approached the last crosswalk before his block, I could see ahead of me an activist.
I don’t actually know what they are called, but they are the people that stand on the corners in big cities and give you information on their cause. They are usually activists, and this one happened to be from Greenpeace.
Whenever I go to a new city, I usually don’t know very many people, so I often talk to the activists simply because they’re willing to have a conversation. No one else in the city wants to talk to me except the activists. Last week I meet a guy that lived on a 100-acre commune in West Virginia with a bunch of artists. Their purpose was to start a revolution in the U.S. using their art. He was selling T-shirts and bumper stickers that said, “Stop Bitching – Start a Revolution!” I didn’t buy one.
Since I was meeting a friend for lunch I promised the Greenpeace guy that I would see him on my way back. He probably thought I was just trying to get rid of him, but I wasn’t. I went back to see him.
His cause was global warming – actually, the prevention of global warming. My initial thoughts were a little sarcastic, but I had to think it: “You have certainly picked the wrong place to try to convince me that it’s warm. I’m wearing a thick coat and giant gloves, and I’m not even remotely warm.” I didn’t actually say that, but I thought it. Although I’ve never taken an environmentalist seriously, I listened and weighed his arguments as fairly as I could.
He made some pretty sobering claims. For every lobbyist that represents the environment there are one hundred lobbyists with way more money and influence that represents major corporations that would be affected by environmental legislation. If this is the case, it doesn’t matter if global warming is a big deal or not because the system is jacked up. What would it take for such an underdog to make their case? We’ve had the natural disasters, and no one’s interested. They’ve got the numbers, but no one cares.
I didn’t sign up because I need to do some more research. I’m not one for supporting a cause after only twenty minutes of education on the subject. But I guess that’s the only thing that can help those underdogs – to encourage people to become educated. Numbers is what they need, the power of people.
They gave me a few more numbers, predications really, but I’m not sure I buy it. By 2100 (92 years from now), Washington D.C. will be underwater, and 100 million people will have lost their homes because of rising sea levels. Who knows, but it’s worth learning about.
www.greenpeace.org
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Ahhh, something is happening though. To me it does not matter if it is man, a natural enviromental cycle or Gods hand in chastisement. The natural order of things as they have been the last several thousand years is turning and the changes do not bode well for mankind. The arctic ice has receeded to the point that in one to two years there will be a year round passage from Europe to Russia via Canada by ship. The glaciers of the United states are all gone. The ice fields of the Alps are rapidly dwindling to levels not seen in 6000 years. Fish species are dying due to ocean warming not just over fishing. Arid land and deserts are exspanding swiftly while corresponding wet zones are shrinking. Coral atoll and reefs the world over that are thousands of years old are dieing both due to to much rise in sea temperature but also rising sea depth cutting out light levels. Soil and plant-tree parasites that thrive on moderate temperatures are devastating alpine and deciduous forests in the northern hemisphere. While all this natural cyclical -vs -man made-assisted enviromental change is occuring, man himself is about to enter a time of cultural and social destruction the likes as never imagined except in old testament apocolyptic writings.
Have you noted South Korea has leased over 40 percent of Madagascars productive land for 100 years to grow palm oil and corn all to be shipped to Korea. Yet Madagascar faces starvation routinely and recieves UN food to survive. China and India have leased vast tracts of land in Africa and South America, millions on millions of acres to feed the exsploding populations of their nations.Colonialism again sweeps the earth as the poorest of the poor sell their futue and lifeblood of their nations for scraps to try to survive. The world population is anticipated to grow one billion two hundred and fifty million by 2025. In an age of enviromental upheavel from whatever the reason, we are going to see in as little as 15 years massive armed and social conflict for vanishing resources. Today people are concerned over loosing there retirement funds and second cars and mcmansions. They are upset that they cannot get credit to spend spend spend. What do you think will be their concerns in 10 t0 15 years.
I used to be a survivalist at all costs, I used to worry constantly, and plan for disaster natural and man made. No longer the Lord has given such an inner sense of peace as I come to realize nothing man can do will be of long benefit, only the Face and hand of a supernatural GOD will see us through. Now more then ever I do what I can do in my physical body but all my peace, hope and strength rests in Christ, what He has said and what the Father has promised. It is the day of unbelievable spiritual comfort and signs and wonders. It is the most wonderfull day to be a Child of the King.
My stepdad totally bought a “Stop Bitching – Start a Revolution” t-shirt in NYC. I don’t think he knew or even cared which cause it was from, he just thought it was cool.
you should buy one. and wear it to Impact. as you lead worship. and tell everyone to go green.
JD, what a perspective. I don’t invite disaster, but I don’t fear it either. It’s a chance to rely more on the Lord, and to let others see his faithfulness.
What you said has been on my mind lately: “What do you think their concerns will be in 10 to 15 years?”
I just assume that life will go back to ‘normal’. For some reason, I’ve never given much thought to the possibility that we aren’t invincible. Your sense of peace seems appropriate. My peace right now is false because it’s a peace that simply assumes that things will always get better. Your peace is prepared for anything – I suppose I need to ask for that.
