Why should Christians be interested in the health of the environment? Is it only for some pragmatic reason, such as "clean air is good for us" or is there a Biblical support for stewardship of the environment? Many believers are put off by the new age-iness of some "tree huggers;" is this sufficient reason to …
Category: Environment
Environmental philosophies – some preliminary thoughts
I was reading sections out of Principles of Conservation Biology (Meffe et al., I have the 2nd edition) tonight just for fun*. The first two chapters lay a philosophical foundation for conservation biology, exploring various perspectives on environmental ethics and biodiversity. In chapter 1---What is Conservation Biology?---the authors discuss the philosophical movements that have led …
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Toxic sludge in Hungary
From NASA's Earth Observatory: Toxic Sludge in Hungary ---
Ronald Reagan on the role of government in environmental protection
"I'm proud of having been one of the first to recognize that States and the Federal Government have a duty to protect our natural resources from the damaging effects of pollution that can accompany industrial development." -- Ronald Reagan The quote is taken from It's conservative to conserve by Rob Sisson, president of Republicans for …
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Bjorn Lomborg — the “skeptical environmentalist” is skeptical no more
From Yahoo! News: Noted anti-global-warming scientist reverses course. With scientific data piling up showing that the world has reached its hottest-ever point in recorded history, global-warming skeptics are facing a high-profile defection from their ranks. Bjorn Lomborg, author of the influential tract "The Skeptical Environmentalist," has reversed course on the urgency of global warming, and …
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Crunchy Con Environmentalism
Yesterday, I quoted "A Crunchy-Con Manifesto" from the book Crunchy Cons, by Rod Dreher. I won't say too much about most of the book: the chapters on consumerism, food, education, and so forth. I do want to spend a bit of time taking a closer look at the chapter on the environment. Dreher starts with …
Evangelical Christian perspectives on the environment
Christianity Today magazine asked three Christian leaders "How concerned should Christians be about environmental care?" The answers are short, but serve as an introduction to the range of answers that exist among Evangelicals. Each of these writers, from politically liberal to conservative, has insights that Evangelicals need to take into consideration as we think about …
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Gulf Oil Spill map
ESRI has a nice map showing the current extent of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, along with other themes such as wind and ocean currents. Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Situational Awareness Viewer Grace and Peace
Charles Colson on creation care
"We should be contending for truth in every area of life. Not for power or because we are taken with some trendy cause, but humbly to bring glory to God. For this reason, Christians should be the most ardent ecologists. Not because we would rather save spotted owls than cut down trees whose bark provides …
Earth First scream therapy
The following item was originally posted in September 2007. I have added it to my blog recycling program. Because I have new readers of The GeoChristian, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my favorite blog entries. I love trees, but... Here is a video clip featuring Earth First! people mourning the loss …
Republicans for Environmental Protection — 10 critical issues
Jim DiPeso of Republicans for Environmental Protection gives 10 Environmental Issues Republicans Should Champion. Climate change Energy security Clean energy Clean air Clean water Mountaintop removal coal mining Land and water conservation fund Wilderness Public lands Ocean stewardship A few thoughts: Some of these should be no-brainers, such as clean air, clean water, and ocean …
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What to get Dad for Father’s Day: a goat
From World Vision: On June 21, honor your Dad with a meaningful gift in his name from the World Vision Gift Catalog. Because let's face it --- Dad doesn't want more stuff. He wants the satisfaction of making a difference. Supply self-sufficiency. Goats nourish families with protein-rich milk, cheese, and yoghurt, and can offer a …
Hunger increases
For most of my lifetime, world hunger has been decreasing. It has still been a serious issue, but many countries like China and India have been able to increase their food production at rates that exceeded their population growth. The current global economic situation, however has reversed that trend. From Yahoo News: World hunger reaches …
Evangelism or the environment?
From The Wonder of Creation: Evangelicals, evangelism, and the environment. As an evangelical who writes and speaks on the wonder of creation and the care of creation, I’ve often been asked the question, “Isn’t evangelism—saving human souls—more important than caring for the earth?” This issue is probably number 1 in calling into question the validity …
The Bible and the environment
From Gordon Wenham, British Old Testament scholar: The Bible and the Environment. (I've read one book by Wenham -- Christ and the Bible -- which unfortunately is out of print. His approach to Biblical authority is the most Christ-centered that I have read. It is worth a re-read sometime soon.) Here are some quotes: It …
Aral Sea — environmental disaster
This is all that is left of what was the Earth's fourth largest lake only 50 years ago. From NASA's Earth Observatory: Dust Over the Aral Sea. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union started diverting most of the water from the rivers that fed the Aral Sea to irrigation, primarily for cotton. This led to …
Lake Powell images, 1999 to 2009
NASA's Earth Observatory has a series of images from 1999 to 2009 showing fluctuating water levels in Lake Powell in southeastern Utah. Lake Powell is formed by Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona. Earth Observatory has a "play" link to watch the images in played in order. From the description at …
Francis Schaeffer — 25th anniversary of his death
Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Christian author, philosopher, and pastor Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer is highly regarded in the Evangelical Christian world for his defense of the faith, his advocacy of pro-life political action, and leadership of the l'Abri community in Switzerland. Francis Schaeffer was also an advocate of environmental protection. HT: …
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Santa Barbara fires
From NASA's Earth Observatory: Jesusita Fire, California, near Santa Barbara, California, 5/8/2009. The red outline areas indicate hotspots, and represent the areas of active wildfires. Grace and Peace
Nature’s enduring value is not in what it can provide us
I saw two bumper stickers on a truck this morning. One read: Earth First! We'll mine the other planets later The other one read: Strip mining prevents forest fires. There were other bumper stickers on the truck: NRA, Ducks Unlimited, and a few others I couldn't read (I was driving after all). It would not …
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