living the examined life.

NASCAR is rapidly becoming America's favorite sport, much to my dismay as one who will always believe Baseball is America's pastime. The objects everyone comes to watch on NASCAR race day are cars, engineered and designed to go speeds of 200+ miles per hour.

People come, see the race, cheer for the winner, and probably a couple of scary crashes, and leave. What they don't know, is at the end of the race cars go through a 100+ point inspection. Here are a couple of things that are done to the cars.

1. Tire pressure is taken
2. The height of the roof and spoiler are measured.
3. The cars are weighed.
4. The shocks, sway bars, and nearly twenty other pieces are removed and measured.
5. Almost two hours later, after the car has been nearly completely disassembled, the inspection is done, if the car has passed every single test, it passes.

I think that there is a powerful metaphor in this process. A story we can all learn from. For those of us that believe in God, we believe that at the end of our lives there is going to be a bit of a shakedown... We believe God is going to hold us accountable for everything we said and did in our lives. I think we go through the post race tests just like the race cars do. In some ways we are taken apart, and examined by God. In Romans 14.12 Paul writes that each of us must give an account of our lives before God. I think that is similar to the way that the racers have to give an account of their entire car before the judges of the race. Recognizing that there is no shortcut that Jesus can not serve as atonement for, I ask us what would it be like to examine our lives as the pit crew goes over their car before the race begins.

I call this living an examined life. Let me try to pass on some practical wisdom... This has some pretty interesting and simple action steps when it comes to taking care of the environment. It is application time... Lets see some of the ways that we can examine our lives before we start the race...

1. Consider setting a goal... that usually works for how much trash you want to let out of your household over the next week. Try to reduce the amount of stuff you throw away week by week, month by month.... it might help you pause and examine your decision next time you are at a trash bin in your place.
2. Buy a bike... for some of us, this saves us a lot. Bikes help us get places, and they reduce your carbon footprint... speaking of, perhaps turning off your lights, your computer, and your television might help save you money, and the world energy. Biking gives you exercise, which makes you healthier, and helps you sleep well at night.
3. Consider reusing things before you throw them away. A friend of mine made pop bottle top art. The piece looked amazing. Pause for a moment before trashing something to see if it is usable again.

I hope that these few suggestions will help you examine your life a bit close. Living the examined life can be fun, and rewarding... Needless to say, examining your parts before they get inspected after the race cuts down on the anxiety of the inspection.

Cherio!

What Kind of Environmental Christian Are you?

Answer the following questions to determine what perspective you come at the environmental crisis from... Then please feel free to add your thoughts to the survey located on the right side of the window...

Group 1
1. Do you see caring for creation as a responsibility given by God in the Bible? Y or N
2. Do you see the root of the environmental crisis as the result of human sinfulness? Y or N
3. Do you see man's role in the environment as caretaker, or gardener? Y or N
4. Do you think that God should be the ultimate authority regarding creation care? Y or N
5. Do you believe religion is the "sacred canopy" that can restore values in humans? Y or N

Group 2
1. Do you see caring for creation as a responsibility of humans because it is just? Y or N
2. Do you believe humans should live more sustainably for the betterment of humans? Y or N
3. Do you think the environmental crisis has been brought about by social injustice? Y or N
4. Do you see the enssential environmental issues as health and pollution problems? Y or N
5. Do you think that the best way to address the environemental crisis is to "fix" society Y or N

Group 3
1. Do you see God as immanent or in all places including in nature? Y or N
2. Do you think man is equal to the rest of creation in all being a part of God's creation Y or N
3. Do you think that the root of the environmental crisis is human alienation from nature Y or N
4. Do you associate yourself with postmodern Christianity? Y or N
5. Are you most concerned with wilderness preservation and species extinction? Y or N

If you felt like you answered Y mostly to Group 1:
-You are likely a part of the Christian Stewardship Ethic party
-Your prescribed response to the environmental crisis is to correct doctrine; and to restore Christianity as a guide to saving creation.
-You may see an evangelical endeavor in redeeming creation.

If you felt like you answered Yes mostly to Group 2:
- You may identify yourself more with the Eco-justice camp.
- Your prescribed response to the environmental crisis is to correct praxis; to beceome involved in the government, and grass roots mobilization of eco-justice oriented movements.
-Your ultimate purpose in becoming active in environmentalism may be a deep sense of justice that moves you to become a part of a environmentally liberating movement.

If you felt like you answered Yes mostly to Group 3:
-You may identify yourself with the Creation Spirituaty Ethic camp.
- For you the prescribed response to the environmental crisis may be to correct your spirituality, change Christian worldview so that God becomes more a part of creation.
- For you the ultimate purpose of the environmental movement may be to restore man's relationship with the environment.
- You likely see an intrinsic value to nature as well.

Please feel free to cast your vote in the survey to the right...

Because God don't create Junk...

A simple statement.

The first time I ever heard that claim was at a convention put on by the Catholic Church called the National Chaplain's Association for Youth at Risk. One of the preists there, was sharing his thoughts on successful programs for restoring childrens lives who are spiritually mending. He told the gathered chaplains there that one of the things he tells his kids is that God don't create junk...

The statement got me to think about creation. I realized that in Genesis 1, when God said that all of his Creation was good, He meant it. God don't create junk. When God created poison ivy, and the lion, he didn't create junk. When God created the mosquito, and the blue whale, he didn't create junk. If one were to believe that God is the creator of everything in the world, then shouldn't humans take responsibility for guarding and taking care of creation. After all, when a human comes into stewardship of a original monet painting, he does his best to preserve and care for the painting. Monet didn't create junk, and neither does God.

An Unexpected Union...

The meeting could not have been more random. Nor could it have been more welcomed. Saturday, just after a Tornado had blasted through Albion Michigan, leaving 55,000 homes in the greater Albion area without power, I walked down to the "golden arches" knowing that they had power, and cold beverages with cups that have "free refills" plastered all over them. So much for protesting blanket consumerism. Walking in, I ran into Erica Tauzer, the president of Albion's Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition. She graciously asked me to join the coalitions meeting, and there I sat for nearly four hours. It was a beautiful synthesis of two star-crossed parties. The religious and the environmental. More to come.

A New Begining to an Old Story

It began in a fruit and vegitable garden. A garden that grew on land just recently seperated from the sea on an earth that had just recently had been illuminated by a light that had distinguished itself from the darkness. It began simply, and God said it was good. It was here among the fruit trees that God told man he was to rule over all living things.

This verse has been misunderstood for centuries, but at least that verse has recieved some attention, unlike the next verse which has been recited in church congregations and Sunday School classes for ages, but has never sunk in.

"And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good"

Christians and Western culture have recieved a bad wrap, and maybe somewhat justifyably for their understanding that humans have a higher niche on the ecological food chain than the rest of the environment. Yes, I think Christians assert themselves as sentries over creation which means God placed man in a special spot. But what responsibility did God leave us in when he told man that creation was good?

Christians in the 1960's were called out by a man named Lynne White, who wrote in Science Magazine that the Judeo-Christian perspective on man's role in the environment was to blame for our modern environmental crisis. Some of his accusations ring true. So to the accusations of humanity, I believe Christians should plea guilty as charged to the assertion that man has an established role in creation as tender of the garden. However, when the more serious accusation of whether Christians have actually served as sentries over creation is lodged, perhaps we have some explaining and apologizing to do.

Please join me over the next couple months as I examine in depth, the Christian calling of stewardship and how Christians can become more a part of the restoration of the garden God said was good.