Dr Matthew Sleeth
Walking Boldly Ahead
2010. It’s a new year. I can’t help noticing the evenness and symmetry of the number. Is it a good thing to make New Year resolutions? Is it biblical? I was recently reading an article that compared and contrasted Judaism and Christianity with other forms of religion. Our God may not live in time, but He is fundamentally interested in time. Ours is not a belief in an ever-recycling universe, but one that came into existence at a Word — … Continue reading
Celebrating Our Savior’s Birth
“We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.” Meister Eckhart This past January we had a big snow and ice storm in Kentucky. I did not waste any time calling a friend who works at a beautiful horse farm just outside of Lexington, and she made arrangements for me to gain entry. The morning was so incredibly quiet and it seemed the whole world was tucked away out of site on … Continue reading
From Thought to Action
One of the greatest mistakes we humans make—one that we all make daily—is the sin of hypocrisy. Recall the last ten times you were hypocritical. Can you recall? Hmm…. Can you recall even one time you acted in a hypocritical manner? When I first heard the poll in which 90 percent of Americans said they were kinder than average, I wondered about the other 10 percent. My first thought was “The 10 percent who actually go ahead and say that … Continue reading
Life Beyond the Trends
Last month, when I spoke at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta, I came across a study called “Beyond the Trend.” The premise is that while trends may govern the world, they don’t have to rule our lives. I could not agree more. For example, Christians should take advantage of the weekly gift of Sabbath rest. In the report I found two trends to be of particular interest. One trend is that Christianity will continue to expand its definition of neighbor. … Continue reading
Creation Care Gets Heaven’s Attention
A few years ago, on a sunny fall afternoon, I sat on a worn granite step just east of Saint Peter’s Basilica. I had taken an article written twenty years earlier outside to study. The article, by John Paul II, was an impassioned plea to Christians, particularly wealthy Westerners, to stop harming the environment. Throughout his later decades, the pope wrote repeatedly and prophetically on this theme. His words watered a seed that had been growing in my Western, evangelical … Continue reading
An Ounce of Prevention
It was a beautiful fall day in New England, the kind that sends calendar makers running for their cameras. The hospital stood just a few feet from the shore, a brick structure with the added charm of functioning windows. I was the chief of staff and head of the emergency department, and I was just beginning a 24-hour shift in the ER. I sipped orange juice out of a mug given to me two decades earlier that said, “Trust me. … Continue reading
A Broken Promise
Two decades ago, I took care of a young asthmatic girl in the emergency room. It was a hot summer day, and Etta was having a severe asthma attack. I promised her that I would not let her die. Etta was not my first asthma patient, nor would she be my last. In the last twenty years, asthma rates among children under age four have more than doubled. Ask any school kid today if he or one of his classmates … Continue reading
Confessions of an Evangelical Treehugger
Sometimes we must lose ourselves in order to find our way. I live in a small college town near Lexington, Kentucky. One summer, my wife and I and a couple of friends were invited to share the evening with a group of families who dwell together in an intentional manner, about sixty miles from our home. The road there narrows from four to two to even fewer lanes. A blue mailbox comes up on the right. Make a left, and … Continue reading
Will Evangelicals Celebrate Earth Day?
On April 22, we will celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of Earth Day. This year, all living things around the planet will have a new ally: Evangelical Christians. What will this partner be like? Will Evangelicals collaborate with traditional environmentalists? Will they celebrate Earth Day? It is only fair to tell you I belong to a no-nonsense Methodist church; I believe that Jesus walked on water—and not because he couldn’t swim. I drive a hybrid car, hang my clothes on … Continue reading
Will Christians Save the Planet?
By J. Matthew Sleeth, MD The news of Greenland’s melting icecap is the latest in a long list of scientific warnings. In 1992, hundreds of the world’s leading scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates, signed a joint declaration titled “The World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” These 1,600 scientists accurately predicted the magnitude of global warming, species extinction, and destruction of the earth’s complex ecosystems. Their words went largely unheard and unheeded. Fourteen years later, the consequences these scientists … Continue reading
Who, Then, Shall We Elect?
One of our country’s greatest problems is our dependence on foreign oil. And despite what many think, global warming may not be the most harmful outcome of our oil habit. When people’s lives become dependent on a substance, we call that addiction. The addictive potential of a substance does not necessarily correlate to the “high” it delivers. A more accurate way to judge addictive potential is to see how willing someone is to go without the substance, or how painful … Continue reading
Rx for Excess
By Andy Crouch, Christianity Today As our family sits together, eyes closed, we say grace. Today it’s Timothy’s turn. “God, thank you so much for all we have,” he begins in what turns into a typically prolix nine-year-old’s prayer. Eventually he is done—”in Jesus’ name, Amen”—and I turn the key. We have just filled up our car with gasoline. Those of us who say grace at restaurants know the discomfort one feels bringing a visible expression of religious gratitude into … Continue reading
Will Christians Save the Planet?
The news of Greenland’s melting icecap is the latest in a long list of scientific warnings. In 1992, hundreds of the world’s leading scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates, signed a joint declaration titled “The World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” These 1,600 scientists accurately predicted the magnitude of global warming, species extinction, and destruction of the earth’s complex ecosystems. Their words went largely unheard and unheeded Fourteen years later, the consequences these scientists predicted are becoming more and … Continue reading
Physical Work, Spiritual Health
Many of us have built lives in which we have neither rest nor work. Our jobs do not stress our muscles and joints. Our rest is a series of events in which we give our minds over to machines such as televisions, computers, and DVD players. We use machines to chop vegetables, brush teeth, wash our dishes, and record our thoughts. But what is the cost of saving ourselves work? All laborsaving devices use electricity or gasoline, cost money, produce … Continue reading
Add 10 Years to Your Life — Guaranteed!
A few weeks ago Mrs. Sleeth and I were traveling, and on Saturday evening we lodged overnight in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The hotel served a complimentary breakfast the following morning. While enjoying toast and orange slices, I looked over at my fellow travelers. Twenty-five or so adults were present, plus some energetic children (dressed for church but anxious to play). The adults mostly were quiet. Nestled in a granite-topped cabinet, a meter long television was tuned to country music … Continue reading
Can Americans Prevent Future Katrinas?
Hurricane Katrina has come, and raged, and passed. Our nation faces a moment as crucial as July 4, 1776, December 7, 1941, or September 11, 2001. We are at a crossroads and have vitally important decisions to make. As a physician, evangelical Christian, and environmental lecturer and writer, I would like to explore the events that led up to where we are and the roads that lie ahead. On November 2, PBS will air a documentary filmed over the … Continue reading
The Future of Eco-Evangelism
This Earth Day could mark the birth of new alliance between environmentalists and Christians – and that’s good news for our planet. Evangelicals believe that God not only made everything, but that he loves his creation, enjoys it, and claims ownership of it. Yet for the past two centuries Christians and non-Christians alike have taken God’s creation for granted or, worse, seen it simply as a resource to be exploited. Evangelicals cannot claim to love God and not love what … Continue reading
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