Do Humans Cause Climate Change?

“Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you” (Jeremiah 5:25, ESV).
Taken out of context, that verse becomes hard to understand. The word “these” in Jeremiah 5:25 refers to the spring and autumn rains that blessed Palestine, but which were cut off because of their sin. The Revised English Bible clarifies the point by translating, “your wrongdoing has upset nature’s order, and your sins have kept away her bounty.”

So, there you have it. Jeremiah claimed that, in this case at least, humans caused climate change. But Jeremiah’s claim was broader than the claim of the politicians. They claim only that our emitting of certain gasses affects the climate. The Lord claims (through Jeremiah) that all our sins have a negative effect on nature.

I do not have a problem with the claim that humans cause nature to malfunction; my problem is with the restricted way in which the claim is normally made. The scriptures tell us repeatedly that human sin is the cause of “groaning” for all of creation (Rom 8). I have no doubt that humans are the cause of drought. Science and scripture both point in this direction. In fact, the scriptures state it more clearly than any science.

What I have a problem with is the fact that the same people who say, “we cannot drive cars, fly airplanes, or eat hamburgers without causing the global temperature to rise,” turn right around and deny that the fault lies with humans when other things go wrong. These same people try to deny that HIV is the result of sin – even though the evidence for it being caused primarily by sin is perfectly clear. These same people try to deny that sexual sin has led to an increase in several types of cancer, although the science behind that is also abundantly clear. These same people, so concerned with protecting nature by using only renewable energy, deny nature when it comes to homosexuality.

I am careful with fossil fuel, far more careful than the biggest mouths in Washington. I believe that we have a duty to respect God’s creation (Psalm 24). But I do not restrict that duty to the issue of fossil fuel. It applies to all sin, and especially to those sins that clearly run contrary to nature.

Walking with God & Our Self-esteem

Boosting self-esteem is big business, even in churches. The default assumption is that God wants us to feel good about ourselves. That theory would have seemed incredible to previous generations. John Newton (best known for the hymn “Amazing Grace”) did not agree with the “positive self-image” advocates. Newton wrote, “Depend upon it, if you walk closely with God forty years, you will at the end of that time have a much lower opinion of yourself than you have now.”

My brother is not only older, he is also larger than I. He is at least three inches taller, and for much of our lives he was at least 100 pounds heavier. When he was around me, I am sure he felt big. But one day on his paper route he rang a doorbell and a real, live NBA star answered the door. At 6’5” John Havlicek towered over my brother more than my brother did over me. My brother did not feel so big when he stood beside John Havlicek.

If walking with God boosts your self-esteem, let me suggest that you have another look at this god with whom you are walking. The false gods of our own imaginations may boost our self-esteem; but an encounter with the real God would lead us to cry, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isa 6:5, ESV)

John Newton found grace to be amazing only because he understood that this grace was offered to “a wretch like me.” If he had, like so many today, considered himself deserving, then nothing would have been amazing about it. As Randy Alcorn put it, “When sin seems small to us, grace is taken for granted. When sin seems scandalous to us, grace becomes amazing.”

Newton was right, a long walk with God will cure us of our silly illusion of being good. But it will not discourage us. While meeting John Havlicek cured my brother of feeling big, having John on our team would have given us great confidence had we put together a little playground basketball game. We would have known that we personally were no good at basketball; but we would also have known that we would win the game.

Walking with God is not about thinking ourselves right. It is about knowing that we are not right and knowing that we do not have to be, as long as we stick with Him.

Good Boasting

Surely that is an oxymoron. Surely boasting is wrong, so there can be no such thing as “good boasting.” Or can there?

When a teacher tells someone about the good work a pupil has done, knowing that the pupil will overhear and knowing that this pupil needs a bit of encouragement, is that not good? When the apostle Paul, the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), boasted about how the cross of Christ had saved him from his sin (Gal 6:14), is that not good boasting? When Peter and John told the people that they had no power to raise the lame and make them walk, but Jesus could do it (Acts 3), is that not good boasting?

We normally associate boasting with one who talks about himself. But in the three examples above, someone is speaking highly not of self but of another. In two of the three examples, that other is Jesus. That can often be a good form of boasting.

To become a good boaster, we must be willing to admit negative things about ourselves. To boast about the cross, we must admit that Christ’s horrible death was necessary because of our sin. Even for the teacher to effectively boast about the student, there should be an admission that the student is going beyond what the teacher thought could be made of the lesson as the teacher gave it.

Herein lies our problem. We want the credit. But it is impossible to do good boasting while sneaking in a little boasting about ourselves. “I am such a brilliant teacher that even little Johnny understands algebra now” is not going to do Johnny a bit of good. It is an insult rather than a help. “The Lord saved me because he saw that I was really a good person at heart” is boasting for sure, but not of the good kind. The focus becomes self. The star of the show is the speaker, not the Lord.

Let’s try to do more good boasting, on others and on the Lord. We will fail at it. We will catch ourselves sneaking in a little self-promotion along the way. But let’s try.

“But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 9:24, ESV).

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17, ESV).

God Guides

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good (Ecclesiastes 11:6, ESV).

I have often heard people complain that the Lord did not seem to be guiding them. Perhaps I have complained that way myself. Sometimes we claim to be seeking God’s will, but he does not make his will clear to us. There could be many reasons for that. In an article of reasonable length, it will not be possible to cover more than one of the possible reasons.

Could it be that we are not being led because we are not going anywhere?

