I’d like you to view this video, but don’t do it unless you plan on reading the rest of this post.
It’s a beautiful video- scenes of our beautiful planet, of God’s creation. Images like these remind us of our place within the earth as God’s stewards. Certainly he has created something wonderful and we bear a responsibility to care for it.
I could have picked quite a few videos that showed similar things to this video, but I chose this one for a reason. Did you notice anything surrounding this video? The site it was posted at? The statement at the top of the page that you may have read before watching the video? Did you notice anything about these?
This site is called The Secret and is pushing a book that teaches the concept that humans have natural attractive forces, that they can affect the world around them with their positive thinking, and that this ultimately controls the direction of your life, money, relationships, and health. It’s all about you and The Secret. Not exactly Christian theology which puts God at the center of things.
You see, there’s often a kind of new age tilt toward many things associated with environmentalism and that can take many forms. Sometimes the physical is celebrated at the expense of the spiritual. Sometimes god and earth/creation are equated. Sometimes people get so wrapped up in God’s general revelation in the earth, the beauty they see around them that they become so focused on today’s age, they forget that all we see is only a foretaste of the new heavens and the new earth that is to come.
Don’t for a minute lessen your wonder at God’s creation. Don’t ever forget your responsibility to steward God’s creation. But do look critically at the sources you read and think about the assumptions behind what they’re saying.
Have you ever noticed this new age association with environmentalism? How do you work to take the good from some of these sources without buying into their assumptions?
Tags: environment, faith, News, stewardship, The Secret
N.T. Wright masterfully summarizes the different ways people throughout history have viewed the physical/spiritual connection in the first few chapters of his “Simply Christian”. This book is our generation’s “Mere Christianity”.
I hope many like myself just watched the wonders of God the first time I saw this, without reading who or what produced it. Thanks for pointing out how we could be misled.
Another thing that I noticed was missing from this video, and usually is from these types of videos, people. I think it is important to remember that we are an important part of God’s creative work. He tells us that while he cares a great deal about the sparrow, he cares even more for us. Has a special purpose for us, and one day we will be with Him. Remembering we are a special part of His creation reminds us that He has work for us and cares about what happens to us.
As far as keeping tabs on who is providing information – I consider that a vital life skill. Whenever I talk to students about using/reading information (especially the web) I stress how important it is for them to consider what they know about the author/sponsor of information and if there is a bias involved. So often a person’s viewpoint shades the information they present. This is a case in which I see the shading as being subtle – which is probably the most dangerous.