God and Nature Spring 2020
Christians, Let’s See 20/20 in 2020 |
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By Dean Ohlman
I believe these words of Jesus are especially meaningful for His followers today: “Here I am sending you out like sheep with wolves all round you; so be as wise as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. But be on your guard against men.” It sounds to me like He is saying Look about you and react. Don’t be violent or encourage others to violence, but for heaven’s sake, know that wolves and clever deceivers surround you. Snakes know when people and predators are about, they know their ways, and they know how to stay clear. As sheep, remember that I will always be your Shepherd. Nonetheless, you emulate the snake.
I believe these words of Jesus are especially meaningful for His followers today: “Here I am sending you out like sheep with wolves all round you; so be as wise as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. But be on your guard against men.” It sounds to me like He is saying Look about you and react. Don’t be violent or encourage others to violence, but for heaven’s sake, know that wolves and clever deceivers surround you. Snakes know when people and predators are about, they know their ways, and they know how to stay clear. As sheep, remember that I will always be your Shepherd. Nonetheless, you emulate the snake.
I believe Christians in our times have been myopic and unaware in way too many ways. Furthermore, because of our nearsightedness and lack of knowledge, our influence in this dark world is fading. Here are some ways our thinking needs to change in order to see 20/20 in 2020.
“I believe that the global warming thing is a hoax.”
Temperature readings are not opinions. The globe is warming, climates are changing, and how we live, work, and do business today are the chief causes.
“I believe in creation, not evolution.”
Most life science professors in Christian colleges and universities are evolutionary creationists. The genetic code tells us that evolution happened and continues to happen. All life exists because of an elaborate code, and all codes come from an intelligent Mind. We need to stop trying to determine how and when God created everything. And we need to stop thinking we could actually understand how God in Christ did the creating.
“I believe that the earth and the entire cosmos came into existence only a few thousand years ago.”
Paul told the church in Rome that the creation demonstrates God’s “eternal” power. Evidence of virtual timelessness is everywhere—compelling cosmologists to surmise that the “Big Bang” from which the cosmos comes happened billions of years ago. Wherever we look in this universe we will not discover the ultimate origins or the ultimate ends. As we learn more and more, smallness gets forever smaller and bigness gets forever bigger. Billions of galaxies and billions of subatomic particles have been following the Creator’s plan over a span of time and space that we could never fully compute.
“I believe that science and scientists just want to disprove the Bible and/or destroy the Christian faith.”
Good science is merely about discovering the nature of the natural world that God created. God gave us two books: His Word and His World. In the end they will concur. Fewer than 20 percent of scientists claim to be atheists. Much of the animosity among scientists towards Christians is because of our foolish anti-science attitudes.
“I believe all this concern about so-called pollution, species extinction, and the depletion of natural resources is overblown and virtually anti-Christian.”
The Psalms tell us that God loves all that He has created and that he cares for all His creatures. Further, Paul explains that nature has been groaning in pain while waiting for the revelation and ascendancy of the children of God. God wants to save and restore all creation. We evangelicals must recognize our culpability in the careless use and abuse of the creation—and then repent.
“I hate to see the religion about Jesus attacked and constantly threatened by secular humanists.”
Religions are human things—Christianity should not be a “religion” but the Body of Christ. Even secular humanists and atheists could not help but be impressed if we really demonstrated the love, service, wisdom, and humbleness that marked the life of Christ.
Dean Ohlman is retired from Our Daily Bread Ministries in Grand Rapids, MI. He served as a writer, editor, and script writer for Day of Discovery TV. From 2008 to 2012, he hosted a blog for ODB on “The Wonder of Creation,” which can still be viewed online at https://wondercreation.wordpress.com. His booklets on the wonder of creation are online here: https://discoveryseries.org/author/deanohlman. Dean has been active in the Christian creation-care movement for thirty years.
“I believe that the global warming thing is a hoax.”
Temperature readings are not opinions. The globe is warming, climates are changing, and how we live, work, and do business today are the chief causes.
“I believe in creation, not evolution.”
Most life science professors in Christian colleges and universities are evolutionary creationists. The genetic code tells us that evolution happened and continues to happen. All life exists because of an elaborate code, and all codes come from an intelligent Mind. We need to stop trying to determine how and when God created everything. And we need to stop thinking we could actually understand how God in Christ did the creating.
“I believe that the earth and the entire cosmos came into existence only a few thousand years ago.”
Paul told the church in Rome that the creation demonstrates God’s “eternal” power. Evidence of virtual timelessness is everywhere—compelling cosmologists to surmise that the “Big Bang” from which the cosmos comes happened billions of years ago. Wherever we look in this universe we will not discover the ultimate origins or the ultimate ends. As we learn more and more, smallness gets forever smaller and bigness gets forever bigger. Billions of galaxies and billions of subatomic particles have been following the Creator’s plan over a span of time and space that we could never fully compute.
“I believe that science and scientists just want to disprove the Bible and/or destroy the Christian faith.”
Good science is merely about discovering the nature of the natural world that God created. God gave us two books: His Word and His World. In the end they will concur. Fewer than 20 percent of scientists claim to be atheists. Much of the animosity among scientists towards Christians is because of our foolish anti-science attitudes.
“I believe all this concern about so-called pollution, species extinction, and the depletion of natural resources is overblown and virtually anti-Christian.”
The Psalms tell us that God loves all that He has created and that he cares for all His creatures. Further, Paul explains that nature has been groaning in pain while waiting for the revelation and ascendancy of the children of God. God wants to save and restore all creation. We evangelicals must recognize our culpability in the careless use and abuse of the creation—and then repent.
“I hate to see the religion about Jesus attacked and constantly threatened by secular humanists.”
Religions are human things—Christianity should not be a “religion” but the Body of Christ. Even secular humanists and atheists could not help but be impressed if we really demonstrated the love, service, wisdom, and humbleness that marked the life of Christ.
Dean Ohlman is retired from Our Daily Bread Ministries in Grand Rapids, MI. He served as a writer, editor, and script writer for Day of Discovery TV. From 2008 to 2012, he hosted a blog for ODB on “The Wonder of Creation,” which can still be viewed online at https://wondercreation.wordpress.com. His booklets on the wonder of creation are online here: https://discoveryseries.org/author/deanohlman. Dean has been active in the Christian creation-care movement for thirty years.