Fear, Complexity, & Environmental Management in the 21st Century

Great article!

I live a couple hours from Yellowstone and have seen the historical data concerning the simplistic mismanagement there. Many today argue and lobby to make the same kinds of simplistic mistakes.

Also very good is the point about how the native Indians managed intrusively before the "white man." We had big fires here in Montana in 2000 and many pulled their hair out over them because millions of acres burned. No one talked about how the nomadic Indians would set fire whenever they left one location to move to the next. Sometimes these fires burned until the snows came, gobbling up millions of acres back then. Of course, many idolize the native cultures here and demonize "white men's" management that logs the forests in ways conducive to their health and maintenance. When that was done properly, the forests were not consumed en masse by fires.

The amount of ignorance and ideological folly in our world is truly astonishing.

Thanks for posting this material,

Tim Martin
www.truthinliving.org

Yes, a brilliant speech. Michael Crichton rules!

It seems apparent to me that what Crichton is describing relative to the environment is entirely descriptive of the movements of theology and what is being debated and discussed on PP. I don't think I'm the only one that has concluded that what is going on in Preterist circles, let alone all the sub-sets of christianity definitely falls under the laws of complexity theory.

Within our ranks there are many (no names needed...everyone knows them)that feel they must control things and keep "theological tragedies" from happening. And, shock of shocks, they do so by fear and smear tactics: "Jack how dare you ask that question?" "Virgil, how dare you allow a universalist to speak?" "PP how dare you go to Emergent's meeting?"

I remember when in the discomfort of our Preterist alienation, we had the comfort of knowing all we had to do was reform the churches of Christ. It was a monumnetal task, but one we could "manage." Yea right...! Then the reformed guys came along and learned and stole our eschatology from us, called us Arminian heretics, then acted like we never existed (Sam excluded).

Needless to say all of us once associated with the Living Presence movement quickly realized we couldn't manage or control what was happening. Speaking personally, I no longer have any desire to "manage" or "control" the progress of eschatolgoical evolution because "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him..."

It is obvious to me as I look to the flow of history and the last 40 years of preteristic development that something way beyond our control is in control. With Paul, I am content to say, "Without doubt, great is the mystery of Godliness..." Do those of us who have waited two thousand years for the church to get it right eschatologically (like that's finished...ha)really believe that entertaining questions about the Emergent movement, universalism, or whether predestination and election were confined to the last days firstfruits believers, will lead to the complete meltdown of God's plan?

I, rather, chose to exercise Abraham's faith: "who contrary to hope, in hope believed..." One thing is painfully, yet thrillingly obvious to me now, God, like this world He created for us, is Amazingly resilient, and is working a plan in our time, that predates our time and goes well beyond our time, that all of our wrestlings with Him and each other to understand cannot mitigate. As well, I see any efforts to stem that tide by fear and exclusion comparable to Crichton's assesment of the modern environmental movement.

The theory of complexity he speaks of is not new. If any group of people should understand it should be those of us who have wrestled with all the facets of covenant eschatology, both theological and sociological. How thankful I am that there is a growing number of people such as those here at PP who recognize the need to stop controlling (i.e. manipulating) the flow of history like some effort at stemming the tide. Nothing is more complex than the flow of God's plan through the ages. And I would propose that nothing is more futile than for any one subset of preterists to think they can dam the flow.

My mental and spiritual posture? How thankful I am to be in the kingdom for such a time as this. I realize that I cannot control the flow of human thought; but what I can do is embrace my time and engage in the converstation (i.e. add my two cents) and add to my personal supply of things that enable me to embrace my Father ever more tightly, the many things I have learned from that conversation.

The conversation, with all of its nuances and headches, does not harm me; it illuminates a little more each day the grandest of all complexities: the God of heaven and earth. Along with Crichton I ask, "How about less fear and smear, and more balanced conversation?" The rancoruos debates no longer interest me, the relaxed fireside discussions (for those of you in the lobby of the hotel at TruthVoice last year) sharing of thoughts and ideas hold for me the greatest potential for our cause. I thank God for His grace and patience as our humble efforts move forward!

Jack Scott