Double E's

Environmentalism and evolution that is. I've been thinking about how environmentalism and evolution relate recently and I've come to the conclusion that they really don't relate much at all. In fact, I would say that they are pretty much at opposites to one another.

According to dictionary.com "environmentalism" is

1. Advocacy for or work toward protecting the natural environment from destruction or pollution.

and "evolution" is

1. Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.

Now, there are of course other definitions to these words, but these are the most common and are thus the definitions I would like to focus on today.

There is one type of environmentalists that focus on saving the Earth for future generations. They get distressed with the way we are polluting and destroying everything. I would guess that almost without exception an environmentalist is an evolutionist. It appears to me that these two things are opposed to one another. If everything is evolving, shouldn't the world just adapt to the environment? Why are they so concerned about keeping everything "liveable?" Wouldn't it make more sense to just assume that we would evolve to be able to breath pollution (and maybe we would even evolve to a point where fresh air would kill us)? Sure, people will die in the process, but isn't that what evolution is all about? Hundreds of generations of creatures dying in order to perfect an organ. Evolutionists should not be surprised at that and it makes no sense that they would resist that change.

The other type of environmentalist is the one that views humans as horrible creatures. Their reasoning is that we may be at the top of the food chain, but we got there by deceit. This view holds that the other creatures in the world are much better then we are. If they also hold to evolution, then that doesn't make sense either. Evolution is all about the survival of the fittest. So by definition the very fact that we are on the top of the food chain means that we are the fittest. So why are they so down on themselves that they are there? If we aren't superior then another creature would be at the top of the food chain, and evolution would still be preserved. It is these type of environmentalists that are greatly concerned with the extinction of animals. But if you assume evolution, on what grounds is this concern? Evolution demands the extinction of animals - ones that can't adapt to their environment. So if an animal becomes extinct (even if it is by human hunting) that should be viewed as a natural process of evolution. If a creature disappears because it is hunted to extinction by another animal, we don't bat an eye, but if humans hunt it to extinction then that is cause for great distress. But if humans are nothing more then over-developed animals, how is this distressing? They are just doing what evolution demands that they do.

My whole point in this is to show that environmentalism is contradictory with evolution. In fact, environmentalists must assume the dominion mandate in order to further their cause. Christians should and can be much better environmentalist then evolutionists ever could be. Christians are to have dominion. That means taking care of and protecting. So Christans have a reason for protecting animals from extinction, we have a reason for not poluting our environment. We have a responsiblilty to take care of what we have been given. And we have been given the world. Evolutionists can claim no such thing.

It's about time we as Christians woke up to our responsibility and stop letting the environmentalist beat us in our calling.

Old Photographs

Grandma & Grandpa
Originally uploaded by eagleswings.

This is a picture of my grandparents, Ralph & Laurel Jean Price. It was taken a couple years after they were married. They were married in 1941 in Russell, IA. My aunt Dianne was born in 1942. At that time they were living in Peoria, IL and Grandpa was working for LeTourneau. Grandpa was greatly impressed by LeTourneau's work ethic. He gave all of his workers free lunch under the condition that they listen to him preach the gospel. Grandpa continued to work for LeTourneau until he moved his company to Texas. At this point my grandparents moved back to Iowa.

Patriarchy

Recently, I have been listening to the revised sermon series on patriarchy by Rev. Pete Hurst. When he first preached these sermons I tried to listen to them, but he painted with such a broad brush that I was unable to actually get through them. However, he has since revised them, clarifying things. These revised sermons are very good, in my opinion. They address some of the concerns I have had with the "patriarchy" movement today. Many of these concerns center around the idea that instead of giving principles the "patriarchy" movement lays down certain criteria that must be followed (i.e. homeschooling, women not working outside the home, etc) and if a family doesn't follow these things as outlined by the leaders, then the family is somehow blasphemeing the name of Christ. Here is a quote that seems to sum of this attitude.

Some are so used to Mr. and Mrs. "Super Christian" coming along and telling them what to do they haven't grown up to live in the liberty that Christ has given them and serve Him and figure it out for themselves. You are not to live for someone else's approval. You are not to live with someone else dictating to you what to do. You are to live for Christ.

