Thread by @ArthurGDavis

In between the responses to #COVID19Pandemic of ‘We don’t know why…’ & ‘It’s a fallen world…’ & generalised theological points, we Xns have to be able to say something more specific: why this, why now; what is the state of play in our time? 1/

#Corona is connected with how heavily our presence weighs on the Earth. It's not simply that we have cut a bit further into the forest and encountered a pathogen from which we were previously separated by distance… 2/

…It's that through our encroachment on habitats we are destroying biodiversity, radically curtailing the complexity of life on Earth, and thus restricting habitats available to microorganisms… 3/

…And so viruses are now more likely to leapfrog to the next best habitat, i.e. us.

https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1243236286124699649

4/

But this is not exactly ‘our’ fault in the sense of individuals/communities generally speaking. The colossal human footprint on the Earth is not so much the sheer number of human beings as it is the apparatus we have set up to dominate the Earth, #Babylon 5/

Xns have long described evil in terms of sin, death & the Devil. Yet there is another form that has not always been as readily acknowledged, that of #Babylon, Babel, empire 6/

#Babylon is the age-old attempt of communities/ societies/ civilisations to organise on their own terms without respecting the created order we belong to & its Maker 7/

Today #Babylon goes beyond nation states & governments to corporations & the ultra-rich (UHNWIs). There are different ways we can parse & name the structures—the Washington world system, global finance, consumerism/capitalism... thenation.com/article/archiv… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_hig… 8/

But take a look at the human impact. 100,000+ plane flights per day, with between 8,000 & 20,000 aircraft in the skies at any given moment quora.com/How-many-airpl… 9/

1 billion cars in the world as of 2010-11, expected to double within the next 15 years greencarreports.com/news/1093560_1… 10/

This is to highlight not the mass of end consumers but the colossal machinery that creates & proliferates & colonises. Why should every individual own a car? Why should air travel be ubiquitous? But in #Babylon the expectation of such luxuries is a given 11/

And look at the sheer physical weight with which #Babylon oppresses the Earth: 12/

We & our domestic livestock now make up 96% of all mammals by weight. And this has not come about through simple aggregation but through the simultaneous loss of perhaps 83% of wild mammals. Because in #Babylon overconsumption of meat is desirable theguardian.com/environment/20… 13/

By 2050 the ocean is expected to contain more plastic by weight than fish. Already perhaps 1/3 of all fish caught in the UK contain microplastics. Because in #Babylon soft drinks & convenience/efficiency & endless supply chains are desirable forbes.com/sites/trevorna… 14/

Our industrialised agricultural practices are degrading the land such 1/3 of all topsoil is already lost, with perhaps only 60 years of it left in some places. Because in #Babylon the reduction of land to mechanised, single-purpose usage is desirable
scientificamerican.com/article/only-6… 15/

What’s dubbed climate change is just one aspect of planetary strife at the hands of #Babylon. Think instead in terms of planetary boundaries, e.g. biodiversity loss/extinction rate; deforestation & soil loss; freshwater consumption; ocean acidification... 16/

...Nitrogen & phosphorous flows; chemical pollution; aerosol/particle pollution; ozone depletion; climate change. See also: #Anthropocene; planetary phase of civilization en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary… 17/

So this is not just a matter of generic human frailty and/or sinfulness, nor a given feature of the world (fallen or otherwise). It is a filthy new manifestation of that ancient snake-inspired drive, #Babylon 18/

But you can see we've fully taken flight now into—what? Activism? Conspiracy theory? Yeah nah. It is the stuff of prophecy & apocalyptic. It is to put Xn witness & ministry in geopolitical – and planetary – context. Did you see the fall of #Babylon according to John? 19/

It's demon country. #Babylon is where the carrion birds come to snatch what’s left of the dead & dying 20/

Because of its desire for ever-increasing living standards, the world’s businessmen are bloated on profit. But they will be bereft. All the ingenious extravagances they traded, right down to the human traffic—it will all be taken 21/

Ya gotta hand it to them, they’re the greatest magicians in history, those businessmen. #Babylon has totally conned the nations with its filthy tricks. But look at the toll it’s taken. It’s awash with blood. The groaning is unbearable 22/

#Babylon has corrupted planet Earth with its immorality and there’ll be no end to the ash when it burns down 23/

Of course there’s a bit of an incongruity here. Where is the resistance of the people of Most High? Didn’t they have skin in the game against #Babylon? Don’t they understand the powers & principalities? 24/

But that voice is still calling from heaven
Get out of there, my people
It's coming down
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👆🏼 Wondering what you @eucat_podcast reckon is the fitting term/descriptor for the present world order?

@eucat_podcast 👆🏼 Actually just after a tweet or dm, not full podcast ep 😅 That'd be a bonus