Today---Tuesday, June 2---we canceled the "From the Stacks" livestream I normally do every Tuesday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Cornwall Alliance's Facebook page. Why? Well, the official explanation went like this: "Dr. E. Calvin Beisner had an unfortunate battle with poison ivy during which the poison ivy won." Various folks posted condolences and wished me well. I'm thankful for their condolences, but, really, the poison ivy didn't win. True, I'm a "wounded warrior"---you should see all the … [Read more...]
Prayers Based on The Biblical Perspective of Environmental Stewardship
In 2013 the Cornwall Alliance, at the request of the International Church Council Project, developed a summary, in 30 pairs of affirmations and denials, of how Biblical worldview, theology, and ethics provide a foundation for environmental stewardship. The result was The Biblical Perspective of Environmental Stewardship: Subduing and Ruling the Earth to the Glory of God and the Benefit of Our Neighbors. What follows are seventeen prayers based on that statement. We hope you’ll find them useful … [Read more...]
Hawaii’s Sunscreen Ban: A Good Law or More Needless Government Meddling?
On July 3, Hawaii became the first state to ban the sale of sunscreens considered harmful to coral reefs. The bill received bipartisan support. Banned sunscreens contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, which, as I'll explain in a moment, can harm coral. Personally, I'm against excessive environmental regulations that keep people from enjoying creation and shut down businesses for no good reason. So, if you are still reading, please use this as an opportunity to educate yourself on … [Read more...]
You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
The Cornwall Alliance has produced a series of 23 lectures on the Ten Commandments. How do those relate to our usual focus on environment and development? Lots of ways. This is the first in a series of brief posts exploring some of them. “You shall have no other gods before Me.”—The First Commandment “The heavens declare the glory of God,” says Psalm 19:1, and He will not share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). This is important to both environmental stewardship and economic … [Read more...]
Vatican’s secrecy over environmental encyclical may have diminished its value
The Associated Press reports that Vatican officials are very upset over the leak of a draft of the much-anticipated papal encyclical on the environment yesterday. I find the concluding paragraph of the AP report most interesting: In the aftermath of the "Vatileaks" scandal, the Vatican City State updated its criminal code to include severe penalties for anyone who leaks a Vatican document or publishes news from it: Up to two years in prison and a 5,000 euro ($5,600) fine. Well, I suppose if the … [Read more...]
Man, Woman, the Mystery of Christ—and Environmental Stewardship
What do marriage, childbearing and childrearing, economic development, and environmental stewardship have to do with each other? More than you might imagine! Consider those topics in reverse order. First, environmental stewardship is each person’s responsibility to use and sustain the earth. Note those two words together: use and sustain. Many environmentalists tend to consider only the latter, and they have a skewed perception of what it means: keeping the earth pretty much in its natural … [Read more...]
Evangelical Leaders Announce Landmark New Strategy for “Responsible & Balanced” Environmental Care
Washington, DC, May 2, 2007 -- Amid mounting controversies among some evangelical Christians over the actual causes of global warming and what constitutes responsible environmental policy, the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance announced today at the National Press Club an expanded program of outreach and education, as well as a new name for the organization to better reflect its principles and purpose. Now known as the “Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation,” the more vigorous and … [Read more...]
