The World As It Is

I've seen a couple of indications lately that there's a belief that views most of those who don't believe that global warming (particularly as put forth by former Vice President Al Gore anyway) is true, are from the conservative side of Christian America. What about it? Is this one of those instances where Christians are going to be told again that they can't think independently?

It's funny, but I wrote a couple of blogs about global warning before I ever heard any of my pastor's views on the subject. He and I are in agreement on this. We both believe that the global warming movement's science is skewed and flawed. So do many other conservative Christians. What about it? There are conservative Christians who don't share my view, or who haven't arrived at any sort of definitive conclusion on the matter.

Christians have a worldview. Non-Christians have a worldview. Part of my worldview is influenced certainly by where I come down on Biblical prophecy. I hold to an eschatological view wherein Jesus Christ Himself will return to this earth and reign here for a thousand years, immediately after a terrible seven-year period of tribulation and great evil, the likes of which the world has never seen. This tired planet has seen much evil. That should tell you how bad I think this time will be.

The Book of Revelation in Chapter 20 describes a final attempt by an army of evil to have its way. That army will be devoured by fire from heaven, sent from God. It is only after that, in Chapter 21 of Revelation, the prophet John says, "1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea."

I think if you will bear with me, you will see where I am going with this.

Gen 8:20-22
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease."

I don't think verse 22 was tossed in to be used as a snappy song lyric later on. I think it's pretty clear. As long as this earth remains, and until God replaces it with a new one, we will plant and we will harvest. We will have seasons. Not just hot ones, but cold too. I read a post by a guy I respect who says that global warming fits right in with the prophetic events of Revelation 16, which talks about the fourth bowl judgment where men will be scorched with the heat of the sun and blaspheme God's name. I disagree. That will be a plague, brought about by God, not a drastic weather trend. It will start and it will stop.

Do I think that temperatures have been generally climbing over the last several years? Yes. Do I think that is anything new? No, it has happened before. The earth's weather and temperatures are variable and not fixed. Is the earth unstable, given that it, like everything else is under the weight of fallen-ness? Sure, but that doesn't validate bad science. I will take Scripture over popular science any day, and if someone wants to say that I am just another conservative Christian taking a political stand, they can do that, but the intensity of their belief doesn't make it true.