Let the River Flood—Green Servitude vs. Biblical Dominion

by E. Calvin Beisner
Founder and National Spokesman
Cornwall Alliance

“Farmers and families who live along the Mississippi should prepare themselves for a decades-long battle, if the recent experiences of Missourians who live along the Missouri River are any guide,” writes Blake Hurst.

After this spring’s devastating floods along the Mississippi, one ecologist proposes turning 1.5 million acres (about the size of Delaware) into a permanent wetlands park—thus solving the problem of once-every-fifty-years flooding by adopting once-every-year flooding instead. Why didn’t I think of that?

The cost? Well, among other things, taking 1.5 million acres of the world’s richest farmland out of production, thus driving up food prices, and starving the poor around the world. But who cares? Greens will be pleased to have the environs of Big Muddy returned to their “natural” state. And the starving people? The people whose homes and farms are taken from them? An unavoidable sacrifice to Gaia.

The Greens' attitude—let the river flood, don't try to control it—is typical of the environmentalist worldview, which denies that humanity should exercise dominion over the Earth. Thus it elevates Earth to higher authority and priority than humanity, effectually making an idol of it—worshiping the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).

In his marvelous lecture "Logos vs. Mysticism: Environmentalism's Flight from Reason" in the Cornwall Alliance’s Resisting the Green Dragon video series, Vishal Mangalwadi movingly tells the story of Hindus in his country of origin who, worshiping the river gods, built a temple in the middle of a river but refused to build a dam to control its floodwaters, condemning themselves to century after century of floods that destroy their homes and farms year after year—all because they lack the Christian worldview.

Such a worldview is what underlies the vast majority of the environmental movement’s leadership. That’s part of why Christians need to oppose it and present instead the Biblical worldview of godly dominion over the Earth, a dominion by which humanity and the natural world thrive together in a clean, healthful, beautiful world that is the consequence of Biblical stewardship.

Resisting the Green Dragon Viral Videos Begin

Beginning this week, we’ll offer you a link near the beginning of each newsletter to a brief video excerpted from or introducing the Cornwall Alliance’s groundbreaking Resisting the Green Dragon documentary and lecture series. They’ll give you a taste of the series, but they’ll also give you an opportunity to introduce others to it. We invite you to post the links to your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages, or to your blog. With God’s blessing on this effort, we could reach hundreds of thousands, even millions of people as the videos begin to go viral online.

This week’s clip features Christian radio talk show host Janet Parshall, who narrates the Resisting the Green Dragon introductory documentary, introducing the theme: “Radical Environmentalism: The Time Is Now to Stand and Resist.”

Radical Environmentalism: The Time Is Now to Stand and Resist

Save the Date: Sixth International Conference on Climate Change

"Restoring the Scientific Method" is the title of the Sixth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC-6). Sponsored by the Heartland Institute. It will take place in Washington, DC, from breakfast Thursday, June 30, to noon Friday, July 1, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. This event will be more modest than in the past, yet as informative and, perhaps, even more challenging to the orthodoxy. Cornwall Alliance is a co-sponsor of the conference..

Recent Significant Developments

Science & Ecology

Human-Induced Climate Changes: Why I am Skeptical (Ian Plimer)
From the author of the outstanding book Heaven and Earth: Global Warming the Missing Science comes this very brief but powerful summary of basic scientific reasons to be skeptical about human-induced global climate change.

Regulation Cannot Control Malignant Melanoma (Fred Singer; The Independent Institute)
"Malignant melanoma is the most-feared type of skin cancer and has been discussed widely in the (non-medical) scientific literature dealing with the stratospheric ozone layer. It turns out, however, that melanoma may have nothing to do with the alleged depletion of the ozone layer or with the Antarctic Ozone Hole (AOH). Melanoma shows distinct differences from the more common and less dangerous forms of skin cancer, Basal-cell and Squamous-cell carcinomas. As a consequence, EPA regulations can do little to stem the growing incidence of this malignant skin cancer—even though EPA regularly (mis)uses 'lives saved from melanoma' in the benefit-cost data it presents to Congress."

