No, I’m not talking about fussing over the temperature in church buildings. That subject is a bit too controversial.
The matter I am addressing would be just as laughable if it were not for the fact that many take it seriously. People are pushing this agenda so much that it is becoming an issue in the church.
After the flood God made this promise: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). God created the world and He sustains it by His power. He “measured the waters in the hollow of His hand” (Isa. 40:12). He said to the mighty seas, “This far you may come, but no farther; and here your proud waves must stop!” (Job. 38:11). God made every drop of water and He surely controls sea levels.
To us the weather is unpredictable. God made it that way. Some summers are not as hot as others and some winters are less cold. There will always be droughts and floods. But the promise of God means that the earth’s temperature and its seasons are in His hands.
The unbelieving world is sounding an alarm, however. Power-hungry politicians, agenda-driven media, and pseudo-scientists warn that the earth is doomed if we fail to reduce carbon emissions. They are even calling climate change a moral issue! It is always strange that people who say there is no God are quick to lecture us about right and wrong!
Religious people are buying this tale of tragedy as well. The Pope says we have a moral obligation to prevent global warming. A group called Australian Religious Response to Climate Change posted this claim: “Climate change is not just a scientific issue—it is a moral issue.” Jesus came to save us from sin, but now the main concern among even religious folk is to save the planet! Never mind the fact that millions are destroying their souls with sin. Never mind the judgment and eternal damnation in hell. Forget about a home in heaven—just make sure the earth is protected from gas-powered vehicles!
You may say, “This won’t be a problem in churches of Christ.” It already is. An article in the October, 2022 issue of the Christian Chronicle began with this headline: “Action on climate change…is an act of love.” The subheading read, “Christian scholars encourage members of churches of Christ to consider sustainable energy practices.” These “scholars” did not give one word of Scripture in their comments. It seems that what God says makes little difference anymore. In April, 2022 Pepperdine University hosted a conference named “Climate Calling” which emphasized “our moral calling to respond to growing concerns about the future of our planet.” One professor at David Lipscomb University predicted that the climate in centuries to come will swing “wildly and more frequently from ice ages to tropical ages until equilibrium is reached again” (“A Collective Effort to Stop the Pending Climate Crisis” by Anna Mosley, 1-9-2019, News and Events, DLU website). Welcome to the age of the secularized church.
Christians today are making the same mistake the Corinthians made almost two-thousand years ago. The Christians in the church at Corinth were impressed by worldly wisdom. Some of them followed human philosophy to the point that they denied the resurrection of the dead (I Cor. 15:12). How did this happen? The same way Christians listened to the media more than God during the covid pandemic. The same way Christians have bought into theistic evolution and global warming. They listened to the experts of the day.
-Kerry Duke
