Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Christians and Creation - A Positive Approach V
I have pretty thoroughly discussed the fact that Christians have a view of creation that is at odds with the average "environmentalist. I have then gone on to discuss how that affects a Christian's ideas and attitudes in terms of skepticism, humility, having a local perspective and personally following God's mandate to put creation to use. There is another aspect that I think bears considering. Most environmentalists work from an assumption that science and technology is somehow evil, this is not a proper attitude for Christians.
This is in fact how, in my humble opinion, environmentalists are making inroads into the church, this is the avenue which the so-called "greening of evangelicals" is following. This questions is actually related to original worldview issue. We tend to think that because we are sinners we can't do anything right. And yet, we experience goodness and kindness, and right things from sinners every day.
The other thing that is at play in all this is because of the so-called "war between science and religion," it is too easy for people of a religious persuasion to assume that science and technology is somehow evil. But in reality, there is no war between science and religion, there is a war between the naturalistic worldview and the Christian worldview. While it's true that most scientists hold a naturalistic worldview and most Christian's hold a Christian worldview, there are certainly exceptions on both sides of the divide. It's what one does with science and technology that is good or bad, not the science and/or technology itself.
It is important to remember the roots of science and technology. As academic disciplines, they flowed out of the desire to attend to general revelation. By coming to understand God's creation, we can come to understand something of the Creator - that's science. Much as by manipulating God's creation to create new things, we exercize the image of Himself in us - that's technology.
There is a natural fear of that which we do not know, or that which we do not understand. Science and technology is unknown and difficult to understand for most of us. Fear of it is natural. But even that fear does not imply evil, or even wrong.
As Christians, we uniquely have the power and the authority to overcome our fears and to make right that which can be misused and abused. We should not allow our natural fear of the unknown to rob us of that power and authority.
Related Tags: environmental, creation, Christians, attitude, worldview
This is in fact how, in my humble opinion, environmentalists are making inroads into the church, this is the avenue which the so-called "greening of evangelicals" is following. This questions is actually related to original worldview issue. We tend to think that because we are sinners we can't do anything right. And yet, we experience goodness and kindness, and right things from sinners every day.
The other thing that is at play in all this is because of the so-called "war between science and religion," it is too easy for people of a religious persuasion to assume that science and technology is somehow evil. But in reality, there is no war between science and religion, there is a war between the naturalistic worldview and the Christian worldview. While it's true that most scientists hold a naturalistic worldview and most Christian's hold a Christian worldview, there are certainly exceptions on both sides of the divide. It's what one does with science and technology that is good or bad, not the science and/or technology itself.
It is important to remember the roots of science and technology. As academic disciplines, they flowed out of the desire to attend to general revelation. By coming to understand God's creation, we can come to understand something of the Creator - that's science. Much as by manipulating God's creation to create new things, we exercize the image of Himself in us - that's technology.
There is a natural fear of that which we do not know, or that which we do not understand. Science and technology is unknown and difficult to understand for most of us. Fear of it is natural. But even that fear does not imply evil, or even wrong.
As Christians, we uniquely have the power and the authority to overcome our fears and to make right that which can be misused and abused. We should not allow our natural fear of the unknown to rob us of that power and authority.
Related Tags: environmental, creation, Christians, attitude, worldview
