Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of mankind's most prestigious modern awards. It has been granted to great men and women like Martin Luther King Jr. (in 1964). Two European scientists won the prize this year in the arena of physics for their work in discovering and developing giant magnetoresistance. Essentially, this is what makes magnetic hard drives possible. They developed this in 1988, and its use has exploded since then. I'm using a computer that contains the fruit of their invention right now. It is in all of the iPods with spinning hard drives. There are millions of these devices. That is a life-changing discovery--well worth being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for.

However, of the recipients of this year's Nobel has been the subject of some controversy. Another prize was awarded to former Vice President Al Gore (and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for his work explaining and popularizing the phenomenon of global warming. Global warming? Apparently, enough people have accepted the truth (or been brainwashed, depending on what camp you're in) that global warming is a real threat to our world and is perhaps the most significant threat of the 21st century. But in the case of the European scientists, they worked on something twenty years ago that has been proven as drastically beneficial to the human race. There are still enough people who doubt the validity of global warming that this award is being questioned: Was this a political move? Could this be what it takes to get Gore into the 2008 Presidential Race?

Gore has said that unless Hillary Clinton makes a large mistake, she is unbeatable in his estimation (at least in the Democratic Party). Thus he would not enter the race at this point. Smart move. I tend to agree. A Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar (or was it an Emmy?) for his film: An Inconvenient Truth, won't be enough to cause a great number of Americans to vote for him.

But what about this idea of global warming itself? According to CNN, the film has nine errors in it. I wrote my high school senior thesis about hydrogen and its role as a fuel in the future...I believe you can capture some of that in one of my previous blogs here. But I researched the argument for global warming somewhat, and at the time of my thesis defense, I was torn. I argued that global warming might have some weight to it. Before that, I thought it was ridiculous. Now, I'm just not sure. But I am hearing more and more about it. Whether it's true or not, a lot more people are beginning to believe it.

In the CNN article that I read, some Democrats commented on the situation. One of them said: "America and the Earth need a hero right now, someone who will transcend politics as usual and bring real hope to our country and to the world." Sounds to me like that person is looking beyond just a strong political leader. It sounds to me like they are looking for Jesus. Who else it the Prince of Peace, the Hope of the World?

Whether or not it was a political move to give Gore the prize, whether or not global warming is a true threat, it seems to me that there is a deeper fear at work. People think about the future, and they see a world that is falling apart. Pardon the gross generalization, but It is interesting that Christians see this as an opportunity to laugh at the "dumb tree-huggers." Don't you sense something is wrong? Non-Christians are caring more about creation and keeping it wholesome than Christians are.

This may spawn from the evangelical misunderstanding of Heaven. For so long, Christians have been taught that Man fell and that Jesus came to save. I've mentioned this before, but that is simply a fractured view of the gospel. Christians ought to be the first proponents for the "upkeep" of the earth.

Hang with me for a minute. God has been teaching me a lot lately about abiding in Him (John 15). To truly abide in Jesus, I need to be in the Word and prayer and community. I need to be practicing the spiritual disciplines. When I do that, I will prepare my heart for the Spirit to do His work. God is fully responsible for the growth, but I am responsible for allowing God to have a place in my heart. He is a gentleman. He says, "I stand at the door and knock." If I don't invite Him in to do His work, then He will allow me to go my own way. But when He does work in me, I grow to love Him and others more. When I love others, it's not out of a sense of obligation ("oh darn, I have to love my roommates AGAIN"). It should be because I am so filled with the love of God, that it just pours out of my soul.

The reason that last paragraph connects with what's above it is because of this: when I love others like Jesus did, I will not view those "tree-huggers" as less than intelligent. I will not look down on them and condescend them because of their "obscene devotion to the earth." I will instead see them as souls in need of a true savior, in need of one worth living and dying for. I won't look down on those that bestowed the Nobel Peace Prize as foolish people with a sinister ulterior motive. I'll see them as people who have decided to make a judgment that may have been better postponed, but I give them the benefit of the doubt. That does not mean that I go along with these people. But I do not attack them. When was the last time that Jesus said to go around laying into your opponents? Last time I recall, He healed the ear of a servant who zealous Peter chopped off. What a symbolic act...healing the ear...so that the servant might hear clearly the voice of his savior.

My pastor gave a sermon today on being salt and light in the world (Matthew 5). The point that stuck out to me most was this: the Bible, the Word of God is our authority...but how we live our life and spread God's unconditional love is our credibility. So the lesson that I learned is this: even when people I don't think deserve honor or grace or even kindness cross my path, I am to be loving and sacrifice of myself anyway--as if I were serving Jesus himself--and this is what makes Christianity credible and honors and glorifies God. That is my prayer. So help me Jesus.

Taking Every Thought Captive,

Zachary