When I was a teenager, I remember hearing the question “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? – and thinking what a stupid question – of course it makes a sound. But the longer I teach science, and the more I learn about our world at the quantum level, the less sure I am about the true nature of reality. Like Neo in The Matrix – do I want the blue pill or the red pill? Of course, when a tree falls in the forest it sets up a … [Read more...]
Foundational Principles of Biblical Earth Stewardship
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. All creation belongs to Him (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1). Though God reveals Himself in creation, the Bible, and His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, He is distinct from and transcendent over creation (Romans 1:25). Those who deny the Creator/creature distinction become futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts are darkened (Romans 1:21). God made man, male and female, in His own image (Genesis 1:26–27). No other terrestrial life … [Read more...]
Can Logic Help Us Improve Discussion of Creation Care?
For twenty centuries, Christian thinkers have emphasized the importance of logic. They have recognized logic as one element of God’s very essence. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” points to that truth. The Greek word there translated “Word,” Logos, has a range of meanings that include logic, account, reason, and argument. (In fact, in John’s day, it rarely denoted a single word.) John 1:1, then, reveals that God is logical—not that He is … [Read more...]
How Can You Treat Your Students to a World-Renowned Speaker at Next to Zero Cost?
Whether you’re a teacher, a student, or a parent, you know that every teacher faces the challenge of introducing students to a wide variety of perspectives on a wide variety of subjects, yet having personal expertise in only a few. The Cornwall Alliance can help with that! Founder and National Spokesman Dr. E. Calvin Beisner has spoken on site and in person to many graduate school, college, high school, and middle school classes. But he’s also available to speak for classes via phone or … [Read more...]
Climate Policy: Theological, Scientific, and Economic Considerations
A Panel Presentation to the Fourth International Conference on Climate Change Download the full presentation (PDF). I’m grateful to James Taylor, Joe Bast, and the Heartland Institute for asking me to speak. My remarks today in part abridge, condense, and supplement what the Cornwall Alliance has said in a 76-page interdisciplinary research paper we published last December, A Renewed Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Examination of the Theology, Science, and … [Read more...]
Climate Change in a Nutshell: scientific, moral and theological implications of climate policy
Few issues in recent years have fueled public debate as has global warming. Since first registering a blip on the public radar screen in 1988, when NASA scientist James Hanson argued that its existence was undeniable, the controversial subject has generated countless professional papers, articles, television broadcasts and international conferences. Indeed, the Kyoto Protocol – designed to address global warming by reducing fossil fuel use and thus greenhouse gas emissions – has become a … [Read more...]
A Theological Framework for Evaluating Genetically Modified Food
The public debate regarding genetically modified (GM) food has for the most part been driven by practical considerations. For those on the side of GM food, the economic and social benefits far outweigh any possible negative consequences (if there even are any). In this vein, Reason magazine science correspondent Ronald Bailey points out, “With biotech corn, U.S. farmers have saved an estimated $200 million by avoiding extra cultivation and reducing insecticide spraying. U.S. cotton farmers have … [Read more...]
Dominion and Stewardship: Believers and the Environment
“Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created. Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end.” St. Ignatius of Loyola A welcome development of the past thirty years has been the emergence of less-utilitarian attitudes towards the environment by believers and non-believers alike. No … [Read more...]
