Rick Prosser has a passion for serving his community. He shares his experience of what has been accomplished in Newcastle (about 100 miles/160 km north of Sydney, Australia). Rick says, start with what God has given you but then step out confident the Holy Spirit will guide your steps. Know your city, its structure. Be courageous, Rick’s first contact was with the Mayor and despite the fact he was not a Christian look at what Rick achieved through working with him. It is a 24 minute video but I hope it will challenge you to think more about what you and your church group can do to serve your city which will make more disciples for Christ.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH CHURCH
A major issue afflicting the Church is the “clergy-laity mentality.” It is a pervasive mindset where the paid clergy leads the church and they are called “pastors.” They do most of the ministry work and laypeople serve the ministry of that pastor.
The Apostle Paul writes that the Church, the household of God, is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.” Ephesians 2:20
Paul continues that the Lord gave fivefold offices for the edification of the Church, specifically
“apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12
All five of these gifts are needed and on a broad-based level, you need the apostles and prophets working together, hearing from God together. To use military terminology: apostles [are] the generals. The prophets being the seers, they’re the ones getting the intel [from God],
For a local church, there needs to be impartation from all those gifts, equipping from all those offices to equip people to minister to those who are not part of the Church, not just to minister to each other. The apostles are the builders, the church-planters, those who are trainers and equippers. And the prophetic is to come alongside them to help guide and speak to that — what is the Lord saying right now in the present. All five offices are needed to work together so that the Church can hear the full counsel of God.
Unfortunately, the institutional church came up with the model of training one man, then one man or woman and now transgender as well to be the pastor/leader of the church. This model is not Biblical and is in fact the apostate church Jesus (Matthew 24:12) and Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 ) spoke of as one of the “end times” signs. It has no understanding of the fivefold gifts working together to see each and every believer functioning and bringing the Kingdom into their workplace, in the marketplace, into their school, then a greater expression of Jesus is manifested in society. What is needed is small-a apostles?
Larry Kreider of DOVE International — an interdenominational global family of churches and ministries on six continents believes that an apostolically inclined small-a apostle is motivated by and is thinking on a macro, big-picture level, and wants to see the Kingdom of God extend across their city, state, region, nation and world. As with any other spiritual gift and vocations, this gifting is to be called out and affirmed by others in the Body of Christ. To function in these gifts, one needs to see the gifting’s in others, It’s not just someone who prophesies or carries a prophetic gift, but someone who trains up and pours into others so they can mature spiritually.
This is truly the church as described in the Book of Acts and will be the church that overcomes during the tribulation in the last days before Jesus returns “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor will never be harmed by the second death.” Revelation 2:10-11
KING JESUS REIGNS ON THIS EARTH
Is Jesus enthroned in your life? Is allegiance to King Jesus central to your life? If not, then it is unlikely you will rule and reign with Jesus in His Millennial Kingdom.
An important and neglected part of the Gospel Message is Jesus return to this earth to fulfill the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants and the prophecies of the O.T. prophets that has Israel’s Messiah ruling and reigning over all the nations of the earth from a totally renovated/restructured Jerusalem. How many pastors are talking about the need for Christians to prepare now to rule and reign with Jesus on this earth.
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10
“Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
Moreover, Jesus and the Saints will need to rule with a rod of iron even though we are told Satan is bound for one thousand years . The curse has not been lifted off this earth. This earth still has one thousand years of existence in its fallen state before it is finally destroyed with fire. Jesus will rule and reign on this earth for one thousand years and then the unthinkable happens Satan is released and he gathers an enormous army from those who are living under the reign of King Jesus and His Saints to come against them. It is not a battle, fire comes down from heaven and destroys them. Even with Jesus and the Saints ruling on this earth in what must seem like paradise in comparison to today people will still rebel against God reigning over them just as Satan and one third of the angels did.
