The Simple Pastor
Simplicity & Generosity
Bibliophilia (09.09.10): An abundance of reviews this week – which means lots of choice and recommendations and sh... http://bit.ly/9Kpslp 3 hrs ago
Tim Challies had an interesting piece reflecting on how history may look back on this part of church history. He reflects on three areas which he considers blindspots – abortion, creation care and slavery. This is interesting because it’s not the thing you’d normally expect to hear from Tim Challies (well not the second two anyway).
Here’s what he says at the end of the paragraph on slavery.
“Our culture of consumption, our sheer greed seems to fly in the face of God’s commands that we live free from the captivity of possessions. How will history judge us when they see the homes of North American Christians bursting at the seams with stuff—with clothes and electronics and furniture—manufactured by impoverished brothers and sisters a continent or two away?”
Read the whole thing
*This is the second (the first is more of an intro here) post into ‘why I think consumerism should be a big deal for Christians*
It’s quite a headline really, when you stop to think about it. Pretty much everything these days seems to be about the environment. Climate change was one of the themes of the last decade and will be one for the next ten years too. If you’re sick of hearing about it, talking about it, thinking about it then I have some bad news for you, in all likelihood this train is only just beginning to pull.
There are massive forces at work reshaping the way our world works (and some fairly hefty forces resisting any such change), but governments (and importantly most of the big ones) are slowly changing too. Take recycling waste for example, almost everyone in the UK deals with household waste differently to ten years ago, more is recycled than ever and looking forward you’ll have increasingly less choice in the matter. Recycling will be what we all do, what we have to do.
Laws will make your cars more energy efficient, increasing numbers of electric vehicles will begin to appear, hybrids will change our petrol stations. Already incentives are available for households to generate electricity and grants available to reduce waste through insulation and new boilers. These are just a few of the ways your life is changing because scientists and governments believe our climate is changing (and not really for the better).
Tied to all of this political drive are the cultural battles taking place, those preparing for a brave new world where cars are obsolete, travel is restricted and everything gets local. It’s a back to the future kind of approach, a blending of nostalgia for ages past and a hopeful mix of new technology and thinking. At the same time a sizeable majority are appalled at the idea of not being able to buy strawberries in winter or driving to the shops in a 4×4. Development agencies are lobbying, oil companies are lobbying back. It’s grassroots against big business.
At the heart of much of the campaigning for change is the belief that our current way of living in developed nations is unsustainable, we simply can’t go on like this, goes the thinking. We buy too much, waste too much, need so little. This is mostly true. This is at the heart of consumerism. (more…)
Thanks to the BBC for this amazing image
And no I haven’t changed my mind but it is pretty cold this winter…
In my last post I said I was convinced about climate change. I received an anonymous comment that said, “the reason many people are climate skeptics is that the science is just not convincing.”
This short video (4 minutes) gives you an insight into the amount of work that goes into the IPCC. You might still think their findings are politically biased or scientifically in error. Even so the work done is quite remarkable.
I’m not a scientist. Nowhere even close. I barely passed physics and biology GCSE’s, I’m fairly rubbish at maths beyond mental arithmetic (as long it doesn’t include long division) and I think the periodic table is a piece of antique furniture. So why am I convinced about the science of climate change?
Firstly, it’s a debate you can’t ignore. A side must be taken because, while the future of the planet is not in jeopardy, the form of human civilisation could drastically alter and as always the poorest will be hit hardest. For some of our brothers and sisters we’re not talking about paying higher energy bills we’re talking about them living or dying. So decide I must. Will the streams of justice roll or will they have dried up in western greed and apathy. I think justice demands I make my mind up.
Having decided to decide, I have to decide who to trust. I respect theologians but I don’t listen or believe all of them, same with most experts really. But I don’t dismiss them out of hand. And while not all scientists agree, the vast majority of climate scientists do. That’s a point worthy of note. Given they know more about this than I do, am I going to choose to listen to their warnings.
