The Green Monster

Sorry to disappoint you who came here looking for a post on the great wall in left field at Boston's Fenway Park (although I'd love to right one someday!). Today I'm sharing a thought about the "Going Green" initiatives that we have in our country. I don't like to be overly political but today I felt compelled to write about this.

Last night, as my wife and I were watching one of our favorite TV programs when we saw a "The More You Know" public service announcement that featured a woman from one of my favorite childhood TV shows, "Saved by the Bell." What did she have to tell us? "The next time you have a date with your special someone, have it by candlelight & turn off all the lights. Then, go for a walk instead of a drive." And with that, we saw the flash of "The More You Know" star, appropriately all green in color, & the jingle. I kept thinking, "Did she drive to the taping of this service announcement?" In addition to this, every time the show returned from commercial we were greeted with a small green message on the bottom left part of the screen followed by the network logo all green. Some of the messages include unplugging unused electronics, buying local, & consuming organic foods.

You can see more of what they are up to here: greenisuniversal.com

Have you ever noticed these things before?

The Green movement has the backing of celebrities, political parties (there is literally a Green Party), & even the Disney Channel! What could be wrong with this?

Well, nothing really. Except for the fact that I have a hard time seeing what real good I will do in the world as a whole by taking a walk instead of a drive & eating by candlelight verses regular light (except for saving on gas & the electric bill; on second thought, I may be going green myself!).

I'm not wanting to advocate wastefulness or oppose pursuing all clean energy initiatives that can make our world a better place. I think there are some thoughtful approaches. But sometimes I can't help but be a little bit frustrated that huge TV companies will spend millions because they would rather have me recycle my cardboard & plastic milk jugs than protect the lives of the unborn. And that's just one of many, many issues that I think are of greater importance. That to me is out of balance (understatement of the century!).

The Bible teaches that this world is falling apart. We are not meant to stay here forever. Romans 8 says that the whole creation is groaning with expectation of being redeemed & restored. The fall has broken this place and us for that matter. That's why the Bible talks about Jesus one day creating a new heaven & a new earth. This place is not meant to last forever. Should we do our best to prolong it's life? Sure. I can't see anything wrong with putting a little red container out with plastic and paper inside of it instead of throwing it away in a landfill. But should we spend millions on initiatives to clean up a place that will ultimately fall apart when we could be investing resources in much more urgent work? I can't bring myself to say yes. Would your company approve a multi-million dollar initiative to clean up & restore a building that is condemned & destined to collapse in the coming years? To me, it's like putting a new door on a condemned building. Or, a new roof on a house with extensive water damage.

I know that I'm looking at this from a biblical, Christian worldview & that makes me a bit biased but I've also been out of the country. I've been to some third world countries that place their trash anywhere & everywhere. I've seen EVERY vehicle emit black smoke wondering the whole time, "Do they have catalytic converters here?" Most of the world is undeveloped & would be considered "Third World." Most of the world is concerned about feeding their family and finding clean water. Most of the world is trying to fight off sickness that we could just get a shot for if contracted. Most of the world is not the United States. And I feel we would do well to consider what initiatives we should pour our resources into that could really help PEOPLE and not try to emphasize helping the PLANET as much. The planet is fading, people are eternal. This place is headed toward an overhaul by the Son of God but not every person has that in their future.

How can we invest our passions, resources, time, & creativity toward making this place better for eternity's sake? Instead of going green, let's go eternal.