Seeing Through the Fog
Political buzzwords do not draw us closer to God. We are responsible to understand and apply the scriptures. Being equipped in this way allows us to see the truth through the fog of ideas. The latest thing to come down the pike is not necessarily what God would have his people to focus on.
Christianity Today’s website has a helpful article by Ann Swindell. Stop Blabbing: and 8 other ways to connect with God offers ideas to refresh and improve your walk with the Lord. Unfortunately, she dumped some garbage in the middle. The good ideas include mutual prayer, quiet contemplation, healthy diet and Bible memorization, but she plops “Go Green” right in the middle. Huh?
Nothing in our spiritual lives concerns our choice to drive a Prius or an SUV, to recycle or send our cans to the landfill. Nothing in these decisions brings us closer to God or pushes us away. We draw closer by learning to walk in imitation of Christ and we pull away when we imitate the world. I am thankful for the earth and I am careful to protect wildlife—ever hunter is a conservationist. Being thankful and conserving has nothing to do with being Green. Being Green has more to do with veneration of the earth and the pseudoscience of Global Warming than with conservation. Our responsibility to be stewards of the earth is a far cry from that sort of thing. Christians must be wary of bringing things into our faith with no other support than popular culture—being Christian is supposed to be counter-culture. Being careful with the earth is a wonderful thing but don’t make it into a religious duty.
As the article says, you should spend time with the Lord, take care of your body and your mind and seek to know God better, but you can throw the Green garbage out. This is an important lesson. If I ever find a Christian I agree with on everything I’ll be committed for talking to myself. This goes for Christian authors, teachers and artists. I disagree with this writer on the Green issue but can take the other things she says, enjoy them and learn. Sometimes we have to eat around the bones to get to enjoy the steak. Be discriminating about what you swallow from the Christian media. Filter all of it through the scripture and give no one the benefit of the doubt just because they fly a Christian banner.
