My Thoughts On Live Earth and Such

We put our kids to bed Saturday night, plopped down on the couch, and flipped the television on. The choices, like normal for someone without cable on a Saturday night, were dismal. I could watch 48 Hours Mystery or some other boring shows, or I could watch Live Earth.

It was fairly entertaining. It was strange to me that most of the musicians were from my high school days or prior. But where was Pearl Jam, U2, or Neil Young? I had the feeling that I was not their target audience, nor was a good chunk of the American population. Where was a popular country band (I do not count Keith Urban) or some popular Christian act? I wondered why they were not trying to have popular acts from across the American musical spectrum, but then I realized that they were trying to make environmentalism hip and I, and others, are not hip. "Hip" might not even be a hip word any more.

In the back of my head was a constant ringing that this show was such a great brainwashing program that all the dictators from the present and past would be smart to take notes. You see names of "converts" scrolling across the bottom of the screen as they text in their allegiance. They bring up famous converts to talk to you in between emotionally draining musical acts. On this level I found it all a little disturbing and cult-like.

Wrapping the whole conversation up in the "global warning" lingo does not do it a service since I am one of the wackos (at least according to polls) that does not believe global warming is man-made. But I do not need to believe in the big concept of global warming in order to take practical steps to be better on the environment, which I do believe is a Christian responsibility.

I can do most of the Live Earth pledge, but I will not sign the petition because I do not believe in carbon offsetting.

Denis Hayes, the president of the Bullitt Foundation said it well:

The worst of the carbon-offset programs resemble the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences back before the Reformation. Instead of reducing their carbon footprints, people take private jets and stretch limos, and then think they can buy an indulgence to forgive their sins. This whole game is badly in need of a modern Martin Luther.

Because we should not isolate our Christian beliefs to just one compartment of my life, I had to allow this program to interact with my Christian beliefs. Obviously, the Madonna orgy dance routine was something I should not dwell on, but that is not what I am talking about. I contemplated whether I am doing my job leaving a minimal carbon footprint and whether that is something God is concerned about.

Christians should be some of the forerunners in conserving our environment. Creation was made by God for us to enjoy, not destroy. We need to work with groups that have the same goal rather than to alienate them based upon them disagreeing with us on evolution or global warming. Many people who have different beliefs than us on those issues still share practical applications with us. It is on that common ground that we need to stand and interact with those around us.