New blog title

So, I've been thinking for a while that I need to change the name of this blog. Now, anyone who MAY still be reading from the days I gave it its current title might wonder why, and be right in questioning the change. "I Do Not Belong," the previous title, is also the title of a Kutless song, referencing the Biblical idea of being "in the world, yet not of it." Part of the chorus goes like this: "I do not belong in a world of broken pieces/I was made to be in the arms of Your redemption." Yes, there is good truth there with which I agree...HOWEVER, if you've read many posts on this blog, or have heard me talk about my passions in life, you know how I feel about Christianity's treatment of the earth. A large portion of (particularly American) Christians view the earth as something we should subject to our will. Perhaps few would agree with those words written down, but our actions speak the truth of the matter. Obviously, Christians are not the only people mistreating and abusing Creation, but we should be standing against destructive lifestyles...and we are not. Part of this comes from our upbringing in Western civilization, and I contend that part of it also comes from our hope for eternal life. We've adopted the mindset that the earth doesn't matter, because whatever happens to it will get fixed in the New Creation. Sure, our hope is for a new earth and eternal life...but the current earth is our home RIGHT NOW, and we SUCK at taking care of it. I find myself in a cognitive dissonance often, knowing my lifestyle is harming the earth (buying plastics, throwing away "disposable" items, supporting non-sustainable farming practices, etc.) yet understanding the need for things to change dramatically in order to turn the planet from a path of destruction.

I could go on for a while about how awful my own lifestyle is when it comes to making conscious decisions for the benefit of the earth. Here's the short version of what I want to say, though:

Although I support the theological ideas behind my previous blog title, I CANNOT support the thought processes those ideas have led to in Christians' minds. This earth is our current home, and God wants us to ACTUALLY care for it. The modern Western lifestyle is so far beyond caring for the earth that we truly think we're not doing that bad, and a number of Christians don't see the problem either.

The new title, "West Bound," is one some of you might recognize. I used it as a Facebook pseudonym for a short time after a long absence from the site, it's the title of my (currently stalled) music endeavour, and I've given several blog posts the title. It refers to my (now fulfilled) longing to move to the American West and the mountains, but also more: it represents my desire to move away from the spiritual and societal pressures to live and think a certain way, and find a new, better way to live. You can probably expect more posts along these lines, especially now that I'm reading Wendell Berry.

Peace.

Thoughts on stewardship

These are two journal entries I have written so far on my current trip to the mountains. They are mostly the result of a book I am reading called "Braiding Sweetgrass." I would recommend it to anyone, although the content might be very challenging for some of you if you choose to read it.

7-29-14:
We Christians are not as smart as we think we are. Our knowledge of God is so incomplete, yet we forget this fact. Do we really believe God hardly cares how we treat the earth? The theological ideas of "stewardship," "in the world, but not of it," and "being made in the image of God" have collided in such a negative way that we have developed a "god complex" of our own. Sure, we may be valued over other creations, but we came last, which carries more meaning than you might typically think about. Other creations are also highly valued by God. Why would they be a part of the web of life if they were not valuable? I think we need to seriously re-evaluate our theology regarding the care of the earth. We should certainly live as spiritual beings, but this earth is not without spirit itself. We should not treat this as solely our home, but truly as stewards whose Master will return to judge our stewardship.

7-31-14:
The world cannot function solely on taking, neither can it function solely on giving. True relationships are always reciprocal. However, when we walk into the woods, we only take, and rarely give of ourselves. We kill biting insects instead of giving our blood, and shoo away anything which tries to rest on us. I'm NOT saying we should allow ourselves to be eaten alive or expose ourselves to disease, but this is symbolic of our attitude in general regarding nature. We see it as something which only exists for our benefit, not as an entity we have been taking advantage of for too long. Heaven forbid we even start viewing plants and animals as fellow beings which also have a right to exist! What vast changes would be heralded by such a shift in perspective!