This group is not a small group, nor is it a group that obviously has much to profit by championing this cause. They’re not backed by big oil companies. Some may make their name, so ego isn’t to be discounted, but for the majority this argument doesn’t apply. It’s a global group – from many different countries, not just liberal, eco-friendly, tree-hugging, atheist Scandinavians. The scientific panels now have decades long body of evidence, they have been subject to scrutiny by peer review, the media, governments and public opinion.
But there are the nay-sayers. The sceptics and climate-gate has only roused them in their conspiracy theory anger. Are they right? Is this whole thing some excuse to sneak in a one-world government through the back door or worse socialism? Well maybe, so what? Anyway, here’s my conspiracy theory in reply. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that the most vocal opponents of change are the ones accused of being the most guilty? That the ones that might actually have to pay up and change are the ones fighting the hardest against it, how strange is that, how unexpected and inconsistent with human nature; wouldn’t you agree?
So here are the sceptics and the pretty robust response from the believers. (HT: Jeremy – read this post!).
But even if the climate isn’t changing (and it’s not just about the planet getting warmer) there are good reasons to work with not against this movement. Here are a few:
Not so long ago, there was the brief whiff of debate on the blog about climate change. It seems to me that evangelical Christians (especially in the US) are sceptical about climate change (they don’t have a great record of trusting the scientific establishment) and here in the UK, the more reformed you are the less likely (in general terms) the issues of climate change, the environment, consumerism etc are going to be taken seriously. This is a shame and a cause of sadness. I’m convinced one of my roles is to make a contribution to that debate to bring more of the church round on this one. So I’m convinced, are you?
I had quite a few comments about my comment that Wayne Grudem is wrong on climate change both on the blog and on facebook. As Copenhagen summit is taking place this issue continues to exercise the mind. Here’s a round-up of a variety of blog posts from all sorts of angles:
At least I’m pretty sure he is about climate change. According to Krish Kandiah, Prof Grudem is a climate sceptic. “There are those who say that the production of carbon dioxide is creating a greenhouse effect and is causing the earth to warm, in fact it does not appear to be born out by empirical evidence, all of the evidence for global warning is based on computer modelling and many of the assumptions of the computer models are highly suspect. Within the last month we had 30,000 scientists who signed a public declaration that they were high sceptical of the warnings of global warming.”
I don’t think he could be more wrong. I also picked up today from Peter Ould’s latest blog that he’s a sceptic, so it seems is popular Christian blogger Tim Challies and a whole host of others. Made me wonder if evangelicals are more likely to be climate change sceptics and I think that could be so.
Here are a few posts from my friend Jeremy who is convinced of man-made climate change.
A while ago I read my friend Dave’s account of the impact of a talk I gave, and he listed the questions I posed that night, I’ve turned those questions into a series of posts which I’ve now finished. Here’s the complete set
My friend Tim from Journey Beyond is taking part in an interesting protest on July 2nd, and you are all welcome to participate. Along with friends and colleagues, he will be scooping up 20 litres of water from the Thames and carrying it on his head to Number 10 Downing Street. Tearfund petition postcards will be handed to Gordon Brown, asking for better water and sanitation for the world’s poor.
“About 900 million people, out of sight, collect dirty water and carry it long distances everyday” Tim explains. “Imaging, in the height of rush hour, those ‘out of sight’ millions being made visible in central London!”
If you would like to join in, meet at Westminster Bridge at 8:30 on thursday 2nd of July, and have a look at this video to explain why this action is so necessary.
I knew a good electric motorbike had to happen sooner or later. Thank the Lord for Mission Motors.
All I need now is $68,995.
Just a few links for you to keep the issue of the environment on your radar
And over at Illuminate Christian Books I’m thinking through what we can do as a business using these industry initiatives Green4books and Recyclenow
Click on the pic for an enlarged version
HT: Lifehacker
This earnest, sombre plea for the oceans is heartfelt and stirring and as the lady says ‘no blue, no green’ which translates to forget the oceans and you can forget life on land. So take 18 minutes of your time and wonder whether the description of the teeming oceans that God in Genesis still apply.
