The Right Kind of Fanaticism?

The Right Kind of Fanaticism?

By Chuck Colson
9/29/2008

Global Warming and Double Standards

Imagine the media reaction if a prominent American Christian leader condoned vandalism at abortion clinics. Now imagine the reaction if he went beyond condoning vandalism and agreed to appear as a witness for the defense at the trial of those vandals.

Then imagine what would happen if he decided to export his religiously motivated crusade to another country.

Well, that’s exactly what just happened, except the religion wasn’t Christianity—it was environmentalism.

Last October, a group of Greenpeace members climbed a chimney at a power plant in Kent, England, and started to paint the words “Gordon Bin It.” The “Gordon” referred to was Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the “it” was a plan to build new coal-fired power plants at the site.

The group argued that they had a “lawful excuse” for their actions: They were trying to prevent even greater damage like “flooding from rising sea levels and damage to species” from man-made global warming.

They were charged with vandalism, and at the trial the star witness for the defense was James Hansen of NASA. That’s right, NASA, an agency of the United States government.

Twenty years ago, Hansen first sounded the alarm over man-made global warming. And as time has passed, his rhetoric has escalated. In June, he called for the CEOs of fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for “crimes against humanity and nature.”

These so-called crimes included spreading doubt about man-made global warming. In other words, disagreeing with Hansen.

At the trial, Hansen said that “somebody needs to stand up and take a leadership role” in the fight against global warming.

Avoiding “disintegration of the ice sheets [and minimizing] species extinction” requires “immediate action” he said—action that included getting rid of coal-firing plants like the one vandalized.

Hansen’s words apparently did the trick because the jury acquitted all six defendants.

Now, reasonable people can differ over the reality of man-made global warming, but it is difficult to see how what happened in Kent met the requirements of a “lawful excuse.” That standard, as the judge told the jurors, requires an “immediate need to protect property belonging to another.” Even the most enthusiastic proponents of man-made global warming acknowledge that their most dire scenarios are decades, if not centuries, away.

What happened in England is further proof of what author Michael Crichton meant when he called modern environmentalism “one of the most powerful religions in the Western World”—a religion that divides the world between “sinner” or “saved,” the “side of salvation” or the “side of doom.”

As if to confirm Crichton’s point, on the same day the Greenpeace members were acquitted, an English city council voted to impose “hefty fines” on people for using the wrong recycling bins.

So what we have here is an appeal to a “higher law”—made by a U.S. government official no less—calling for an inquisition of sorts, and zealous punishment of even the tiniest infraction.

And the media dares to call Christians “fanatics”?

Reasonable people can disagree about global warming or the role of religion in public life. But there’s no excuse—lawful or otherwise—for double standards. Especially with the newest of all religions, environmentalism.

Copyright 2008 Prison Fellowship

Today's BreakPoint Offer

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

For Further Reading and Information

“Cleared: Jury Decides That Threat of Global Warming Justifies Breaking the Law,” Independent (UK), 11 September 2008.

“Activists Deny Damaging Chimney,” BBC News, 1 September 2008.

Michael Crichton, “Environmentalism as Religion,” 15 September 2003.

Regis Nicoll, “Averting Global Meltdown: Are Kyoto-Like Controls the Answer?,” BreakPoint Online, 4 July 2008.

Regis Nicoll, “Some Inconvenient Truths: Global Warming and Al Gore's Film,” 16 March 2007.

“Gone with the Wind Farm: Saving the Environment - Somewhere Else,” BreakPoint Commentary, 5 September 2007.

“Just Do It: Good Stewardship and Global Warming,” BreakPoint Commentary, 2 November 2007.

The Bill Comes Due

BreakPoint Commentaries

The Bill Comes Due

By Chuck Colson
9/24/2008

Consumption and Crisis

If you are like me, you are shocked by the cost of the proposed bailout of the financial sector—at least $700 billion. You probably wonder why we should pay so dearly for other people’s mistakes.

But when it comes to one aspect of this financial crisis, many of us have only ourselves to blame.

As I told you yesterday, much of the mess can be laid at the feet of what Tom Wolfe ironically called the “Masters of the Universe” and their enablers in Washington. Much but not all. Our anything-goes, “you can have what you want when you want it” attitude also played an important part in creating this mess.

As you know, the financial crisis was precipitated by the meltdown of the “sub-prime” mortgage market. Millions of Americans took out mortgages they couldn’t afford to buy houses that in some cases they really didn’t need.

