Taking every thought captive

According to Terence Stamp at Live Earth, Wembley, tonight, climate change is the greatest crisis facing our world.

Sorry, Terence, it’s not. The greatest crisis facing our world right now is the prospect of the certain judgment of Almighty God. We must all give an account to him for all we have done (2 Cor 5:10), and particularly what we have done with Christ.

The jury may be out as the the reality of catastrophic climate change. It may or may not be happening. But the judgment of God is absolutely certain because God has appointed human beings to die, and after that will come judgment (Heb 9:27; Acts 17:31).

In the face of that certain and terrible reality we must do what God commands — that we repent of our sin (Acts 17:30) — all of us individually. And we must trust in Jesus Christ for our only certain salvation (John 14:6; John 3:16-21). Only then may we face the greatest crisis facing our world with confidence that it will not overwhelm us.

How ironic that those who will proclaim the message of action to prevent climate change the loudest are also those whose generally conspicuous and consumptive lifestyle contributes to it both by their own actions and the actions of those who would seek to emulate them.

And yet these pop idols are so lie the idols of the classical and pagan worlds. No one suggested they should be paragons of virtue — holy deities. They were not bound by the lifestyles they expected of mortals. So, too, these pop idols do not practice what they preach, and to a large extent no on expects them to.

Christian preachers, though not perfect, are expected to model their message, and though redeemed they are still fallen, so sometimes do fall. Nonetheless, Christian preachers and church leaders are expected to maintain high moral and spiritual standards. They do seek to live by the message they proclaim.