My sense is that mankind and all of creation has slowly been degenerating since the fall in Eden. I guess we assume that things are better and better because we have more productive “things” to help us in our physical lives. But just because I have a car in place of a donkey or sandles, and because I have a washer and dryer istead of a rocky stream, and just because I have antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals rather then herbs and prayer does not mean my soul and spirit are better off or exist in a world that is more at spiritual peace and demonic free then a hundred or a thousand or six thousand years ago. The very nature and degree of perversity that mankind now exhibits would have been beyond the most horrific thoughts of ages past. And today it is a universal accepted thing. As the days of mankind draw closer to the eventual restoration of all things the very vomit of hell is spewed out in the actions and lives of the people. But I know the Creator God as the word states will raise up a stanserd against it. And there will be as God told Elija, “seven thousand who have not bent there knee or kissed the god of jezebel”. And by that I mean and know that God will be supernaturally increasing and empowering those who love Him and follow His Son. Just because flesh is pamperd and seduced does not mean mankind is getting better and better. The farther away we turn from God there is no option but decay and eternal destruction.
Not that I disagree with you, I just want to get your opinion on something I’ve been thinking about lately. It’s interesting that you brought up the topic of degeneration.
Sometimes I feel like we’re getting better as a nation, as a church, as individuals. I think the issue of slavery in the US hits this from all angles. Initially slavery was acceptable; racism was in everyone. There were very few, if any at all, abolitionists. The church often defended slavery with scripture. Over time, good prevailed (Godly precepts prevailed). Since then, the direction has been towards equality. Racism is a cuss word now. Many people that are alive now despise racism, yet if they were born one hundred years ago or more they would probably blindly be racist. So it’s getting better, not worse.
But, even though we may be getting better and learning to do ‘right’, we, as a whole, are not growing close to God – like you said. Creation is degenerating (possibly at an inverse relationship to it’s moral evolution). Also, just because our moral capacity is greater doesn’t mean that the world, or even the church, is better for it. We’ve just learned to ignore it all the more.
Anyways, i don’t necessarily believe this I’ve just been thinking about it lately, and it fits well with regeneration/degeneration. I would love to hear your thoughts..
What seems good unto man is often an abomination unto God. The church had the Lords command on slavery, (do unto others as you would have them do unto you – love your brother as yourself), but chose not to follow it. For me Christ was the demarcation line between slavery in the old testament and new. One cannot look at His teachings and find any basis to maintain slavery. We are all made in the image of God thus was it ever appropriate to have had slavery. In a fallen world it was inevitable that the stronger would enslave the weeker for the love of God was not fully in them. Some would now say we have become more just because we now approve of same sex marriage and are not denying rights. I do not see a similair line as one does with slavery. God looked around and found Adam needed a helpmate and that it was not good for him to be alone as all creation had a mate. God himself had the Trinity. He therefore made a woman and commanded them to be fruitfull and multiply and fill the earth. The order that was set was such that man and woman restore the full unity of the full original creation that was in Adam alone. Two men or two women do not make that perfect recreation for there is duplication of one element in the pair, it is not a perfect creation restoration. However in a humanistic world where man is his own god and ruler of his own fate then male-male and female-female have full and equal value as male-female. It is now left to the individual to decide whos their lord and whos kingdom they wish to be in. I feel it is not the right of the church to condem or harm those not of the church that chose this path. It is however the obligation of those within the body to continue to teach what the word says unless it can be shown that Christ has given a new command on this. As regards slavery there was a rule — do unto others as you would have done unto you, thus anything that involves coercion or force against another for the benefit of someone was not to be. Likewise it is unchristian to pick one sin out of many and cruelly condem and deny the physical rights of a people based on that sin. It will be up to the Lord to make a determination not man.
In a humanistic world both situations would indicate an improvement in the character of man and the world, but is that the case in a world under Christs rule? So much of what would be stated as an improvement in man is at odds with the Bible and thus must be considerd a degeneration of the world not a regeneration of Gods order. It is not a comfortable place to be as a Christian, for it appears cruel, mean, bigotted and hatefull. Christ said if we are his friend we are at enmity with the world. You must weigh the word and judge for yourself the course you will take, the comfort of embracing a humanistic world or the pain of following Christ. Test all thigs against The Word with the guideance of the Holy Spirit, to decide if it fits regeneration or degeneration of Gods Kingdom.
Thanks for the thoughts. I think that sometimes what seems like God’s precepts slip into the agenda of the godless. Still using slavery as an example, there were plenty of abolitionists that wanted to free the US of slavery simply because it is evil, but the politicians that made those decisions did so with other intentions. Lincoln said if he could resolve the issues between the North and South without abolishing slavery then he would do so. So I can hardly call that regeneration of God’s order even though his principles won in the end. His will won, but the hearts of the majority still aren’t right.