Fear, Climate and Corruption

It's described as the "dominion mandate," which illustrates a powerful dynamic about our presence here on the earth. We find it in Genesis chapter 1, which says:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "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."

Henry Morris of the Institute for Creation Research wrote, "This was God’s first commandment to the man and woman He had created. They were to exercise dominion 'over all the earth' (v.26); not a despotic dominion, as some have insinuated, but a responsible stewardship."

Christians should be exercising this stewardship, not in a worldly fear, but through an informed faith. There are those with an authoritarian bent that have used climate as a tool to subvert individuals to bow to their wishes - not out of respect for God's creation, but out of a desire for power and control, using the weaponization of fear to scare people in submission.  Christians should always be submissive to God first and foremost and reject the tactics that would place us under an unhealthy captivity to fear.

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The Bible tells us that planet earth's days are numbered.  But, it's not because of human destruction, but of God's judgment.  And, believers can actually be emboldened by the promise of a new heaven and a new earth and eternity with Jesus.

Jesus taught in Luke 21:
25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

I thought about verse 26 earlier today - people's hearts, we're told, during this time of tribulation on the earth, will fail.  Fail.  From what? Fear.  The enemy uses fear as a powerful tool - and "scared to death," in some cases, may not be merely a misnomer.

And, even in these days, people, especially young, are in panic mode. A popular narrative has apparently taken root in the hearts and minds of young people.  According to a recent edition of the AMAC Magazine, published by the Association of Mature American Citizens, a survey taken late last year shows that "nearly 60 percent of Americans between the ages of 16 and 25 said they were 'very worried' or 'extremely worried' about climate change." It notes, "That figure was even higher among kids aged 7 to 12."

The article goes on to say:

It seems stoking fears over climate change is yet another tool for the left to co-opt a generation of American youth to advance their own political aspirations, no matter the disastrous effect it may have on the mental health of youths.

The headline for an opinion piece by economist Stephen Moore, writing for the Washington Examiner, says, "Stop scaring our kids to death." He writes: 

When I speak to kids on high school and college campuses and ask what the greatest threat is to their generation, the answer isn’t China’s aggression. It isn’t a drug abuse problem that is becoming the leading killer of our children. It isn’t the failed schools or the corrupt government or the more routine violations of freedom of speech. It isn’t the $32 trillion national debt soon headed to $50 trillion. (I always remind the kids, I won’t be paying for this Mount Everest-sized debt burden. You will.)

He goes on to say:

No, they almost all raise their hands and moan that they are most worried about global warming or “climate change.” We are raising a generation with millions of Greta Thunbergs. A Daily Telegraph poll found that more than half of teenagers surveyed believe that the world “may end in their lifetime” because of climate change. No one has ever told them that the climate has been changing for as long as the plant has existed. They’ve never heard of the ice ages, apparently. The Earth has gone through centuries of warming — and that was before air conditioning — which the climate czars want to take away from us to combat warming. Figure that one out.

A Blue Shield of California and Harris Poll, according to the Fierce Healthcare website, "...shows that nearly nine out of 10 people in Generation Z, or people aged 14 to 25, are struggling with mental health on a regular basis."  The article states:

Gun violence ranks as the top concern, as 84% said they experience negative mental health impacts and 69% responded they are “very concerned.” Sixty-eight percent of people said hearing about or experiencing climate change also caused mental health issues.

I reported to you a few weeks ago about a survey of adults in the U.S. and a handful of other countries.  Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis wrote:

Of the 5,000 parents surveyed, 91% said they are “concerned about the climate crisis.” How concerned are they? Well, over half—53%—shared that their apprehensions about the future of earth’s climate “ha[ve] impacted their perspective on having more children.” Yes, people are choosing not to have children because they are concerned about the physical climate of the world their children will grow up in.

But, Ham offers insight into how this paralyzing fear has taken root, stating:

Now, for those of us who understand that climate alarmism is driven not by raw, scientific data, but by a specific interpretation of the evidence and computer models based on assumptions, parents deciding not to have more children because of their climate fears may seem very shocking. But I also shake my head because non-Christians believe that when you die, that is the end of you. So why even care about what happens in the future anyway? Secularists believe the whole universe will die eventually, so ultimately everything is meaningless.

But I wonder how many Christians are doing the same thing regarding having children based on their fears about the future and what we could call “spiritual climate change”?

He relates, "It’s easy to feel discouraged and for Christians to think, 'How can I bring children into a world that’s so dark and depraved?'"  He cautions:

Don’t let fear keep you from enjoying the blessing that children are. This world will continue to groan (sometimes seemingly louder than at other times!), but God will continue to build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

And, fear has the potential to cause people to do things that may not be rooted in Scripture.  Just look at how much people were willing to give in, reacting to fears over COVID.  And, perhaps fear of a changing climate will produce the corrupt fruit of surrendering one's personal freedom to an authoritarian government that wishes to subvert the will of the people. 

Fear short-circuits the way that God intends for us to live.  Throughout the Bible, we are told not to fear.  But, there is an exception as Cal Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance wrote for Answers in Genesis: "Fear of environmental catastrophe grows out of the lack of the fear of God. That, I would argue, is the real root of the environmental scares that have plagued the modern world..And such fears will continue — with or without scientific basis...until people repent and fear the Lord."  We have to make sure that we are rooted in faith in Christ and not held in bondage to fear.  And, we can show other individuals the way to possessing peace with God through Jesus.

We certainly are to be good stewards of the environment that God has made.  But, as it's been pointed out, the heavens and earth, made by the breath of God and crafted by the hand of God, is being sustained by the greatest power in the universe.  We cannot and should not reduce the creation of God to something that can be so easily destroyed by human carelessness - this exalts humanity and attempts to reduce God's supremacy.