Just a short video today from Tearfund about their carbon fast
For the campaigners amongst you, I was sent this information to pass on. "Join others in Coventry for our Climate Change Day of Action on 19 March.What’s in store? The day will be made up of three parts. 1. Service, Coventry Cathedral 12pm: The day will start with a joint service with CAFOD, featuring music and performances. James Hansen, the renowned climatologist, will provide a call to arms with his keynote speech, while the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, will explain the theological response to climate change. 2. Carnival parade 1.30pm: Then we will join with our colleagues from the Stop Climate Chaos coalition with a vibrant parade through the city centre. 3. E.ON rally 3pm: We’ll be bringing the day to a close with a rally, alongside the World Development Movement, outside the headquarters of E.ON, the company behind the planned Kingsnorth coal-fuelled power station. Join us as we say ‘No to coal!’To join us in Coventry for all or any part of the day, email campaigns@christian-aid.org or call 020 7523 2264 For more details visit:http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/Countdown-to-Copenhagen-climate-change/come-to-coventry.aspx"
According to New Scientist
“A growing band of experts are looking at figures like these and arguing that personal carbon virtue and collective environmentalism are futile as long as our economic system is built on the assumption of growth. The science tells us that if we are serious about saving Earth, we must reshape our economy. This, of course, is economic heresy.”
Read the whole thing here
I use Superbadger, and if you use Facebook you should too. It’s an effective way for internet users to lobby government for justice on international and global issues. I badgered Ed Milliband the new minister on climate change. Here’s the response:
HiThanks for emailing me about European action on climate change.
You’re right that some people see the economic trouble and say we should scale back what we do to tackle climate change.
But we know from the Stern report that the longer we wait, the higher the cost. And we know as well there are many ways to help both the economy and the environment, encouraging jobs in green technologies and helping households save energy.
So in European meetings and elsewhere, I’ve been arguing that Europe needs to lead, with tough reductions at home, with all sectors contributing, and with real action.
You said we should reduce our own emissions, and stick by the European target of a 20 per cent cut by 2020, and a 30 per cent cut when there is a global deal. I completely agree. Britain’s weight has been behind Europe keeping our emission commitments.
You wrote about which industries have to buy carbon permits in auctions. I have been arguing that there should be a big increase, including the whole power sector from 2013.
And on offsets, we have to show that a low-carbon economy is possible. I’ve been arguing that at least 50% of the reductions after 2012 must come from within Europe.
But because responsibility abroad is the flip side of action at home, I do believe that some foreign credits are important. They mean more money going to developing countries to help green technologies, on top of the £800 million fund that Britain has set up to support green development. This combination of government funds and money from credits, together with action from developing countries themselves, is needed to keep global emissions down.
So we’ve got lots going on. Last week I increased our legal target for carbon cuts by 2050 (you can read more about it here), and later in the year we will hear from the independent Committee on Climate Change what milestones we should meet on the way. As we manage the transition to a low-carbon economy, and agree an international deal, I’d like to stay in touch. And I’d like to thank you for making contact: a low-carbon economy can’t come about from politicians alone, but from politicians and public pressure – pressure on me, on MEPs and local authorities, and on our public services and businesses. I can’t bring about the changes we need without you.
Best wishes
Ed Miliband
Secretary of State,
Department of Energy and
Climate Change.
One of the best known Christian bloggers is Canadian Tim Challies, his blog is well worth reading even if only to see what makes a great blog. Tim devours books in a way that I devour my wife’s chocolate biscuits. Anyway he’s been reading recently on the issues relating to the environment.
His book reviews are always thoughtful, insightful and usually helpful, I recommend checking out his blog and reading the following reviews:
Francis Schaeffer’s Pollution and the Death of Man
Matthew Sleeth’s Serve God, Save the Planet
Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a church pastor, a bookshop owner, a husband, a father, a keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.