who is the jesus fellow anyways?

i am amazed by the feedback i have gotten from my article. on the side of the page, there is a section for comments that people can leave, and it is interesting how split they are. it seems that people either absolutely HATE it or are appreciative, but nothing in between. many people simply dismiss it as “socialist lib” crap, and others seemed to find something in it that resonated. and i am okay that some people thought it was all wrong, because those are not the people i am trying to reach. i want those people who are unsure where they stand to read it, and then maybe see something they resonate with, and possibly see that they can make a difference too.

i believe that there are a lot of christians out there who are confused by environmentalism but feel that maybe we have a responsibility to protect Creation. i feel that the church is caught up in a culture that views environmental responsibility as something evil. i can’t figure out why there are so many negative attitudes towards environmentalism in the church, outside of its relationship to ‘liberal’ political views in general. which is sad.

when did jesus become a republican? when did he become a democrat? rob bell (one of my favorite authors) spends a lot of time challenging us to pursue the real jesus, instead of this fictitious one we create to fit into our worldview. man was made in god’s image, but i feel that we keep remaking god into our image. jesus was a real man, living in a real time period, with its own very real context that was completely removed from the political culture of our twenty-first century america. i want to understand who this man was, but how can i when only see Him being wrapped in the american flag, ushered onto the stage by whichever political leader of the day claims to know him the best?

relevant

so the other day i decided to send my editorial to relevant.com, an online christian magazine i read occasionally. i never heard back from them, but then lo-and-behold, i check today and see that my article got published! it is SO cool! check it out here!

hey! i’m in the lariat!

that’s right. if you pick up a copy of the lariat tomorrow, you will see an editorial about the environment written by me. just in case you do not have access to that particular prestigious paper, you can read the editorial in full in the post below.

UPDATE: i just saw my article. it’s really cool, i feel all important and all. they made a few changes that i am not super pleased with, but the point is still there. the version below is the unedited version as it was originally written.

the environmentalism editorial

In September 2006 an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science warned that the earth is within 1° C. of a million year high. In October 2006 the British government released a landmark study of how climate change could effect the economy, concluding that if nothing is done soon, we will risk losing up to 20% of global GDP. In February 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a premier multi-national think tank chartered by the United Nations) declared with “very high confidence” (90%) that human activities are responsible for the recent increases in average global temperature. Scientists everywhere agree that there is a problem which is very real, exceptionally current, and most decidedly man-made.

And yet we still drag our feet. Our government refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, putting us behind every other industrialized country in the world except for Australia. The Environmental Protection Agency has been fighting fierce battles in courts all across the land to keep carbon dioxide out of the Clean Air Act. According to the US Department of Energy, our country is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, responsible for more than all of eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Central America, South America, and Africa combined.

The debate is over, and the time for action is now. In this country. In this city. On this campus. In our lives. As Americans living in this global community, we have a responsibility to do our share and clean up our act. As Christians living in God’s gift of Creation, we have a mandate to protect His garden and not destroy it. Arguments that individual actions do not have an impact are only excuses for indifference. When we all take this attitude, then we are all still part of the problem. As individuals, we must strive to be part of the solution.

Many of the most environmentally friendly actions you can take are easier than you might think. Here are five things you can do to be part of the solution:

1. Drive less – An easy way to start is by riding your bike to campus instead of driving, and think of the time saved by not fighting for parking in the garages! When you go out on errands, call up your friends and see if they need something too. Carpooling saves gas, money, and builds community.

2. Recycle – Start with the small things like paper. Instead of throwing your paper in the trash, toss it in a different bin for recycling and then take it to the dumpster behind Goebel. While you’re there, you can also recycle your plastic milk cartons, water bottles, and aluminum cans. Recycled products use less energy to make, which means a smaller impact on the environment.

3. Say No! to Plastic Bags – Next time you go to the grocery store, bring your own bag to put your purchases in. Plastics are made from oil, and so the less plastic we use the better. If you forget to bring your own bag, save the plastic bags to recycle them later.

4. Switch to a ‘green’ electric provider – For those living off campus, look for a electric provider who uses renewable sources like wind or hydroelectric. In the Waco area, Green Mountain Air offers 100% pollution free electricity at rates cheaper than TXU!

5. Spread the word – Perhaps the most important thing is to tell a friend. Environmentalism is not just for hippies and Californians anymore, it is something important to you and me. The more people part of the solution, the bigger difference we can all make.