Consider the leviathan… (nature) 

Where is the balance for Christians to be found between conserving the natural world - and letting nature take its course with the survival of the fittest? Whatever happened to the 'leviathan?'

Is it among the long list of extinct species? Is it a fossil we've yet to uncover? There are more extinct species of plants and animals than there are existing plants and animals.

Unfortunately most of our public policy and discourse is unduly influenced by lazy, deadline-driven news reporters who are looking for the best attention-grabbing headline and whatever controversy they can stir in a few seconds on-camera, or a handful of print lines.

They gravitate with their microphones toward the most vocal, opinionated and strident voices. These, whether far left or far right, aren't the most thoughtful in the crowd...to interview a thoughtful person would take much longer and wouldn't fit the sound-bite. Nor would it make for good headlines.

It's the difference between watching the local Fayetteville television stations' evening news or watching Arkansas Educational Television Network's "Arkansas Week." Or, on the national level - a half-hour of network evening news or an hour of the McNeill-Lehrer Report. It's the difference between reading the USA Today or reading the Wall Street Journal.

In the discourse over global warming, dying coral reefs, blind cave fish, rare poisonous snakes, encroaching alligators, or nesting pigeons in New York City, we hear from the 'wing-nuts' of both extremes.

If we go with the 'survival of the fittest' concept of naturalism, we acclimate into a 'might makes right' social philosophy. If we go with the other extreme of preserving the natural world at all costs then we end up with the same kind of natural gravitation where the protected predators overrun native and weaker populations and drive some of them to extinction.

Jean recently encountered that philosophy when touring a wildlife area with 5th graders. Their standard policy concerning a group of kids coming upon a poisonous snake in the path was to make the group of kids leave the path and flounder through the undergrowth rather than disturbing the rattlesnake or copperhead in the path.

Stupidity can be found everywhere. 'Wing-nuts' prove the point continually.

God has called us into dominion over nature. We have responsibilities as conservators and as cultivators.

I'm reminded of a story about a young city fellow who was out for a drive in the countryside. He sees a farmer repairing a fence. The fields behind the farmer were immaculate. The barns and outbuildings were newly painted. The farmhouse was surrounded by well-manicured lawns and gardens. The implements were clean and well oiled.

It was a beautiful, pastoral scene worthy of an artist's canvas.

The young city fellow stops his car and says to the farmer, "God sure gave you a beautiful farm!" The farmer wryly replied, "You should have seen it when He had it by Himself."