Mashed potato, tomato soup, super glue and priceless art. Warhol? No, just climate alarmists doing their darnedest to disrupt the lives of regular folks, blocking highways and making mischief at galleries. People seem to be getting a little sick of the new form of environmentalist hissy fits. While these activists believe they are “stopping oil” and saving the world, most people would rather they do their activism elsewhere.

Writer and climate realist Michael Shellenberger noted that these tactics – throwing food, refusing to eat, and demanding people bring you things after you’ve deliberately glued your hands to the floor – resemble a toddler tantrum. Shellenberger has a lot of respect for the “dignified, silent and noble” efforts of protestors in the past, but the tactics of this crop of activists are more of a distraction from their message than a winning strategy. The behavior may not be rational but liberal ideologies can do strange things to people! 

The liberal vision, which we wrote about last week, is all about forging an identity free from reference to God, family or even from the physical world. It is a man-made religion, by which humanity imagines it will pull itself to ever-loftier heights by its own bootstraps. But in truth, this is shadowboxing, a prescription for madness and despair. 

Podcaster Josh Slocum argues that liberal ideology is really, actually driving people crazy. Or at the very least, plaudits on social media and in the news encourage dramatic and erratic behavior which is no longer tempered by societal norms but applauded as “stunning” and “brave”. Climate alarmism often falls under this spell, believing it can put everything right, but its doctrines and practice disregard physical reality, ignore human behavior and inflict suffering on the poorest. 

What’s missing is a savior who can hold all the weight of our hopes and expectation and still triumph over death and decay. As Pastor Peter Burfeind wrote, what’s missing is Jesus Christ who really did save the whole world. 

Building a glorious kingdom on earth is above humanity’s pay-grade. Moreover, trying to save a world corrupted by sin through human effort has a devastating effect on the mental health of those who think they are its saviors. Pastor Burfiend points to the church, to Word and sacrament, where our “compulsions to save the world are both cut short and satisfied”. There we find that the burden of self-righteousness is lifted as we are humbled before our Creator who has gifted us with the forgiveness of sin. 

So pray for those whose idols are failing them – be ready to give an answer for the hope that you have. Tell them how God has promised to keep in perfect peace the mind that is stayed on him!