This earth and heaven is then destroyed and what follows is the second resurrection of the dead, the White Throne Judgement and only then a New Heaven and Earth where sin/rebellion is no more along with no more pain, suffering and death.
Ruling with a rod of iron in Jesus Millennial Kingdom
“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.” Revelation 2:27
“From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 19:15-18
What will life be like in the Millennial Kingdom? Does God reveal in His Word what it will be like? Yes He does, and I will be revealing much of it on this website as I believe this is what God has called me to do with the final years He has allocated for me on His Earth. I am presently working on a new website http://www.millennialkingdom.net where House Church leaders in particular will be able to access PowerPoint sermons and videos on the Millennial Kingdom.
To encourage you to search God’s Word for information on the Millennial reign of Jesus on this earth, we will take a look at what the Scriptures say about the new Jerusalem. Did you know the entire world will be restructured when the wrath of God is poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements? Did you know that the new Jerusalem will be on the highest mountain in the world?
“The cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” Revelation 16:19-20
“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,” Isaiah 2:2
“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it,” Micah 4:1
The mountain’s great height emphasizes Jerusalem as the centre of world authority, for all the nations will flow to it.
The millennial Jerusalem is nine times larger than the current city.
Jerusalem – A new city, A new name – The Lord is There, A new Temple
The temple is located outside the city, in the northern section of the sacred land given to the priests and it alone is bigger than the current city of Jerusalem.
The millennial Jerusalem sits on the highest plateau and has two rivers flowing out of its east and west sides. A totally new construct.
The land surrounding Jerusalem will have been transformed into a plain. It will run from Geba in the north to Rimmon in the South. The plain will contrast with the then highly lifted Jerusalem. (Zechariah 14:10)
Geba and Rimmon/Beersheba marking respectively the northern and southern limits of Millennial Israel. (2 Kings 23:8)
I hope the above has encouraged you to do your own research: Isaiah and Ezekiel are replete with information on the Millennial Kingdom. You will note that I have quoted from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Revelation Zechariah and 2 Kings in the above post. I will be posting more on the Millennial Kingdom in the months ahead as the “end times” prophesied events continue to play out.
PRAYER AFTER WINNING NRL GRAND FINAL
Penrith Panthers Christian teammates including Brian To’o, Jerome Luai and Stephen Crichton – who caught a game-changing intercept – form a circle on the field, bowing their heads to give thanks to God for their exciting premiership win in the National Rugby League (NRL) Grand Final.
As Eternity reported last week, the trio grew up playing together in the west of Sydney and sharing their Christian faith. Crichton’s father, Va’a Crichton, is the pastor of their church, Rooty Hill Assemblies of God.
“It’s so great to see not just boys from our area playing great footy, but those same boys setting a great example for young people. We are believing for the best on and off the field for the boys!” said Sam, a youth pastor in the local Penrith area.
Moments after the final siren, To’o went over to his partner Moesha Crichton-Ropati in the crowd and proposed to her on one knee. The State of Origin star had another cause to celebrate when a surprised Moesha said yes.
“First of all, I want to give all the glory to God, what a year it’s been for not only myself but for my community as well,” To’o told the Nine Network.
“I want to thank my beautiful partner for saying yes and also for the boys for getting us the win. I’m just grateful to be here and so lucky.
“I’m really speechless, not only because of the year I’ve had with Origin but also now to finish the year with a ring.
“It’s a special moment to have with not only my partner but my family in lockdown as well. I’m really happy.”
To’o has always been open about his Christian faith with the media, even opening up about his practices of studying the Bible, prayer and fasting.
Last year, he told an AAP reporter that he fasts for seven hours at the start of every day – abstaining from all food and all drinks, except water – even when he has training.
It is important as more young people believe belief in God is foolish and Christian morality hateful that Christians courageously acknowledge God publicly as these men have done in front of millions.
KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT UPDATE
REPORT FROM PASTOR CHARLES LEADER OF THE KHC MOVEMENT
Hi, Ron. I’m very much thankful for your support of Pastor Alfred. Plans are underway with KHC leaders to give Alfred’s mother a worthy burial service. I will be meeting with KHC leaders at Alfred’s parents home on Saturday for the final touches ahead of the burial on 19th. And in front of KHC leaders, I will hand over the money you sent to Alfred.
In regards to transfer of funds, our position which I believe is also yours, firmly remains that all funds for KHC are to be channelled to me here. KHC will not be responsible for any misuse of funds directed to any person working outside of the KHC movement.
With guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are trying to ensure that any money sent to do the work of God is used wisely.
We do still have a lot to be done here. And you will remember the uncompleted projects like computer for Zoom meetings, printing machine for daily LEN teachings. Upcoming KHC mission trips will also require funds.
I am working on the report of our last mission trip which I will put together with the upcoming burial of Alfred’s mother for submission to you.
KHC – NEXT MISSION TRIP:
KHC team will be planting a new house church at LONDIANI within Kericho county, several kilometres away from Migori region. There is a great need for the people in that small town to hear the Gospel, and after our long prayers the Holy spirit is directing us to step into that place with the Gospel on November 2nd – 9th, 2021
The connection to visit the place came from two brothers after they had attended our teachings at Ogembo house church in Kisii region.
More about our trip and request for funds will be made known to you on Saturday after the KHC leaders meeting.
If you would like to join with me in supporting the Kenya House Church Movement I have a DONATE icon on the Home Page where you can do so.
EMAIL FROM PASTOR ALFRED
Praying for your good health and peace. A successful final send off of my late mother was conducted today at my parent’s home. The burial which was presided over by Pastor Charles, KHC leaders and nearly all the house church believers in our region were present. I’m very much thankful to you all, and to all those who contributed their finances to help me with the hospital bill plus other expenses for the burial. Your prayers and encouragement also played a big role in the life and family of my deceased mother. She was a believer and I believe she has gone to rest with the Lord.
Thank you ALL.
These are pictures taken during the burial.
EGYPTIAN STORIES REVEAL NOAH’S FLOOD
Noah and His Family in Egyptian Myths
The Bible refers to Egypt as Mizraim, Ham’s son (Noah’s grandson) and it is extremely likely that Mizraim founded Egypt after the dispersion at Babel.
There are three main flood stories that emerged in Egypt from Heliopolis, Memphis, and Hermopolis. The similarities between these stories are that they all feature a primordial ocean, a primeval hill, and a deification of nature. The story from Heliopolis features a group of nine gods. It speaks of Atum, the creator god and the Ogdoad, the eight gods on the boat. The Hermopolis story features the Ogdoad, a group of eight gods. Could these represent the eight people who survived the flood? According to the story from Memphis, Ptah created by conceiving in his mind what should be created and speaking it into being. This seems strikingly similar to the biblical account of God speaking creation into existence.
The eight gods, known as the Ogdoad, consisted of four males and their female consorts: Nun and Naunet, Amun and Amunet, Keku and Kauket, and Hehu and Hauhet.
The names “Noah” and “Nun” have the same meaning, and speak of quiet, tranquil abiding. Noah is associated with the Flood, while Nun is associated with primeval waters. It seems likely therefore that the Egytpian god Nun is based on a memory of biblical Noah.
The word “Amun”, which represents the next god in the Egyptian Ogdoad, means hidden-of-name, heaven, or sun. This range of meaning overlaps significantly with that of Shem’s name. The name “Shem” means name, representation, or glory. Additionally, Amun is associated with a flood. Therefore, Amun may represent Shem.
“Japheth” means spacious, wide open, youthful, and open-minded. “Heh”, the next god in the Ogdoad, has a name meaning great numbers, searching, and treading. While these meanings are not an exact match, they overlap to some extent. Heh is associated with inundation water, and may represent Japheth.
