In 2013 I published my book What on Earth Do We Know About Heaven? in which I presented my core thesis in the following equation: “H=ep.” In other words, “heaven” (in terms of the absolute and final destination for individuals reconciled to God in Christ) is not the otherworldly paradise of the popular Christian (and Platonic) imagination. […]
environmentalism
A plea for a greener evangelicalism
Some years ago I published an article in Faith Today Magazine in which I noted that I support two charities: World Vision and the World Wildlife Fund. And I observed that when I would share this fact with fellow Christians, everybody lauded my support for World Vision. By contrast, when I mentioned my support for the World Wildlife […]
I don’t want your money. I just want you to save the world.
If you visit other blogs, you will likely encounter ads like this: And this: I understand why bloggers include ads like this. Blogging is hard work and padding your articles with some click bait on the edges provides a modest revenue stream. I have always declined to pad my articles with click bait, despite the […]
Crap to Tap? On the idea of recycling water
The other day I watched the documentary “Last Call at the Oasis,” a sobering look at the growing water crisis. One of the topics the documentary takes on is the growing need to recycle sewage water. Apparently the technology to turn water that was once the conduit for urine and faeces back into something good […]
Environmentalist hubris? (Do we really hold the fate of the world in our hands?)
Environmentalists have long flagged anthropocentrism as a major problem in our treatment of the planet. So it caught me off guard when I found a sentiment of unrestrained anthropocentrism in my 2014 World Wildlife Fund “Living Calendar”. Yes, I am low tech when it comes to my day planner. I eschew use of a smart […]
Snapshots from Baltimore (Part 5): Inactive activists for environmental justice
On my twitter feed (which you can subscribe to here) I refer to myself as an inactive activist for social justice. Sadly, it’s an apt description. I’ve found it is much easier to adopt a label than live out the reality behind it. (I am also a burger-eating vegetarian and a gun-toting pacifist.) (Okay, I […]
Environmental extremism at ETS?
This year’s theme at the Evangelical Theological Society is “Caring for Creation”. And the first of four plenary speakers was Calvin Beisner, the “Founder and National Spokesman of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.” Yesterday he spoke on the topic “Creation Care and Godly Dominion: The Search for a Genuinely Biblical Earth Stewardship.” […]
Did Adam Smith’s invisible hand give us the “Skymall” catalogue?
I continue my recent practice of reposting old articles from my CP blog that are no longer available. In this post (originally titled “The Tragedy of Capitalism”) I offer a meditation on the absurdity of contemporary consumer capitalism. *** One hour into my flight home yesterday from Denver, panic set in. I had completed my […]
Sponsor an African child and save the arctic narwhal, and why I choose to do both
I support two charities on a regular basis: World Vision and the World Wildlife Fund. On the few times that charitable giving practices have come up in conversation with fellow Christians, my mention of World Vision has met with a nod of knowing approval. In contrast, mention of the World Wildlife Fund has been met […]
Conservative evangelicals, environmental hatred, and bad language
Occasionally I still cross-post some of my articles at “The Christian Post”. A couple days ago I posted my review of the documentary “Gasland”. Do you think they loved it? Wanna take a guess? The comments speak for themselves. Some anonymous individual code-named “jrmd32” commented as follows: “If you are so concerned about the environment, then why don’t you stop […]