You’ve probably noticed that the world is a bit of a mess. Every day it seems that there is some new problem that requires our attention and/or provides some new topic for people to argue about discuss and debate. Some of the issues that spawn arguments discussions are trivial matters like whether pineapple belongs on pizza (yes, it absolutely does). Other topics, like global climate change, the impact people are having on the planet, and our responsibility as Christians to care for the Earth, are much more serious. The opinions on this second matter are wide ranging, and it is not my intention to argue about debate the issue in this space and time. Rather, I hope we agree that, as people who have been commanded to love our neighbors, we could do a better job caring for the living space, (i.e., the Earth) we share by being conscious of the mess and cleaning up after ourselves.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: One Person’s Trash Could Be Another Person’s Earthship
stewardship
Book Review: Let Creation Rejoice
Let Creation Rejoice: Biblical Hope and Ecological Crisis by Jonathan A. Moo and Robert S. White. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
Summary: A scientist and a theologian get together to assess both environmental trends and biblical teaching and contend that there are reasons for serious concern, concerted action, and because of the gospel, for hope.
Stewardship, Membership, and Voting: Reflections on Wendell Berry’s A Place on Earth
The main character of Wendell Berry’s A Place on Earth, as in many of his novels, is the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky. While Berry is a masterful storyteller, the narrative is less important than the relationships that the characters have with each other, with the town and surrounding farmland they inhabit, and with the land itself.
Berry continually returns to the question of what effect a character has on the people, town, and land around him. When a character is introduced, Berry will often describe the condition of the person’s farm, home, or workplace. For example, Berry contrasts the relatively wealthy Roger Merchant with Roger’s tenant Gideon Crop. Roger inherited a large, profitable farm from his father, but has allowed it to fall into disuse; even Roger’s rental income is handled mostly by his lawyer. Gideon, meanwhile, inherited almost nothing from his father except a tenant relationship with Roger. What little Gideon has, however, is well-maintained and attended to. In Berry’s vision of the world, your stewardship of your home and workplace is a moral dimension of your character. It’s not the complete judgment, but it’s important.
Relationships are also part of this stewardship. One of Roger’s few friends — perhaps his only friend — is Mat Feltner, one of the heroes of Berry’s universe. Mat describes his friendship with Roger as “perplexing,” because Roger regularly calls on Mat for his counsel, keeps Mat engaged in long, rambling, over-complicated discussions of minor issues, and never takes Mat’s advice. Despite this frustrating pattern, Mat still invests time and care in his relationship with Roger. Mat’s attitude toward Roger, in many ways, mirrors his attitude towards farming: care, hard work, and good stewardship are their own rewards, regardless of the outcome.
Campus as a Place on Earth
As I have been reading A Place on Earth, two comparisons have come to mind. The first is the campus as a place made up of a combination of land, people, and relationships. In Berry’s novels, the history of an individual or a family is never far from the surface, and he will often interrupt the narrative with a back story that gives deeper meaning to the immediate situation. Isn’t it so often the case on campus that we can’t understand what’s happening without knowing the history that has led up to this moment? [Read more…] about Stewardship, Membership, and Voting: Reflections on Wendell Berry’s A Place on Earth