Caring for Creation by Paul Douglas

Author:Paul Douglas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL106000;NAT011000;REL012110
ISBN: 9781441230720
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

Once, as I was giving a climate presentation, an Iowa farmer started asking me question after question about God’s control. After several back and forths, I asked, “Do you believe God causes earthquakes?” After a few moments, the man replied, “I guess I do.” I then went on to say that we have a different understanding of God, and we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I respectfully moved on. After all the questions and discussion, a colleague attempted to reach out to the farmer. Upon approaching my questioner, my associate saw the man surrounded by his friends and neighbors. From the circle, directed to my disagreeing friend, my associate overheard, “Hey, Joe, the next time one of your hogs get sick, you’re not going to waste money calling the vet, are you?”

It’s very interesting when our professed theology meets our real life. And in “real life,” our climate is changing. As mentioned in the introduction, my ninety-year-old dad, a former coal miner, made the connection just by looking at the world outside his window. My prayer is that you will be encouraged to spend time with God in creation. Simply observe the seasons in your neighborhood. In the continental United States, for example, autumn leaves are lasting an average of ten days longer and spring is starting about four days earlier.3 Birdwatchers tell us birds are nesting farther north than ever before, and planting season has significantly changed. Get connected to the wondrous creation and see for yourself what we are doing to our beautiful common home.

Our eyes don’t see what they don’t wish to see; our chief blindness is change. Moving forward is hard. Even with hundreds of years of slavery, abuse, and ridicule, the Israelites cried out at least twelve separate times to return to Egypt. Seemingly every time they encountered an obstacle they wanted to return to the past. Slavery and almost certain death appeared more palatable than following God’s lead into a new future.

Thankfully, the early pioneers of our nation didn’t succumb to the same anxiety. Leaders like William Bradford, Roger Williams, and especially independence champions such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson faced certain death if they retreated to the past. We won’t face the gallows from climate change, but our children will continue suffering, our military will increasingly be put in harm’s way, millions around the world will die, and the world’s economy will suffer. It’s well past time to plant our standard and go toward a “promised land” of energy freedom, energy independence, the liberty for healthy unpolluted lives, and the right to build a solid economy.

The reason I am so focused on solar now is because I believe that solar empowers the people. I believe that solar equals energy freedom. The average person cannot go out and construct a new power plant, they can’t put a nuclear reactor on their rooftop, they can’t go out and build a big windfarm. But they can install solar panels on their rooftop and become energy independent.

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