Monday, April 28, 2014

Does God Oppose Keystone XL Pipeline?

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Jim Wallis, leader of the religious left, says He does.

Wallis, founder and head of the "Sojourners" organization, says God is opposed to putting in the pipeline.

He also hosted a prayer meeting Friday asking God to stop the pipeline.

He says the old hymn "How Great Thou Art" reminds us to consider "all the works thy hands hath made" and the Psalms say, "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork, Day to day pours forth speech and night to night pours forth knowledge."

"Creation," he says, "is a witness to the wonder and awe of God."

I agree---so far.

However, it's concerning how the religious left leader then segues from Truth to deception and begins to claim to be speaking for God in his opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Is Creation a "witness" to God the Creator, or is it something to be "worshipped?"

Is extreme environmentalism, so-called social justice and a demand for a non-biblical immigration policy simply being used as a tool to gather support from well meaning Christians and churches to advance a misguided socialist agenda under the guise of biblical concern?


"Earth Day" was first celebrated in 1970, but has now evolved into "Earth Week" which is the an entire week in which the focus of Easter becomes our relationship to the earth.

Some view earth as "Mother Earth," the source---the mother of all life, in that life evolved from the earth, and that the earth is a living organism.

I don't believe Jim Wallis believes that, but he certainly stands with those who do on the issue of the earth.

And Jim Wallis is undoubtedly the foremost leader of the religious left.

He told his followers that the Apostle Paul wrote about the climate, quoting Romans 8, and how the earth is "groaning" as it waits for its redemption.

Evangelical theologians do not agree with Wallace's use of that Scripture. The death and resurrection of Christ has to do with the redemption of mankind. Revelation teaches that there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Wallis says on Easter Sunday, churches all over the world sang songs of resurrection and renewal and many of those songs "proclaim freedom for 'all' creation---not just for humanity."

He says it's hard to face, "but humanity---image bearers of God---is largely responsible for destroying much of this great witness to God's glory."

"Ninety-seven percent of scientists agree that climate change is happening, humans are primarily responsible, and it will keep getting worse if nothing is done," Wallis says.

I seriously doubt 97% of all scientists buy in to the extremism of the religious and secular left. In fact, the credibility of those scientists advocating for most of the extreme reactions to what they formerly called Global Warming, now known as Climate Change, was greatly damaged when scientists who were doing the research actually distanced themselves from the global warming movement, verifying that much of the data was not being reported accurately because of personal ideologies and the concern over loosing grant money for more research.

This past week he told those who follow him and his ministry through Sojourners, "The impact of carbon pollution mars not only the beauty of God's earth, but affects the flourishing of God's people."

"And," he says, "many of the poorest among us are suffering from food scarcity, drought, flooding and increased diseases caused by climate change."

Which brings me to the reason I am writing this.

Last Friday, Wallis hosted a prayer meeting with what he called a "group of evangelical Christians who are a part of the 'Pray No KXL' group." They meet for the specific purpose of killing the Keystone XL Pipeline.

He says these leaders "are coming to share about why they're joining the fight against the Key Stone XL Pipeline, which would endanger farms and waterways in the Heartland and continue to significantly to climate pollution. These evangelicals will share their witness with us, and allow us to pray for them and bless their work as they speak out on behalf of God's creation."

I think we must ask ourselves if shutting down the Keystone XL is an act of worship to God or at best an act of worship toward His creation?

In the worst case, is it merely a way to advance an ideology, twisting biblical teaching to support that ideology?

Deception is a very real issue, especially in the times in which we live.

To put this issue about the Keystone project in perspective, one must look at the history of Jim Wallace, Tony Campollo and others who advocate for "social justice" and socialism.

Michael Youssef has written an article about this subject titled, "Keep Jesus Out of Your Socialism." In it Youssef addresses the wrong positions taken by Wallis, Campollo and others on the religious left. I strongly recommend you read it.

A few years ago, James Dobson said that the current global warming/climate change controversy wrongly shifts "the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children."

Jim Wallis reacted strongly and negatively toward Dobson's remarks. I'll be talking more about that on the radio today live at 9 AM PDT and rebroadcast at 7:30 PM PDT. Please join me from anywhere in the world. Here's how.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Informed. Be Prayerful. Be Alert. Be Blessed.