BRIGHTON CHURCH OF CHRIST
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The ‘Climate Change Religion’
I believe, for the most part, that all God-conscious individuals believe they should be good stewards of God’s physical blessings which He has provided for us here on earth. Since He is the Creator, we need to respect what He has created, even to the point of recognizing that “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). Thus, man was given the responsibility to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). The first man, Adam, was placed in the garden and told to “tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15)---in other words, work and be a good steward. Therefore, we are to work and be concerned about protecting our environment---clean air, water, and energy.
It is unfortunate that weather has been “politicized” in our present culture. We constantly hear about ‘climate change.’ This concept has caused hatred, strife, bitterness, resentment, fear, and loss of jobs among men and nations. I call it a ‘religion’ because some are now “playing God” and predicting that if we do not make drastic changes, the earth will be destroyed in nine to ten years. How many times have we had a major weather event, and we are told---“you see, this is it, it’s our fault.” But in most cases, we check the weather records from years past, perhaps in the late 1800's, and there you find it, an event just as bad or worst than the one we have presently experienced. (It is not possible to go back and check events prior to 1880, since that is the year when weather events became a matter of record.)
Does the climate actually change? Yes, we have seasons of hot and cold, wet and dry, hurricanes and tornadoes. In fact, rather than relying on today’s so-called experts of doom and gloom, I would much prefer taking God at His word. Notice carefully what He has said: “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). And those words were spoken by the Creator just after the occurrence of a major, catastrophic weather event, the world-wide flood, during the days of Noah.
Do we read of the weather in God’s word? Absolutely! There are an estimated 100 passages of scripture that make reference to such things as rain, hail, snow, wind, lightning, cold, frost, etc. Of course, this is understandable since it is God who “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). In speaking of our Creator, the Apostle Paul stated: “Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our heart with food and greatness” (Acts 14:17). An example of a major weather event in the Bible occurred during the days of the prophet Elijah when there was a drought that lasted three and one-half years (1 Kgs. 17-18; Lk. 4:25; Jas 5:17-18).
Yes, there have been great weather events throughout the history of man on earth. And while I’m certainly not a scientist, climatologist, or prophet, I’m pretty confident there will be more events in the future. In fact, I believe there will be weather events all the way up to the real-time end of the world when Jesus returns as a thief in the night in which the earth and the entire universe will “pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” ( See 1 Pet. 3:10-13).
As we noted in the beginning of this article, we should be good stewards of God’s physical creation. The Lord has provided us with all of His natural resources---fossil fuels, metal ores, renewable resources, i.e., hydro, solar, wind, trees, etc. He has also given man the potential and ability to use all His resources safely and wisely. Think of what life on this earth would be like without all God has provided for us! But most important of all, let us place our trust in the Lord, in His sovereignty, in His promises, and in His providence, while at the same time, not getting caught up in man’s ‘climate change religion’. “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22).
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R.J. Evans