Maybe inspired by television shows like Flip That House, they gambled that home prices would keep rising indefinitely and they could sell or re-finance the home before the bill literally came due. They were wrong, and currently, 9 percent of all Americans with mortgages are either behind on their payments or in foreclosure. The number can only grow.

But it’s not just the sub-prime mess. The personal debt of Americans is at record levels. A well-known credit-card commercial has a man shopping for a new television set and using his cell phone to check his credit limit. Not his checking or savings account balance, but his limit! And in case you don’t get the message, the music in the background blares, “I want it all and I want it now!”

It’s not only consumer goods. Everything from the war in Iraq to Katrina recovery is funded by borrowing. Both political parties are quick to promise specific “goodies,” like new entitlements or tax cuts or new roads, but they never say how they are going to pay for them.

The answer of course is that they haven’t a clue, other than to borrow from foreigners and then stick our children and grandchildren with the bill for some future day.

A few years ago, a very intelligent man—a good friend of mine—and I had a conversation I won’t forget. He told me that he was getting out of the financial business because, in part, he was concerned about how much debt Americans were taking on. He knew that eventually our folly would catch up with us and feared a possible collapse.

Well, I don’t know if this is the collapse; I hope it’s just a warning shot across our bow. But in either case, one thing is clear: Business-as-usual can’t continue. Let’s recognize we can’t have it all—whether at the shopping mall or from government.

So first, we put our own houses in order. Next, we demand that our political leaders stop behaving like Santa Claus, or shop-a-holics in an outlet mall. In fact, I’m tempted to say we ought to be voting for the candidates who promise us the least goodies and tell us the hard truth: that is, that we have to start acting responsibly.

Tomorrow on “BreakPoint,” I will share with you a promising plan from one mature political leader who isn’t afraid to say it’s time we all sobered up.

In the meantime, contemplate the words of the Apostle Paul: “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”

Today's BreakPoint Offer

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

For Further Reading and Information

“Accounting for Disaster: Wall Street, Congress, and You,” BreakPoint Commentary, 23 September 2008.

“Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street,” BreakPoint Commentary, 17 Septemeber 2008.

Jim Landers, “Our Kids Will Pick Up the Check for Our Financial Mess,” Dallas Morning News, 23 September 2008.

“Wall Street Bailout Faces Lawmakers, Lobbyists,” BusinessWeek, 21 September 2008.

“Policymakers: Congress Must Move Quickly to Avert Damage,” Washington Post, 23 September 2008.

© 2008 Prison Fellowship

The Real Enemy

The Real Enemy

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but... against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12

The target is clearly defined; our enemy is spiritual. Keeping a clear focus on the true nature of our demonic assailants is essential. So much of a believer’s time is wasted, energy expended, and injury incurred because we spend ourselves battling people (flesh and blood) instead of the spiritual forces at work in a situation. In the process of attempting to wrestle believers into defeat in their personal lives, the devil attempts to divert the force of our “spiritual” warfare toward others—in our families, our churches, our work place and community.

The devil knows full well these two things: (1) if we start fighting other people, they will certainly oblige us and fight back, and (2) that if we start fighting each other, we will never get around to defeating him.

So, whatever (or whoever) you face today, make up your mind about the conflict. Our enemy is the devil. As we make war in prayer and make peace with those around us, the devil stands no chance of succeeding in our lives.

Copyright 2008 Jack Hayford Ministries.

Chicago Cubs 2008 N.L. Central Division Champs

Many moons ago back in the summer of 1969, I caught a fever. The symptoms were red, white, and blue and it was called Cub fever. The Chicago Cubs were in first place in their division and doing well until the Miracle Mets overtook them and the Cubs produced one of their patented slides from 1st to worst. Now it's been 100 years since the Cubs have won a World Series and the faithful are hopeful. But at the same time, we're not holding our breath because we've been close so many times and been disappointed. I believe, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. If the Red Sox can do it, so can we! Go CUBS!!!

Baylor Bears

Baylor lost a heartbreaker to UConn on ESPN2 tonight, 31-28. I know UConn's not considered a football powerhouse, but they have a home winning streak of 10-11 games and tied for their conference championship last year. Baylor is 2-2 now and will probably struggle for the rest of the year. But with Coach Briles in place and Robert Griffin at quarterback, I think Baylor will be scoring some upsets this year.

Buffaloes Are Wild

Hello everyone. This is a brand new venture for me. I am attempting to record my random thoughts and regular ramblings. This is kinda scary for me because I tend to hold my innermost thoughts close to my vest. I'm not the deepest thinker or the holiest of believers but if leadership is influence, like John Maxwell says, I have to believe that I'm influencing those around me, for good or for bad. More later...