~ Pete Hurst

These sermons can be found here.

I also came across this article on Vision Forum - Preaching the Word in the Family Integrated Church. Since much of Rev. Hurst's arguments are pointed at the Family Integrated Church, I thought it was encouraging that Vision Forum is taking a stand on the important issues in order to guard against the pitfalls that are common among those that emphasize the family. Here is a quote from this article.

I understand that we live in a day when the attack against the family is coming from all sides. Because this fierce war against “the seed of the woman” and “godly offspring” which was announced in Genesis 3:15, we must fight for the biblical family. In my lifetime, we have seen the collapse of the practical implications of the creation order in the home and in the church, and we need to respond. But, we must be clear. While we are fighting for the biblical family, our message in the church is not the family first. Our message needs to be the God and His Word first.

~ Scott T. Brown

Successful Learning

I guess I'm learning after all. Both of my tests last Friday went very well. If the scores can be trusted (which for me they are usually pretty accurate) I am successfully learning the material. That is very encouraging as I would hate to spend all this time studying and not learn anything worthwhile.

Quotes

Christ was from the line of David, according to His human ancestry. His last name was Davidson. But He was the Son of God as well.

~Douglas Wilson

"Love Covers A Multitude"

The Library

My sister and I have our own library (though almost all the books in it are mine). It used to be my old room, but because I ran out of space for my bookshelves (it isn't a very big room), my sister graciously let me move into her room with her and we use my old room for a library/study. I love books. Sometimes I get the time to read them, but even if I don't I love to look at them. I love to be in my library and just know that I'm surrounded by books that are mine. Books that I could read if I had the time. So much information to be absorbed. So many things to learn. When I have the chance to relax I like to spend it in the library. The only thing better then a brand new book is an old book. I love used book sales. You can find so many treasures there. A couple years ago I found a copy of Pilgrim's Progress that was printed in 1863. I also have a bible from the same time period. These are probably my oldest books and they are my favorites. They are from an era when they were oftentimes the only books people owned.

Unfortunately, the library hasn't been a source of comfort recently. The reason for this is because I haven't cleaned it up in several months and there is hardly room to walk in there now. I can't relax very well in a room that is messy. But since I also don't have time to clean it up, I find myself avoiding it. And when I do have the time to clean it up, it will be to pack up all those precious books for their move to TN. And I know that I won't see them for a while, because I don't have enough bookshelf space for them. But they will still be there, waiting for the day when I'll unpack them and put them back on the shelf. And I'll have my haven back.

Rest after the storm

Okay, okay, I guess it really hasn't been a storm, but I was pretty stressed out yesterday. But all the studying and work paid off and both tests went really well today. Praise the Lord! We shall see on Monday whether I really knew what I was talking about.

TJ is coming tonight for a weekend visit. In fact he should be here in about 45 minutes. There are many good things to a long distance relationship, but right at this moment I can't remember any of them. I just know that I can't wait to see him. Unfortunately, this weekend will be very busy as we try to get some wedding stuff done inbetween a rehersal and choir performance.

Engagement Picture

"Rachel and TJ2"
Originally uploaded by eagleswings.

This is TJ and my engagement picture.

The Clock is Spinning

Sometimes it very much feels like there are simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Such is today. Tomorrow I have two major math tests. I need to do well on both tests in order to do well in the classes. And it would be nice to know that I'm actually learning something. For me, tests do indicate how well I know the material, so I always view them as a kind of litmus test. If I don't do well, then I know that I need to hit the books and be more diligent in learning.

On top of those tests, this week is the week to send out wedding invitations and it takes forever to address them. I think I may have half of them addressed, but I'm not sure. For some reason they don't send any extra envelopes with the invitations. Do you know how hard it is to address invitations in pen without making any mistakes? So far I've only made one, so I think I'm doing pretty good, but it is slow going.

It has been a while since I posted here. Over three years in fact. I figured since I'm getting married soon, I should get in the habit of blogging so that I can stay in touch with all of my friends and family. It will probably take some time to get the hang of this, but I am determined to give it my best effort.