Is The Truth Always Inconvenient?

We saw the documentary An Inconvenient Truth when it was released in theatres and the Toronto audience clapped enthusiastically at the conclusion. Since then it became an international phenomenon and catapulted also-ran, former Vice Pres Al Gore to a Nobel Prize and singer Melissa Etheridge to a Grammy for her theme song.

There have been a variety of criticisms aimed at the film, some scientists claiming that the information shared is simplistic and others accusing it of being just plain wrong. It has been applauded elsewhere in the scientific community for reaching an audience that would have been put to sleep by the lectures of its critics.

I have offered before that Gore, who is open about his Christian faith, is a prophet for his time, and if you have read the prophetic books of the bible you have probably noticed that there are no footnotes. Sometimes you just throw what you believe as "God's truth" (interesting expression) out there and pray that some of it sticks. I have been aware that many conservative Christians, particularly in the US, who tried to discredit Gore initially have either shut up or come to the startling conclusion that this is God's world and the planet on which Jesus walked, so maybe we should take care of it.

What you rarely hear is that Gore's science has been wrong in the opposite direction. Rather than sounding a false note of alarm, we are regularly hearing that climate change is accelerating at a rate that is much faster than computer models first offered. Our window of opportunity for change may be much smaller than anticipated even five years ago.

On Wednesday of this week we will acknowledge Earth Day, so short of the Second Coming I will use the blog opportunities of this week to reflect on Eco-faith issues.

If you haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth or would like the chance to see it again, it will be broadcast on CBC television this evening, Sunday the 19th of April, at 10 PM. Here is a link

with some interesting information. http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/specials/2008/inconvenienttruth/