The name “Ham” means hot, black, noise, or troubled. “Kek”, the final god in the Ogdoad, means darkness, flood water, or twilight. These similarities suggest that Kek represents Ham. Additionally, Kek is also known as Horus, therefore Ham = Kek = Horus.
Importantly, the family structure of Noah’s family and that of the Ogdoad is identical, since Nun and Naunet were the parents/creators of the other three male gods and their female consorts.
Considering the long ages of Noah and his sons. Shem outlived Abraham and the fact all knowledge and prior history came from these eight survivors of the flood, it is conceivable they would be considered as Gods and the flood story would be passed down through the generations.
Further evidence that Noah’s Worldwide Flood was a recent (approx. 4300 years ago) and real event when God judged the world and destroyed all of mankind save the eight people on the Ark. Dead things (fossils) buried all over the world including fossil fuels is evidence that is hard to explain away but this historical evidence of the Ogdoad is solid confirmation.
LITTLE DISCIPLINE, LITTLE COURAGE – COURAGE IS CAUGHT MORE THAN TAUGHT
The situation in 2 Chronicles 15:5-7 seems eerily similar to our situation today: “In those times there was no peace … but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. King Jehoshaphat was King of Judah at the time.
One key principle we learn from King Jehoshaphat is that he prepared his heart to seek God (2 Chronicles 19:3). Build courage by strengthening yourself in the Lord … by spending time reading and obeying His Word, as well as praying, fasting, and worshiping.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving – Enter His courts with praise – Enter His presence with worship
We play like we practice. Or said another way, we fight like we prepare. Courage is the outflow of inner disciplines — little discipline, little courage.
If we take our focus off of Christ, we can easily become discouraged. Jehoshaphat said, “But our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). He knew that focused attention is critical in battle.
“Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.“ 2 Chronicles 20:12
Why would you walk willingly into the enemy’s camp? Why would you feed wrong desires and thoughts when they do nothing but war against the soul? If you’re losing the battle and becoming discouraged, look at your media diet. Is it instilling courage? If not, refocus your sights on Christ.
God’s battle plan always involves courage: “Act courageous and the Lord will be with you” (2 Chronicles 19:11). Courage is important because it’s undergirded by trust and faith. In essence, we are saying, “Lord, I trust You so I’m going to step out in faith. I’m not going to fear. What can man do to me?” Courage meets fear with faith.
We see an incredible event happen in 2 Chronicles 20:22:
“When they began to sing and praise the Lord,” God defeated the enemy. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons.“
Exchange social media binges with worship marathons. Turn to prayer, worship, and the Word, rather than Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. We cannot fill our minds with the world and expect to develop courage. We cannot fill our minds with darkness and expect the light of Christ to shine in our lives.
The Lord tells us to stand firm — don’t go backward and don’t run ahead in your own strength — but hold the line through obedience, trust, faith, and courage: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (Exodus 14:13).
When difficulties come, let your children see you praying and seeking God rather than being upset or frightened. Our children are watching. If we are angry or scared, we’re subtly telling them, “God can’t get us through this; we can’t really trust Him.” Courage is caught more than taught.
When we worship and walk in obedience, God fights for us, but when we stray, we become easy prey. Repentance and obedience reposition you back in the centre of God’s will … back to victory. Cowardliness and disobedience cost us far more than we realize.
Seeking God with our hearts must be a price we are willing to pay. Are you? It all begins here.
What made these O.T. prophets so bold? How was God’s Word burning in their hearts? It was because the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them with boldness as they surrendered their entire life to God. You have the Holy Spirit but full surrender is the key ingredient that most Christians are missing. Are rivers of living water flowing out of you — are you spiritually alive? The more you seek Him the more you find Him: “He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:16).
Extracted from an article by Shane Idleman, The Battle for Courage – A Hill to Die On. The Christian Post.
