Recently a freshman Representative from NY submitted a resolution to Congress for what she called a Green New Deal. It is a document full of idealism, emotionalism, and misguided concern for the environment but lacking any common sense or any basic understanding of economics, transportation, construction, or, in fact, reality.
The fact of the impracticality of this proposal came crashing in on their party with the recent and very expensive flame-out of the California High Speed rail project. Amazingly the stark reality of government’s complete inability to ‘solve’ problems seems to offer no enlightenment as to the impracticality of the GND to its proponents.
There have been many excellent analyses of the economic, environmental, and political consequences of this proposal. I would like us to look beyond these to what I think lays behind the thinking and the worldview of those offering such a sweeping proposal.
The GND as offered is a fantasy; it is a fantasy about a future without regard to causality, consequences, or truth. If you read through it and begin to ask simple critical questions this becomes obvious.
For example, there is a provision in it calling for ”upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification.”
How much would it cost to implement this program? How do the requirements for maximum efficiency intersect with the requirement for affordability? At what point is a building deemed to be so unsafe, inefficient, or lack sufficient durability so as to need to be replaced? What is the impact on the environment for replacing these buildings? Where does the ‘green’ electricity come from for all this upgrading?
You get the point.
The backers of the GND believe that a perfect world, a utopia, can be created by means of the state where there will be only happiness, equality, and the reality of cause and effect will be legislated out of existence.
There has been considerable support for this proposal despite its fantastical nature. Why? I think it is because it appeals to people who want to evade judgement and consequences. On the surface level we may be tempted to think they are just lazy or want to avoid unpleasantness. But on a deeper level it is a desire to escape the truth regarding their sinfulness and accountability before a righteous God.
Because these utopians cannot face the truth about themselves, the fact of their inevitable death and judgement, and their position as creatures before God, they cannot face anything with honesty or truth. Their guilt manifests itself in an unreal and untruthful worldview. Anything that proves them or their harebrained schemes wrong is ignored or denied. Facts mean nothing. Truth is what they say it is. If you disagree with them you are racist, a homophobe, a luddite, engaged in hate speech, or you are a conspiracy theorist. Emotionalism and temper tantrums trump reasoned debate.
Causality, consequences, accountability, responsibility, reality all mean nothing to these people. They live in the moment with a fear of the future and its ultimate truth, the judgement of God (Rom. 1:18-32). They attempt to evade God’s judgement by denying His existence or by outlawing the consequences He has ordained for sin.
How do we, as believers, avoid this worldview and its warped thinking. We must be honest and acknowledge the influence this thinking has on us and the culture we live in. It is easy and often expedient to just keep our mouths shut and go along.
We must remember that our salvation is in Christ. It is not, and never will be found in the state or any of its laws or programs. We must remember that in Christ our sins and our guilt are covered. We have had the righteousness He won placed over us like a blanket. We no longer need to fear God’s judgement.
Understanding this fact frees us from thinking that we can find salvation or utopia in any government program. We can avoid the judgement of God only through His grace applied to us through the atonement won by Christ.
Understanding this and having the Holy Spirit apply it to our lives and thinking helps us avoid the jingoistic and warped thinking so common in our culture.
1. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109
2. https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-pol-ca-bullet-train-future-20181228-story.html
3. https://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2018-108.pdf
4. https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2019/03/11/what-is-the-green-new-deal/
5. http://fortune.com/2019/02/25/the-green-new-deal-ocasio-cortez/