When Abraham sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac, the Lord led him to just the right place (Gen 24:26-27). The Bible does not tell us how the Lord did that, but it does tell us what was happening when the Lord led the man. The servant was travelling. He was moving. He was doing something.

The Lord did not draw a detailed map of how to get to Rebecca’s house and send it to the servant before he ever left home. The man knew the general direction that he needed to travel, and he travelled that direction. As he travelled, the Lord led him.

All too often we sit at home waiting for guidance. That is foolish, and perhaps lazy as well. We know the general direction of God’s will. Let us travel in that direction. If we will do so, more specific guidance will be given as it is needed. But it will normally come to those who are moving, not to those who are sitting still doing nothing.

There are times when God’s people are called upon to “be still.” There are times when we are to sit still and let God take the needed action. But, when we claim to be seeking guidance, it is imperative that we do something. It is impossible to lead a person who insists on sitting still.

So, if you want God’s guidance, get busy. Head in a general direction that you know to be in accordance with his will. As you do so, he will guide more specifically when that is needed.

The Stroop Effect

The Stroop effect is a fundamental principle of psychology. Dr. John R. Stroop first described the negative effects of multi-tasking in the 1930s. The basic tests that Stroop developed to study the problem continued to be used almost 90 years later. I would go into an explanation of the Stroop effect, but you can look that up on your own if you happen to be in psychological studies.

Those of you not interested in psychology may wonder why I bring up the Stroop effect, only to drop the subject without even explaining what it is. Fair enough, here is my reason. John R. Stroop did the research for his Ph.D. carefully. His name has been and will be remembered because he did his work well.
That is my real subject, doing our tasks well.

Dr. Stroop enjoyed studying and teaching psychology, but he was first and foremost a worshipper of God. If you seek his name in our church library, you will find that he authored at least four books on biblical subjects. His biblical studies are, like his writings on psychology, somewhat dated. Writing styles have changed. As a result, some of what he wrote might seem a bit dry to many twenty-first century readers.

But what impresses me about the man is that he did his work well. John R. Stroop (or J. Ridley Stroop as he was generally known in the church) was a hard worker and a clear thinker. He was not in the habit of just repeating what others said (about the Bible or about psychology); nor was he one of those fools who just wanted to say something new to be saying something new (regardless of its truthfulness or practical value).

We live in a day of overspecialization. Too many people have studied almost everything about almost nothing. Within their area of specialization, they may be okay but their other work is poorly done. We live in a day of shoddy workmanship and throwaway products. The Bible tells us “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col 3:23-24). J. Ridley Stroop understood that; and he lived that way. I admire him for that.

Missing Out

It seems that there are at least three books bearing the title The Joy of Missing Out. One is subtitled Live More by Doing Less; another Finding Balance in a Wired World; yet another is subtitled The Art of Self-Restraint in an age of Excess. I wish that I had time to read all three, but I guess attempting to do so would contradict the thesis of the books.

I am glad to hear that some folks are waking up to the danger of doing too much. None of us can do everything. Few of us will learn to excel at more than a few tasks. Keeping life simple would likely be better for all of us. But the key question remains, “What should be eliminated?”

Several years ago, I studied with a young man who was not sure that he believed in God. He was unusual in that he kept an open mind and was willing to give the Bible a chance. He read it, and as he read the Bible the Bible also read him. He found that the Bible spoke clearly to his inner thoughts, fears, and failures. A short time later something happened that convinced him absolutely that there is indeed a God.

But this young man never comes for Bible study anymore. He never attends worship. He explained to me that there is not time for everything in life. He and his wife decided that they wanted to devote their Sundays to playing with the children. In answer to the question “What should be eliminated?” He chose to eliminate the worship of God.

We cannot give our kids everything. We cannot enjoy everything ourselves. We must make choices. It is good to have a hobby. It is not good to have twelve.

There are a few things that should not be eliminated. Meals, for both the body and soul, are served every day at our house; and it is going to stay that way. I may miss out on a lot of things in life, in fact I intend to do so. I will miss out on many things because that is the only way to find joy in the things that really matter.

Everyone misses out on something. Those who try to do everything end up missing the most important. What are you missing?

Lesson of a New Stove

I picked up a new stove on Monday. We do not go in for fancy. So, the new one is a lot like the old one. It is the same color, uses the same type of heating element; the control knobs are in the same places. The new stove is, in every way it could be, just like the old one. But the heating elements are located differently. They are the same size and type as the old elements, but the large are where the small were and the small where the large were.

One might not think that a little change like that would matter, but it does. When the ingredients for breakfast are set on the counter, it turns out that they are in the wrong place. The oatmeal is where the sweet potato needs to be; and the sweet potato is where the teapot ought to be. It is amazing how the placement of the heating elements changes everything. We will get used to the new arrangement eventually, but we might as well learn the lesson the stove is teaching us.

Change is rarely as easy and straightforward as we expect it to be. If we were learning to use a stove with all the latest technologies, we would expect a “learning curve.” But the truth is, even when one sticks to the simplest model available, there will be unexpected complications. Let us remember that and try to be patient.

Let’s remember that and try to be patience when the church makes changes to its programs. Some people believe it should be simple to make changes in a church, but often small changes have unexpected consequences. It takes time to work out the details. Be patient.

Let’s remember that in our attitude toward others. Some people are struggling with uncomfortable changes in their lives. Perhaps an old familiar voice is absent, or a new voice is making itself heard at all hours of the night. Such changes upset the pattern of our lives and may lead us to be less able to cope with other things. Change is a necessary part of life, but it is never as simple as we think it should be. Let us be kind and considerate of one another.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:1-3, ESV).