Saving Souls And Saving The World

We are presently faced with a number of possible bad scenarios. I recommend a two-pronged approach. Save as many souls as you can by preaching Jesus, and do whatever is in our power to prevent threats that do not come from God.

Augustine said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” That is what we are obligated to do here. We have to do what we can to convince God to avert apocalyptic situations. And we also have to do what we can to prevent apocalyptic, catastrophic or seriously bad scenarios that do not come from God.

In short, we need to save both souls and bodies. We need to bring people to God; we also need to save the planet and avoid things like epidemics and wars. And we are also required to both abide by the Biblical teachings and respect scientific knowledge, so that we are doing what is both morally rightful and informed.

This then becomes the true definition of responsibility: Action that is both morally rightful and informed. Without moral values, people do wrong things. Without knowledge, people likewise do wrong things that they consider to be right but that aren't. They do such things as poisoning the oceans and the atmosphere and think that they are behaving responsibly. They aren't. Responsibility requires both values and knowledge; then one knows what is the right thing to do and does it.

The Bible provides a values framework within which to work. Science provides knowledge. The outcome of understanding both is action that is both righteous and informed. We recognize manmade problems such as global warming, and we convert to better technologies. We practice accountability and demand the same of our leaders. We do things such as building bases on Mars, so that if anything happens to the Earth a part of us survives.

Now there is a lot of hostility between the science-minded and the religious; but there have been many brilliant people in Christianity, and there have been many highly ethical people in science. My mathematics teacher was saying that there is no contradiction between Christianity and science. Quoting Augustine again, “Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.” And as a former atheist who had many experiences with less than a billionth chance of happening whose only possible explanations are religious or spiritual, I say with full certainty that there is absolutely nothing stupid or illogical about religion.

As for science, while there are many people who see academics as a bunch of clueless, immoral, effete intellectuals with no common sense, their whole lifestyle is based on science. Without science they would not have their trucks or their phones or their TVs. And denying scientific fact does not begin to qualify as Christian values. Neither ignorance nor dishonesty are righteous, and a true Christian would call these people on their sin.

I seek to apply here what I call the positive middle path. I seek to apply both the Bible and science. The Bible provides moral guidance; science provides factual guidance. Put together what the two are right about, and we get action that is both morally rightful and informed.

Among the conservatives, the attitude I've encountered is "be good and do well." Among the liberals, the attitude I've encountered is "do good and be well." Put what the two are right about together, and get "be good and do good."

This is what we need to apply toward solving the world's problems. This would solve problems that are both manmade and natural. As for the problems of God, maybe us being good enough would convince Him to avert Armageddon. The solution is “Be good, and do good.” And it is with this attitude that we may actually face the challenges that we face.