Now that I have your attention… take a deep breath, relax, maybe go for a short walk or make yourself a cup of herbal tea, this isn’t going to be as divisive or political a blog as the title might suggest. As part of the race appointed to rule over nature we have a God given responsibility to be good stewards of this planet we call home (in case you are unsure if you are a member of the ruling race, looking at my picture won’t help; God gave the human race authority to rule over creation Genesis 1:28-30 (NIV)). Other than the climate change thing and bringing up race, how am I doing at avoiding controversial topics so far? 

The same one who gave us the authority to rule over all creation has the authority to control all creation. From your weather man, sorry weather human, sorry weather person, great now I have brought up gender or biology or identity and race and climate change (is anyone still reading or have I offended everyone) to scientists to politicians and everyday people like me I think there is something we have forgotten, God still is in control. Great, now I’ve offended the atheists.

I turn on my TV, I check my weather app, I dig deep into web pages…

…I see lots of information on the weather that will be upon us in the coming day or two and even more information on the climate that will dominate the world in the coming decade or two. I have come to one conclusion, if we can’t predict the weather changes that are right around the corner correctly we probably aren’t so good at predicting the climate changes that are further in the future. Before some of you stop reading this blog, I am not saying we don’t have a problem with mistreating our environment. I am not suggesting that we have accepted our God appointed ruler position with the same passion and love for creation as the one who created it. I am just saying that we seem so sure on one side that we know what is going to happen and on the other side we know what will not happen twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, years from now even though we can’t even figure out whether the weather means we should wear a parka or shorts three days from now.

For those of you who are smarter than me…

… you have probably already yelled at your device, “stop confusing weather and climate!” Point taken, they are not the same. Before you get too excited about correcting me; they are both science based predictions of the future intensity of temperatures and storm systems. One says buy a dependable, Mother Nature friendly, electric vehicle so the future will be brighter. The other says Mother Nature isn’t going to be very friendly and the future is going to get very dark, don’t count on electric anything during next week’s storm. Oops I did it again, I talked about weather and climate as if they were the same thing.

For those who are still with me…

…let’s not argue over the science. Let’s take a biblical perspective on weather and climate. I know in a polarized society that seeks to bring people together by turning them against each other, this may be hard but I think there is common ground.

It doesn’t matter how much we mistreat our planet. It doesn’t matter how much we try to save it. It doesn’t matter what our scientific predictions say about the weather or the climate. If God is not feared, we will be left trying to control both our weather and our climate without the power and direction of the one who created them. Forget what we have or have not done to the climate. Forget what weather systems are or aren’t heading our way. If we detach creation from the creator, which the modern church and the world has done to some extent with science, we set out to do everything in our power to address both the immediate and long term without the help of the one who holds the future.

Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,  who have eyes but do not see,  who have ears but do not hear: Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good. Jeremiah 5:21-25 (NIV)

If we put God back into His rightful place in our lives and in our churches would we then not take our rightful place in creation? If we took our rightful place in creation would we not seek God for His provision and guidance? If we sought God’s provision and guidance would we not trust Him to bring the weather we need and to provide the instruction we require to treat His creation with the same care that He took when creating it?

I believe in manmade climate change because when man no longer fears God the climate changes.