Taking Dominion: Conservation or Environmentalism

When I was younger I liked to hunt because it gave me the opportunity to be with my dad. I figured, "If I like what he likes, then he'll approve of me." It turned out that we don't have the same likes and interests. We are very different and the quest for his approval was a grind of disappointment. I didn't hunt for years. But, last Christmas I had the time to go with him and had a great time. I missed one buck even killed a doe (the first time in nearly 25 years).

Something awakened in me that had been dormant for nearly 3 decades: I actually like the hunting. Maybe I'm a latent outdoors-man? The truth is I love being in God's creation and admiring the works of His hands (Psalm 8). His creation is awe-inspiring and, by His grace, causes me to reflect on His goodness. As the Psalmist said, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" I can look at grand forests, lakes, mountains and animals and I always come back to this thought: of all this grandeur, only mankind is created in the image of God. We are very special in the eyes of God.

And, He gave us a command - rule over the earth. This leads me to think on the difference between Conservation and Environmentalism.

Conservation is stewardship: recognizing that this grand creation is a gift to us that is meant to be cared for so that our hands will glorify God. The command to subdue and rule over the earth (Genesis 1) is not a license to put our boot on creation and destroy it in the name of "the creation mandate."

Environmentalism is idolatry: loving the creation more than the creator. Environmentalism is cultish. Eviro's despise cutting trees, killing animals, paving new streets, disturbing the habitat of the animals, etc... They have a point, but that point has been grossly exaggerated: Destruction is wrong.

But Conservation is not destruction. By growing up in the country I had the privilege of seeing this first-hand. Timber companies are hired to cut forests. And, when they finish it's not as pretty as before they began. But, they replant so that there will be a new forest. In 1988 there was a great fire in Yellowstone. It destroyed a lot of acreage and the remnants of that fire are still visible. Today, the rules for protecting Yellowstone are very strict. They prohibit the use of burning the underbrush. This is part of the problem. By not cleaning out the dead leaves and trees the forest becomes a virtual tender-box for greater forest fires. If Yellowstone could have regular control burns the forests would be prettier, healthier and less likely to fall susceptible to great wild fires. Burning off the dead stuff will also give more room to new growth.

Conservation is really a great way to honor God with the gifts He has given. Mowing and fertilizing your yard is conservation, just as cutting and replanting trees is. Hunting (not slaughtering) is God-honoring. If the herds grow to numerous, there will be an increase in disease, the gene pool will deteriorate, and the animals will overrun the habitat. In addition, more animals has lead to a greater number of traffic accidents.

Even drilling for oil and gas is an example of good conservation. God gave us these resources to use, not worship. He has given us the ability to use these resources to benefit mankind. Ignoring these resources is essentially telling God that He made a mistake. Likewise, destroying the planet is an offense to the Creator. We must be balanced as we seek out and enjoy the resources that our gracious Father has given us.

Pre-Season Football Polls: I hate them

I love college football, but I hate pre-season polls.
If you are a follower of the pigskin, you know what happened last year. You have "your team" that you follow with religious fervor. But, pre-season polls are a premature table-setting for disappointment and heart ache.

I'm glad that Alabama is the #1 pick this year. I think they are that good. But in fairness to every other team, they've yet to play a game. These polls come out 2-3 weeks before the season begins and they are based on the same data as global warming and evolution: hypothesis (guessing).

In the perfect world, we would not have the first ranking of any teams until the 3rd or 4th week of the season.

Every analyst is picking Alabama to play Ohio State in the National Championship game. Sounds fun. But, what about Miami, BYU, Florida State, or the devil's child - Notre Dame? Every year we hear how "no team ranked outside the top 10 has ever won the National Championship. Why not? Mainly due to the difficulty of rising up through the arbitrary polling system.

I'm excited that kickoff is in 6 days. I'll be more interested to see how reality occurs on the field rather than in the pre-season prognosticating.

Other things to watch: what will the final polls look like? How soon will Notre Dame be in the top-15, and how many coaching changes will occur? Last year there were 17 coaching changes.

I'm better than you and I can show you how

Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church in Seattle) recently preached on the Gospel of Luke and addressed legalism (aka phariseeism).

What is a pharisee? A religious person that puts a greater burden on the self or others that is greater than the burden of Christ.

Jesus said, "my burden is easy and my yoke is light." But what do we do? Driscoll has 7 points to illustrate our legalism and how we can be a good legalistic pharisee:

1.) Make rules outside the Bible.

2.) Push yourself to try and keep your rules.

3.) Castigate yourself when you fail.

4.) Be proud when you do keep your rules.

5.) Appoint yourself as judge over people.

6.) Get angry with people who don't keep your rules or have other rules.

7.) Beat the losers.

Religious people can become experts at proving their superiority and rubbing it in the faces of the "inferior." I've seen this (and probably done it) a lot. It's gross, offensive and demeaning.

But, religious people aren't the only ones who are experts in this field. Ever get in a discussion about the environment, politics, taxes, responsibility, charity, service, race, sexuality, etc??? Eventually it devolves into a contest of who's got the best story and the most justification to be right. And, listening/understanding is gone in about 15 seconds. We just judge based on our preconceived notions about how evil that "other" person must be because they aren't as good as me. After all, I tithe 10% of everything, and I recycle, and I have a hybrid car, and have suffered......

It seems that when a discussion gets going on these topics we become a bunch of "one-uppers" who are just looking for the opportunity to pounce on the other person, intellectually grab their throat and force to them to concede our rightness. That works about as well forcing a horse to drink water. When we do this, all we do is destroy the relationship and the opportunities in those relationships.

How do we overcome this destruction?
1. Get over yourself. You, your history, your pedigree, your knowledge are not that important.
2. Stand for right and against wrong, just not on someone's neck.
3. Listen. the other person has been through a lot in his life to shape who he is. It may not be important to you, but it is to him. And, don't try so hard to prove that your past is as legitimate as the other person's.
4. Learn some humility from the Lord. He never abused anyone. He never elevated anyone b/c they had a great (or sorry) background. He only elevated the poor in spirit, the contrite and the humble.
5. Be committed to righting wrongs without seeking payback or rubbing it in someone else's face. We can't change history. We can only change how we live today. The sins of others are not excuses or licenses for us to have a free pass on responsibility and duty.
6. Don't be a victim. Even if you have experienced great and terrible horror, the world does not owe you. Christ said in the letters to the Churches (Revelation 2-3) that His people are "those who overcome." The Greek literally says, "To the Victors."
7. Recognize that the greatest sin isn't that of someone else (or another group). The greatest sin is that which is in my own heart. Paul said, "Christ died to save sinners; of whom I am the worst."

Finally, when we understand who we are and who God is, we can celebrate that we are victors over the sins and power of sin in our lives through Christ alone. If we can "get" that, we'll recover from our harsh legalism and build some good relationships.