Economics & Energy

Everything You've Heard about Fossil Fuels May be Wrong (Michael Lind; Salon.com)
“The arguments for converting the U.S. economy to wind, solar and biomass energy have collapsed. The date of depletion of fossil fuels has been pushed back into the future by centuries -- or millennia. The abundance and geographic diversity of fossil fuels made possible by technology in time will reduce the dependence of the U.S. on particular foreign energy exporters, eliminating the national security argument for renewable energy. And if the worst-case scenarios for climate change were plausible, then the most effective way to avert catastrophic global warming would be the rapid expansion of nuclear power, not over-complicated schemes worthy of Rube Goldberg or Wile E. Coyote to carpet the world’s deserts and prairies with solar panels and wind farms that would provide only intermittent energy from weak and diffuse sources.”

The "Tar Sands" Campaign and the Suppression of North America's Energy Potential (William Walter Kay; Environmentalism is Fascism)
Environmentalism is attacking Alberta’s oil sands industry. Their “Tar Sands” campaign is best understood when placed within the grand crusade to suppress North America’s energy potential.

Religion & Ethics

Twisted Scripture and Science (Paul Chesser; The American Spectator)
This is an expanded critique (compared with one we linked May 25) of the substance of evangelical environmental organization Flourish’s developing “Caretakers of Creation” statement and the modus operandi behind its development. Lively discussion follows in the comments section, including a response from Flourish leader Rusty Pritchard.--ECB

Pagan Fundamentalism - Explained Christians should think about resource conservation and pollution mitigation; it is, after all, Christian to exercise careful Biblical dominion over the entire Creation that God has bequeathed to mankind. But the environmental movement, which James Wanliss calls the Green Dragon, offers instead a worldview, theology, and ethics fundamentally opposed to the Bible. Here Wanliss exposes the ancient and profoundly anti-Christian outlook of Dark Green Religion

Law, Regulation, & Litigation

Market Should Drive Fuel Economy (Marlo Lewis; NationalJournal.com)
“The market should drive fuel economy. Government should cease and desist with all deliberate speed. And if we’re stuck with fuel economy regulation for the time being, then one agency should do it – under congressional supervision – not three agencies making it up as they go. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program is a case study in unintended consequences. … A 2002 National Research Council study (p. 26) estimates that in a typical year (1993), CAFE contributed to 1,300-2,600 additional auto fatalities and ten times as many serious injuries.”

Politics & Debate

The New Military War Against Climate Change (Larry Bell; Forbes)
“Our country’s Air Force (that is, the U.S. Government) is saving about $1 million a year because the same U.S. Government is providing many tens of millions of dollars in tax incentives, in combination with generous contributions in the form of higher electricity prices charged to Nevada customers. Just think of all the money the government is saving us! But caution: don’t attempt this stunt at home.”

Don't Look Behind the Green Curtain (James Taylor; The Washington Times)
“Global warming alarmists are throwing a temper tantrum this week after a Virginia judge affirmed that scientists who receive public funds to study global warming are subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding their taxpayer-funded research. The alarmists’ outrage at being required to divulge and justify the data and theories that lead to their predictions of doom and gloom stands in stark contrast to the often-vilified skeptics who welcome scientific transparency with open arms.” Related Item: A Hypocritical Response to U-VA Records Request.

Christie's Carbon Awakening (The Wall Street Journal)
“How politically unpopular is cap-and-trade policy? So much that Governor Chris Christie announced late last week that he's pulling New Jersey out of the 10 state Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which was designed to create a trading auction for the right to emit carbon dioxide. … Mr. Christie's decision in a state with a powerful green lobby shows that politicians are learning that imposing a unilateral tax on businesses is no way to create a prosperous economy, balance a budget or even do anything about global warming. Its main effect is to drive jobs to economic rivals—and bravo to Mr. Christie for doing something about it.”

Meet the Critics: Madhav L. Khandekar, Ph.D.

Landmark Documents from the Cornwall Alliance

E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D., Founder and National Spokesman
Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

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