 February 4 , 2009
Dear Friend, As you read this week's WeGetIt.org Wednesday Bulletin, please be thinking of friends who would benefit from it, and then forward it to them. Thanks for your support! Chuck Colson urges caution on global warming
In his "Breakpoint" commentary on current events, Chuck Colson (an early supporter of the WeGetIt.org Campaign) has spoken out strongly against adopting costly policies to fight global warming. Yesterday he pointed out that claims of scientific consensus on manmade, catastrophic global warming are false; that the scientific case for it is weak (while there is considerable scientific evidence against it); and that the costs of fighting it, measured not just in terms of dollars but in terms of human lives lost because of increased poverty, are enormous while the effect on temperature are negligible. Today, he focused on the impact policy choices have on the poor. "Money spent on global warming diverts resources from efforts that actually help the poor: fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS treatment, and flood prevention. In the current global recession, money for these efforts will be even scarcer. The price of cutting CO2 emissions might well be measured in actual human lives lost. "None of this is a secret," Colson adds, "which raises an obvious but important question: Why don’t global warming activists care about the potential impact of their policies on ordinary people?" That will be the subject of his commentary tomorrow (February 5th). Whatever the cause, lack of energy can be deadly An item in last week’s Bulletin attributed Marvin E. Schur's inability to pay his utility bill, leading to his death by freezing, to poverty. However, poverty might not have been the reason. Some reports appearing after we prepared our article said the childless widower appeared to suffer from dementia, and so might not have remembered how to pay or contact the utility company. Although Mr. Schur's tragic death graphically illustrates how lack of energy can be deadly, it might not illustrate our specific application: that high energy prices harm the poor. The underlying principle, that energy is not a luxury but a vital necessity, remains true. Last week's Bulletin also included an exhortation to remember our poorest neighbors, which includes not only the financially poor but also the handicapped and the lonely. As Deuteronomy 10:18-19 says, God "administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger...." Christ's reconciling work affects all creation Although Christ's propitiation for sin was on behalf of human beings only (Romans 3:9-26), it has broader repercussions. In response to man's sin, God cursed the ground (Genesis 3:17) and subjected the whole creation to corruption (Romans 8:20). Scripture sees all of creation as alienated from God, not because of its sin but because of man's--because man was created to rule it under God (Genesis 1:28). Thus, Christ's death and resurrection are the means of reconciling all creation to God. As Paul puts it in Romans 8:19-21, "the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." And in Colossians 1:19-20 , he writes, "it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in [Christ], and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." This is part of why creation stewardship is a proper concern for Christians. Now, please forward this message to your pastor, other Christian leaders, and friends and urge them to sign the WeGetIt.org Declaration, too! The more people sign, the stronger the message our leaders will hear that Biblical principles and factual evidence, not media hype about speculative fears like global warming, should guide our care for the environment and the poor.Gratefully,
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