an inconvenient truth...
who knew that al gore could be so engaging? in this persuasive and informative documentary about our climate crisis, al builds more social and intellectual capital than (seemingly) in his entire political career. but politics and aside, this film is definitely a must-see. it's not a liberal/conservative issue, or even an environmentalist issue- it's a moral issue. and for christians, this must absolutely be an issue of holistic stewardship and creation care.in my first semester at regent, i was reading a book entitled for the beauty of the earth for a systematic theology course. given my conservative background, i was almost ready to dismiss the book as liberal propaganda since it was going on and on about the intersection of theology and ecology, theology of place, and how christians ought to care for the earth because of the spotted owl and so on. i wondered how recycling would help 'save souls' (since that is all evangelicals care about), and though i didn't quite understand it at the time, the idea was thought provoking at the very least.
but looking back now, i'm thankful for the central message of the book because it took me about two years to learn its importance. the bottom line is that god loves his creation- there is nothing in scripture that god so repeatedly declares as 'good'- and he has provided us with the earth as a gift to steward and enjoy, not a resource to dominate and exploit. there is so much bad apocalyptic theology out there endorsing the idea that the earth is going to burn and that we must therefore rape the earth for all its worth and ask questions later. but if christians really understood that heaven is not some etheral existence in the clouds, but instead is a new earth with creation fully restored as it was intended, then i think our perspective on a crisis as imminent as global warming would shift.
see the film. it will shock you... and hopefully, move you to action.
