My Concerns for Global Warming
by Dan Richardson
via Search, December 2007; Vol. 14, No. 9
We are hearing much these days on the subject of global warming. Environmentalists warn that because of man's reckless disregard for the release of pollutants, the world is becoming increasingly warmer and we are reaching a peak of global emergency threatening our very existence. Really? Could it possibly be? While I'm no scientist, I am a Bible student, and frankly, I'm not worried about man's ability to destroy the world. Don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that we not be concerned about pollution. We should be, but my concerns are over all the environmental "hype" about global warming in view of what the Bible teaches.
First, I'm concerned about man's gullibility to believe everything he hears. Global warming is a case in point. For many, if they can put a celebrity's face with a "cause," it must be true. Or, if a seemingly reputable scientist supports the theory, that's good enough for many, despite the fact that there are many scientists who convincingly discredit the "Gorey" (pun intended) details of global warming danger. For example, I just read an article about how the climate in 2007 can be more accurately classified as "global cooling" due to record cold temperatures being set in many places. The author, David Deming, a geophysicist, an adjunct scholar with the National Center for Policy Analysis, and associate professor of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma concludes that global warming belongs in the category of "pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo." My point is this -- don't be too easily persuaded that something is believable until you've thoroughly investigated the issue.
As a Christian, I have concerns about the general plight of intellectual laziness, especially as it pertains to man's spiritual life. Religious beliefs, for many, don't originate through a personal investigation of the Bible, God's word, but come as a result of what their parents believed, or what their priest or pastor tells them to believe. The Bible teaches us of the "nobility" of a certain people who, when they heard the apostle Paul preach, "received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Note they didn't believe Paul just because he was a well-known apostle and preacher, but understanding the seriousness of the subject at hand (the salvation of their souls), they put the sermon to the test by a diligent search of the Scriptures. When was the last time you did that? If all would follow this Bible example, many would be shocked at how much "religious mumbo jumbo" is believed due to a lack of Bible knowledge.
Second, I'm concerned about man's arrogance in assuming he has a role in global destruction. Man's progress made within the last 100 years is unparalleled; his growing knowledge in so many fields has resulted in vast achievements, many for good. However, instead of turning humble hearts to give God thanksgiving for all these blessings (cf. James 1:17), many instead lifted themselves up in arrogance to take all the credit themselves. This has always been a danger for man in times of posterity (cf. Deuteronomy 6:10-12). Paul pinpointed the problem as he described how a society lapses into moral and spiritual depravity. It begins with a disposition of heart to refuse God and exalt self. They did not retain God in their knowledge, they ceased giving Him thanks, and, "professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22). In light of what God's word says, and global warming advocates show, the assumption that man can wreak the havoc proposed through polluting the ozone illustrates an exaggerated sense of importance on his part.
Third, I'm concerned about the many, obsessed with this world, who will not prepare for the true global warming event. In the end, after all is said and done, they who live their lives without God must face Him in judgment and give an account of how they lived (Romans 2:4-6). In their equation of life, they did not figure God in, to acknowledge a Power higher than themselves, nor would they listen to His revealed word of truth, the Bible. If they had, they would have been cognizant of the true global warming even reserved for when Jesus comes again in flaming fire to render vengeance to those who do not know God nor obey the gospel of Christ (II Thessalonians 1:6-9). At that time, the world will be destroyed with fire, the very elements melted by fervent heat (II Peter 3:7-12). These things we all need to be concerned about.
