Loading...

Advanced Worldview Analysis - Lesson 21

Environmentalism Overview

A balanced approach toward environmentalism is needed because it can be a serious threat to individual liberty.

Ronald Nash
Advanced Worldview Analysis
Lesson 21
Watching Now
Environmentalism Overview

The Christian Worldview and Environmentalism
Part 1
 

I.  Introduction

A.  Environmentalism can be a serious danger to individual liberty.

B.  A balanced approach is needed.

 

II.  Facts to Remember

A.  The environment is cleaner than at any time in the past half-century.

B.  The environment is safer than at any other time in recent history.

C.  Life expectancy, as a whole, has never been longer or higher than it is now.

D.  Cancer rates are falling, not rising.

 

III.  Impending Global Ecological Disasters?

A.  Disproven theories, never a problem

1.  Acid Rain

2.  Plastics

B.  Unproven theories, not problems

1.  Global Warming

2.  Ozone Depletion

3.  Electromagnetic Fields

C.  Past problems, now nearly solved

1.  Automobile emissions

2.  Nuclear power

3.  Oil Spills

D.  Persistent but manageable problems

1.  Pesticides

2.  Toxic Chemicals

E.  Problems mainly in the Third World

1.  Deforestation

2.  Resource Depletion

 

IV.  Further Considerations

A.  We can never completely eliminate risk.

B.  Common sense vs. Al Gore's approach

 

V.  Representatives of Radical Environmentalism

A.  The Greens

B.  The Deep Ecologists

C.  The Animal Rights Movement

 

VI..  Pollution

A.  Volcanoes and Air Pollution

B.  Termites

C.  Ants

D.  Cows

E.  Carbon Dioxide

 

VII.  The Ozone Problem

A.  There is no ozone hole.

B.  Skin cancer has many causes.

C..  Chlorine and Ozone

1.  Evaporating sea water

2.  CFCs


All Lessons
About
Class Resources
  • Discussion of the content of a worldview and the criteria used to evaluate worldviews.

  • Discussion of liberalism and conservatism, and statism and anti-statism.

  • Political systems fall along a continuum between the extremes of anarchism and totalitarianism.

  • People favoring statism support extensive government involvement in education and social programs.

  • From a biblical point of view, statism is evil.

  • Discussion of justice on an individual and corporate level.

  • An economy based on capitalism has much less government involvement than an economy based on socialism.

  • Interventionism is a capitalistic economic system in which government gets involved to allow free exchange within a framework of laws.

  • Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism.

  • Two basic concepts of economics are limited resources and the choices we make that reflect our values.

  • Marxism is an economic system based on the idea of a class struggle with the goal of a classless society.

  • Article from The Free Market

  • The Bible and Socialism, Moral Defense of Capitalism

  • We are responsible to be a good steward of the wealth God gives us to manage.

  • Some of the root causes of poverty are government, social and religious systems.

  • Liberation theology is an ideology promoted by people trained in Marxism. True liberation theology delivers people from tyranny, poverty and sin.

  • Christians ought to care about poverty and oppression. People who hold differing economic and social theories propose very different approaches and solutions to these problems.

  • Discussion of the differences between evangelical liberals and conservatives.

  • Guest Lecturer, Alejandro Moreno-Morrison discussing the inflation of rights.

  • Guest Lecturer, Alejandro Moreno-Morrison discusses legal positivism.

  • A balanced approach toward environmentalism is needed because it can be a serious threat to individual liberty.

  • Discussion of how people work in a capitalistic system to address environmental concerns.

  • The public school system in the United States has fostered functional illiteracy, cultural illiteracy, and moral/spiritual illiteracy.

  • Discussion of the pros and cons of setting up a voucher system to fund the education system.

These lectures were given at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida during the spring of 2002.