Christianity Scripture and Climate Change - Part 3

Often we are tempted to view our relationship with God as similar to that between Frodo and Gandalf, or Samwise and Aragorn.  However a better analogy would be that between Frodo and Tolkien.  It can equally be said that Frodo only succeeded in his quest by the grace of Tolkein.  In similar vein one might argue that an atheist arguing against the existence of God is like Saruman denying the existence of Tolkien.  The only way he could do so is by using words that Tolkein, for whatever reason he may choose, put in his mouth.

Ok I hear the argument. We are way more than characters in a story.  I grant the objection; we are (sort of).  But Frodo is a finite character and we are finite beings, so it is possible to quantitatively define the difference between me and Frodo.  In contrast, while Tolkein is finite, God is infinite.  And so although the analogy breaks down, it doesn't do so in our favour.  If you still want to argue, then does your objection to this analogy differ in any significant way to our objections to the analogy of a potter and his pots in Romans chapter 9.  If you still want to argue, read “Easy chairs Hard Words” by Douglas Wilson and then argue with him.  He started me thinking on this track, and I have found it helpful.

As Christians committed to the authority of Scripture, we can be confident that God has a plan and purpose in history (Is 46:10).  It is His Story after all, and the author gets to decide the flow of the narrative.  So we don't need to fear that some action or decision on our part is going to take Him by surprise.  Typically this raises the whole issue of predestination, which some mistakenly set up in opposition to free will.  This is not the place to discuss this at length; others have done so much more expertly then I can (e.g. Foreordination and free-will). But if I might continue the analogy of an author and story telling, in considering this issue we often fall into the trap of considering God as just another character in the story, rather than the author of it. Consider that wonderful tale of J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings”.  Remember the scene at the council of Elrond when the representatives of the various ethnic groups were debating the fate of the one ring, and who was going to take it to Mt Doom to be destroyed.  Eventually Frodo said “I will take the ring, though I do not know the way.”  Frodo made this decision of his own free will.  No other character in that universe of Middle Earth forced him to offer to undertake this long and dangerous “mission, quest, thing”.  (Ok I know I am borrowing words from the movie not the book.)  However it is equally valid to say that the only reason Frodo offered to take the ring was because Tolkien had predestined him to do so.

When we consider, then, our role in climate change and the fear that somehow we can destroy the world through our actions then it really comes back of faith and eschatology.  I believe the Bible clearly teaches that the faithful witness of the saints and the preaching of the gospel through out the world, will be used by the Holy Spirit to draw the elect to a saving knowledge of Christ and the consequent “teaching them to obey all that I've commanded” ( Matt 28 ).  This covenantal, gratitude-based obedience to the whole counsel of God will demolish every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and bring every thought captive to Jesus Christ (2 Cir 10: 4-5), as we make it our ambition to live a quiet life, working hard with our hands and being dependent upon no-one so that the testimony of our lives will earn the respect of those around us (1 Thess 4:11).  As a consequence, as we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all that we require in order to live for Him and serve Him will be added unto us, until the joy of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.

This should make us immune to the scare campaigns of those who would week to manipulate us to act in ways contrary to the word of God.  So how is the climate change campaign, manipulating us contrary to God's word.

God's word is sovereign over me, my family, my church and my government.  God requires all of us to live in submission to His word and this includes the authority wielded by the various governments of Australia.  How this works out in practice requires a lot of debate, discussion and historical study of men who were more discerning than we in our generation.  One thing is clear.  Communism / socialism, that desire to take the wealth of those who work hard and invest wisely, and destroy it is unbiblical.  Driving a V8 or using an incandescent light bulb is not a sin.  But murdering unborn children, homosexuality, sexual relations outside of marriage is.  These activities supported and condoned by the state (and sadly often the church) is the cancer eating at the bones of our country, not the burning of CO2, which should, based on science, improve the productivity of our crops and forests, making our nation even more productive.  This means we would then have more resources to help others in need.