PROPHESIED END TIMES SIGNS
When the Holy Spirit inspired John to write in Revelation about the mark of the Beast (Antichrist), that he will force all who live on the earth to take this mark otherwise they cannot buy or sell, John must have wondered how this would be done. Almost two thousand years later the technology is in use today with microchips being inserted into peoples hands so they can buy and sell just by waving their hand over a digital reader.
“Also it (Antichrist) causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Revelation 13:16-17
Technology is changing fast, Amazon recently announced it’s rolling out its “Just Walk Out” cashier-less technology across its Whole Foods Stores.
This innovation is being driven by Amazon’s palm-scanning technology, which allows users to scan their palm and register it with their Amazon account. The technology analyzes the shape and size of the hand, and it can “see” the veins inside. This creates a biometric identifier exclusive to each member.
The rollout will enable consumers to walk into Whole Foods, scan their palms or a bar code on their phones, load up their carts with groceries, and then leave the store. When they walk out, their Amazon account will automatically be charged for the products they took with them.
Here is what the completely contactless palm scanner looks like:
Whole Foods Palm Scanner
To have a completely cashier-less space, cameras throughout the store powered by artificial intelligence and computer vision (CV) track every product consumers take from the shelves.
There will be up-front costs for installing this technology. However, in the long run this will drastically reduce labor expenses for Whole Foods stores.
After perfecting this technology, it makes sense for Amazon to begin licensing this technology for other stores to use. Checkout lines are nearly a thing of the past.
And for Amazon, all three of these items will not only make shopping quicker, they will allow the company to collect more data on all users. And that will enable Amazon to more effectively target ads to users… and make more sales.
For me apostasy in the church, which is compromising with the world, discarding God’s Word and His values, is the “end times” sign that is both stark and sad. They should take to heart the warning given in Hebrews>
“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” Hebrews 6:4-6
IRAN-THE RAM OF DANIEL 8
Iran has “six armies outside its borders that work for it,” a senior Iranian general said in an interview to the Iranian Mehr Agency earlier this week, leading the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement to issue a statement correcting his comments, Arab media reported.
Iranian Maj.-Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, a prominent commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said that Qasem Soleimani, who led the IRGC up until his assasination by U.S. forces in January last year, had established six organized militias operating outside of Iran’s borders.
According to Rashid, these include Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi movement in Yemen, Hashd al-Sha’bi in Iraq, Iranian militias in Syria, as well, Iran has inserted itself “into the Syrian army’s nervous system – its chain of command – and into the everyday lives of the local population,” Israeli commentator Ehud Yaari said. Finally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas in Gaza.
“I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam (Iran). And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram (Iran) standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:2-4
“Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia (now Iran)…” Daniel 8:20
We need to watch for the next part of Daniel 8’s prophecy to be fulfilled. Sunni Turkey (Goat) will not tolerate Shia Iran claiming leadership of the Muslim middle east. Turkey (previously controlled the powerful Ottoman Empire) considers itself the leader of the Muslim world. Daniel’s prophecy predicts Turkey defeating Iran in what is described as a savage encounter but then we are told Turkey’s bid to re-establish a neo Ottoman Empire is short lived. We are not told who comes against Turkey, possibly a coalition of western nations that do not want to see a revived Ottoman Empire. Russia for one would not want to see a revived Ottoman Empire challenge its dominance in the region. We are told that it is broken up into four nations/kingdoms and it is out of these that the Little Horn (Antichrist) emerges.
Turkey’s attempt to re-establish a neo Ottoman Empire
“The goat (Turkey) had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came toward the two-horned ram (Iran) I had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. I saw him approaching the ram, and infuriated with him, he struck the ram, shattering his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him... Then the male goat became very great, but when he became powerful, the large horn was shattered. Four conspicuous horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of heaven.” Daniel 8:6-8
The Antichrist (little horn) arrives on the scene and is allowed to dominate the world for an allotted time, three and half years.
