Flourish: The Connector for the Creation Care Movement?

This week, Cross Pointe Church hosted the first annual Flourish Conference. As a small part of the Flourish staff, I can tell you that the conference exceeded our expectations in many ways. First, our speaker list was amazing: Joel Hunter, Margaret Feinberg, Gabe Lyons, Matthew Sleeth, and Andy Crouch to name a few. Second, the community being built was unprecedented. People were connecting with others to share ideas and partner on projects. Individuals who have felt alone on these issues were comforted that there are others like them out there. Finally, the coverage of the event was great. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Baptist Press, and others had great things to say. My favorite post was from Christianity Today who called Flourish "Creation Care Without the Baggage." I couldn't agree more.

Flourish seems to be becoming what Malcolm Gladwell calls a "connector." This movement is in desperate need of a connector--an organization that can bring together like-minded people from various social, cultural, professional, and economic circles who might not otherwise meet. This facilitates conversations and partnerships that might not otherwise occur and can push a movement into the mainstream. Our hope is that we can do this for the creation care community. Our goal is not to promote Flourish, but to promote great people and organizations who are living out creation care principles all across the country.

We had several organizations at Flourish that we showcased during the conference. This week, I will be profiling one each day. Look for the first post tomorrow.

Hello, My Name is Environmental Pinhead

My holiday season began with three disappointments. First, I went to see the new Vince Vaughn flick, "Four Christmases," and found it to be thoroughly devoid of both humor and holiday cheer. Second, I received a review copy of "Searching for a Better God" and finished the last chapter still wondering what was wrong with our current God and completely convinced that the author didn't know of a better one. Finally, I caught wind of Richard Land's attack on climate science and pro-active environmentalism on his radio program. As a recent article published by EthicsDaily.com (a website and organization for which I have few affections), "Baptist Leader Misstates Environmental Data," has pointed out, Land recently spent his show ranting about how the globe is actually getting cooler, not warmer, and called those who disagree with him "environmental pinheads" and "environmental loons."

Now, I don't mind anyone attacking a particular position with which they disagree. Unless this is your first visit to my blog, you know I do it often myself. What irks me is when people launch an attack with such ferocity and vitriol that their breath could melt steel when they haven't done their homework. As this article points out, Land was quoting data form a Washington Times article referring the United States, NOT the globe. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center, 2008 has been the 9th hottest year GLOBALLY on record.

Following Land's radio spot, I was interviewed by the Associated Baptist Press for a story entitled, "Studies Show Rise in Greenhouse Gases in 2007," in which I noted that people who selectively quote data to support a contrarian view are driven more by an ideology than a theology. When viewed theologically, our decisions should always err on the side of love rather than greed in any matter, environmental or otherwise.

"Regardless of one's stance on climate change," I said in the ABP article. "Everyone can agree that pumping record levels of gas into our atmosphere isn't a good idea and certainly wouldn't be consistent with an idea of stewardship."

I have said many times before that I am not convinced of all the claims of climate scientists. I can't even understand some of what they say. But in the face of conflicting evidence on ethical issues, Christians must always act prudently. Prudence, in my mind, means gathering all the facts before making strong claims and doing one's best not to stoop to name calling. 

Thoughts?