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Tuesday Morning Epistles
Welcome to "Tuesday Mornings," a bright and intelligent
way for Christians to begin a week (or any other time).
We have entered that season of the year when political
candidates wax eloquent over anything that comes to
mind—true or untrue. It is commonly understood among
politicians that reinventing oneself—English
translation: re-writing one's resume—is a form of high
art in Washington. Do you remember 1999? It was the
"Year of the Gaffe" in D.C. On CNN's "Late Edition" Wolf
Blitzer was interviewing Al Gore, one of several
candidates running for office that year. He asked Gore,
"Why should Democrats ... support you instead of Bill
Bradley ... a former colleague in the Senate? What do
you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily
bring to this process?" Gore replied, "During my service
in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in
creating the Internet." Say what? A firestorm hit
Washington. House Majority Leader Dick Armey replied,
"If the Vice President created the Internet, then I
created the Interstate highway system." Another
Republican followed suit by claiming that he invented
the paperclip. One of the funniest responses came during
the annual Gridiron dinner that year, when Senator John
McCain was asked what sustained him during his time in a
Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp. He replied, "The thought
that some day I would come home and invent the
Internet." Gore tried to make the best of his gaffe by
offering an excuse for his slip of the tongue. He told
the Democracratic National Committee the next day, "I
was pretty tired when I made that comment because I had
been up very late the night before inventing the
camcorder." Funny.
Global warming is on every candidate's short list of
things about which to be concerned this year. Some want
to give credit to the same person who took credit for
launching the Internet. Though not a declared candidate
for the Presidency, he gets a substantial portion of
poll votes from his party. Apparently his visibility
during the global warming debate is responsible for some
of his popularity.
What does global warming have to do with this
week's "Tuesday Morning" epistle? Nothing political. But
it is a timely point of reference for a discussion about
coming to terms with things that significantly affect
our lives and our future. This week's topic is "Our Good
Earth." Continue reading below whenever you are ready.
Have a productive week.
Tom Barnard
A Senior Encourager
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Our Good Earth Tom Barnard
ome years ago—in 1999 to be exact—a politician bragged that he had invented the Internet. Almost immediately complaints were heard from all directions. Late-night comics made fun of him. One wag asked, “Can a politician invent anything but trouble?” Good question. Some pollster should look into it.
Recently a former politician claimed credit for the rise in public awareness concerning global warming. The media went crazy. Same guy. Did he come up with the idea? Was it something new? Were scientists (both natural and social) ignorant of this new global crisis?
Hardly. In the mid-1940s, before the end of World War II, economist and writer Stuart Chase (1888-1985) was saying it. In an essay he entitled, “Our Good Earth,” Chase quoted the then world-famous botanist/ecologist/naturalist Paul B. Sears as proclaiming, “This is our world.” In these four words, Chase observed, were neatly compressed “the two great tasks of mankind”— coming to terms with nature, and coming to terms with one’s fellows. Concerning coming to terms with nature, Chase said the following:
If we abuse (nature)—destroy its soils by erosion, lay waste its cover of forest and grassland, exterminate its wild life, pollute its waters, overturn the balance of nature—our world cannot long protect and support us. Huge fertile areas have already become deserts.
Chase’s views on coming to terms with one’s fellows were equally prophetic. He said,
The second task is an even greater challenge. With the bomb now loose (remember, this was 1945), we have learned how to die together, perhaps to the last man. But no Einstein has yet devised a formula to show us how to live together …We had better all turn into Einstein's on this problem …There isn’t much more time.
Chase was correct about two things: “There isn’t much more time,” and “No Einstein has yet devised a formula to show us how to live together.” Einstein was too late. God had already devised a formula. There are dozens of references we could cite here. But I like this one from First John, Chapter 1,
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
And be reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Rome (Romans 12:9-11):
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
And don’t forget these powerful words from Jesus, in Matthew 5:44:
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be children of your Father in heaven." We are often admonished to write to our senators and representatives in Washington, protesting this and that. I wonder what would happen if we sent these words of challenge to the leaders of our country. One of them would probably claim authorship. Wouldn’t that be something? “Dear Senator ... .” |