“From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. It grew as high as the heavenly host, made some of the stars and some of the host fall to the earth, and trampled them. It made itself great, even up to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. Because of rebellion, a host, together with the daily sacrifice, will be given over. The horn will throw truth to the ground and will be successful in whatever it does.” Daniel 8:9-12
Ezekiel 38 also links the Antichrist (Gog) to modern Turkey (and/or its immediately surrounding vicinity). Ezekiel singles out all Islamic nations in the Middle East and North Africa as comprising the vanguard of Gog’s invasion force during the Great Tribulation.
CLIMATE CHANGE FROM A GODLY PERSPECTIVE
Western values are foundationally derived from Christianity, but an increasingly secular, humanistic society has lost sight of its roots. One outcome of this is that we are witnessing the development of a form of environmentalism that is disinterested in evaluating and meeting the needs of ordinary people.
One prime example of this post-Christian thinking in relation to climate change is UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He appealed to the UN General Assembly (22 September 2021) to argue for dramatic changes to global policy in use of carbon-based fuels. In his speech he undermined a basic Christian doctrine relating to the status and rights of mankind. He further appealed to the evolutionary tenets of naturalism, the Greek gods, and the ability of mankind to “save ourselves”
Boris Johnson started his speech by invoking millions of years, and that mankind is a relative latecomer, having been around for less than one million years:
“An inspection of the fossil record over the last 178 million years – since mammals first appeared – reveals that the average mammalian species exists for about a million years before it evolves into something else or vanishes into extinction. Of our allotted lifespan of a million, humanity has been around for about 200,000.”1
It is interesting, but somewhat bewildering, that Johnson should reference a period from the Jurassic, in which, he suggests, naturalistic science places the first appearance of mammals. The irony is that scientific papers have argued that during this time carbon dioxide levels (CO2) were between 1,000 and 2,000 ppm (parts per million). That is 2.5 to 5 times greater than where they are today, when global average temperatures were supposedly 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher for prolonged periods (Ref 1 & 2 below). If the assumptions of naturalism and deep-time are true, then responsibility for such CO2 levels cannot be placed upon the shoulders of the not-yet-evolved human beings.
With this in mind, we may consider that setting the issue of climate change in the framework of a life and death struggle for the planet, as Johnson and other environmental campaigners do, is bogus. Of course, we can acknowledge that there may be practical problems that arise from a warming climate for humanity. This is applicable for example to permanent dwellings in coastal towns and cities that are subject to flooding (CMI has a comprehensive position paper on Climate Change). But, despite some evidence of more severe weather, improved planning, plus an accurate forecasting and warning capability, has led to a reduction in fatalities from such natural disasters. This was reported by the World Meteorological Organisation.
Boris Johnson fails to deal with the complexity of the environmental issues that arise, and instead resorts to easy sound bites. These undermine a central Christian belief about mankind’s place in the world:
“We still cling with part of our minds to the infantile belief that the world was made for our gratification and pleasure and we combine this narcissism with an assumption of our own immortality. … It is time for humanity to grow up.”
He misrepresents the Judeo-Christian belief that natural resources are a divine gift for humanity, and that people are justified in utilising them out of necessity, albeit not for selfish gratification or pleasure. But he calls this belief “infantile”. Use of natural materials, such as iron, coal, oil, and gas, have brought great benefit to humanity, not least in terms of raising people out of poverty. Even so, we recognise this is not always without negative environmental or health impacts.
This only shows that making decisions about the environment is a complex process. It requires thinking in terms of inter-related systems. That is, thinking about the needs of human communities, businesses, the ecosystem etc., and so balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders and groups. These interested groups are sometimes in competition, or conflict with one another, and their needs do not necessarily align. It cannot be dismissed as an easy task.
And yet, Johnson appears to do so with a childish reference to one of the Muppet characters. He commented; “And when Kermit the frog sang It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green, I want you to know he was wrong.”
If we are to “grow up”, as Johnson states, it must be in terms of recognising the complexity of the issues involved, and bravely facing the truth about the world as it actually is.
Need for good stewardship
Of course, utilisation of natural resources needs to be done responsibly. That is, with concern for social and environmental protection, and without the greedy exploitation of unrestrained capitalism. Mankind has been given dominion over the earth by God (Genesis 1:26), and we should fill our role of stewardship with diligent duty. We must not forget the poor in addressing a problem that may not entirely be the result of humanity in the first place.
In the context of the use of carbon fuels, his statement to the UN General Assembly demonstrates that Prime Minister Johnson is out of touch with the lives of ordinary people. Like many green utopians, who are often the wealthy elite in society, there is a failure to see that access to cheap carbon fuels is necessary. This is especially so for people to travel, cook food, and keep warm in winter. Cheap carbon fuels are not greedily consumed for human “gratification and pleasure”, but are a basic necessity for life. It would be great if renewable energy could supply the basic needs for power, light, and heat, but much of the technology is not there yet in terms of quantity and quality.
With some irony, Johnson delivered his speech at a time when market natural gas prices were rocketing in the UK, and many other countries across the world. This was hitting the pockets of ordinary consumers. In the UK, the cause of this was partly related to government policy to reduce UK carbon emissions. As well-known journalist and author Peter Hitchens has pointed out, “Utopians, as George Orwell demonstrated, prefer their visions to reality or truth.
While ignoring the Judeo-Christian place of mankind in the world, Johnson believes we can save ourselves through science. Along with this, he references the Greek gods. Johnson, who majored in the Classics at Oxford University, has previously expressed knowledge of Scripture and Christian doctrines. But disappointingly on this occasion, his speech effectively idolised the scientific endeavour. It also showed his ignorance of the fact that God is in total control of His universe and the many Biblical prophecies relating to Jesus second coming to earth to rule for 1000 years. Boris stated:
“… it is through our Promethean faith in new green technology that we are cutting emissions in the UK.”1
Prometheus, being the god of forethought, is considered by Johnson to be a suitable allegory, or idol, for the faith we place in science. But we may note that Prometheus was also said to be a ‘supreme trickster’.11 Johnson is convinced it’s the strength of humanity that will get us out of this ‘self-inflicted mess’, and so we can ‘save ourselves’. He commented:
“We are awesome in our power to change things and awesome in our power to save ourselves, and in the next 40 days we must choose what kind of awesome we are going to be.”1
This astounding statement entirely ignores the reality of humanity’s fallen condition, evident by reading any newspaper or newsfeed, as well as taught in Scripture. It is very reminiscent of the Pelagian heresy, which arose in the fifth century in Rome against the Pauline / Augustinian doctrine of grace.12 Pelagianism undermines the effect of the Fall, and holds that mankind can attain perfection through self-effort—without the need for divine grace.
In response to such a skewed worldview, Peter Hitchens commented recently that it is only when “everyone sees what a post-Christian country is really like, they may begin to be interested in the gospels again.”
- Berner, R.A., Kothavala, Z., and GeoCARB III, A revised model of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time, Amer. J. Sci. 301:182–204, 2001. Also: Bergman, N. et al., COPSE: A new model of biogeochemical cycling over Phanerozoic time, American Journal of Science 304:397–437, 2004. Rothman, D.H., Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels for the last 500 million years, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99(7):4167–4171, 2001. Royer, D.L., et al., CO2 as a primary driver of Phanerozoic climate, GSA Today 14(3):4–10, 2004. Return to text.
- Worsley, T.R., Moore, T.L., Fraticelli, C.M., and Scotese, C.R., Phanerozoic, CO2 levels and global temperatures inferred from changing paleogeography, Geol. Soc. of Amer. Special Paper 288, 1994. See also the temperature reconstruction graph by Scotese, C., PALEOMAPproject, scotese.com/climate.htm, 2015.Return to text.
This article is derived from a CMI article “UK Prime Minister addresses Climate Change, but undermines Christian doctrines” by Andrew Sibley http://www.creation.com
