Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating Our Roots
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Book Manuscript Final Draft Title: Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating our Roots Submitted to: William Carey Library Publishing Office Submitted by Editors: David J. Evans, Ronald J. Vos, and Keith P. Wright On 03 October 2003 CONTENTS Editors and Contributors Forward Introduction Building Consensus for Biblical Holism in Agriculture David J. Evans and Keith Wright The Agriculturist and God Chapter 1: Reclaiming a Biblical Vision for Agriculture Wayne A. Kobes Chapter 2: The Worship of God through Agriculture Jesse T. Njoka The Agriculturist and Humanity Chapter 3: Social Principles for ‘Good’ Agriculture Ronald J. Vos Chapter 4: Behold I Give You: A Christian Perspective on Farming James Ball The Agriculturist and Creation Chapter 5: Production Principles for ‘Good’ Agriculture Robert De Haan Chapter 6: Enabling Creation’s Praise: Lessons in Agricultural Stewardship from Africa Harry Spaling The Agriculturist and Knowledge Chapter 7: Affinity, Dominion, and the Poverty of our Day: Calling and Task of Agri- Culture in a World That Belongs to God John H. Kok i The Agriculturist and Purpose Chapter 8: Agriculture and the Kingdom of God Darrow Miller Chapter 9: On Dams, Demons, Wells and Witches: Managing the Message of Transformational Development Bruce Bradshaw The Agriculturist and Ethics Chapter 10: The Bible as Ethical Standard for Appraising Modern Agricultural Practices Michael Oye Chapter 11: Integration Towards Ethical Agriculture: Challenges, Principles and Practice in International Perspective E. John Wibberley The Agriculturist and Economics Chapter 12: Is Our Agricultural House Built on Sand? Biblical Holism in Agriculture and the Assumption of Monotonicity in the Utility Function Kara Unger Ball Chapter 13: Redeeming Agriculture and Economics through Worldview Transformation Greg De Haan Conclusion Give Us this Day our Daily Bread: A Prayer to the First Farmer David J. Evans ii EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTORS David J. Evans, M.S., is Senior Director of International Operations at Food for the Hungry International in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Ronald J. Vos, Ph.D., is Professor of Agriculture at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, USA. Keith P. Wright, M.S., is Director of the Washington Office at Food for the Hungry, USA in Washington D.C., USA. Wayne A. Kobes, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Theology Department at Dordt College in S.C., Iowa, USA. Jesse T. Njoka, Ph.D., is Professor of Rural Development and Rangeland Management at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, East Africa. James Ball, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Evangelical Environmental Network in Washington D.C., USA. Robert De Haan, Ph.D., is Professor of Agriculture at Dordt College in S.C., IA, USA. Harry Spaling, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at The King's University College, Edmonton, Canada John H. Kok, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Dordt College in S.C., IA, USA. Darrow Miller, M.A., is Vice President of Holistic Ministry Resources at Food for the Hungry International in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Bruce Bradshaw, Ph.D., is Associate Professor Economic Development at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, USA. Michael Oye, Ph.D., is Vice-Chairman of RURCON agricultural development agency in Jos, Nigeria, West Africa. E. John Wibberley, Ph.D., is Visiting Fellow in Agricultural Extension & Rural Development at the University of Reading in England, UK. Kara Unger Ball, Ph.D., is Former Director of Sustainable Countrysides Programs at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Greg De Haan, M.S., is Mission Partner of the (US) Reformed Church in America, in Gambia, West Africa. iii Forward ”Biblical Holism and Agriculture: Cultivating Our Roots” addresses the urgent need for constructing a holistic biblical perspective in order to appraise the economic, social, ecological, environmental and spiritual impact of globalization and the negative unprecedented impact of powerful agricultural technologies and marketing systems. Holistic biblical perspectives reference ancient Hebrew insights about responsible freedom for "keeping" the land by people created in the image of God as representatives commissioned to stewardship and justice. This book was developed several months prior to the United Nations Earth Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, August-September, 2002, and published immediately following the conference. It is a most timely piece of work. The essays significantly contribute to the literature on sustainable development as they delineate the spiritual and moral motivation to care about sustainable futures. In particular, the book identifies three needs in agriculture to be addressed by the churches in mission. The first is to rebuild a new relationship with God, creation and humanity; this is to say, to create a new orientation in the fields of ethics, economics and agricultural science that reflects normative biblical guidelines for the care of land and human communities. The second is to enable leadership of the churches with responsibilities for outreach in mission to comprehend more fully the importance and urgency of the witness and service of agricultural missionaries in the 21st century in response to the negative impact of the globalization of our food system. This prophetic stance of criticizing the status quo in agriculture often leads to isolation from the main stream. The third need is to witness to the vision of justice and care of creation in bringing about a sustainable future for the earth and our agriculture. The essays in the book complement literature in the field of missiology and agricultural development by demonstrating how biblical holism contributes to a broadened understanding of life's interdependencies, that is, ecological patterns necessary for maintaining and maximizing biological diversity in agriculture and the necessity for creating, in a post-colonial world, a sustainable, or resource regenerative, domestic, self-reliant agri-culture. The ethical foundation for this holism is forcefully illustrated in one of the essays about agricultural ethics with the use of Aldo Leopold's land ethic: A thing is right when it contributes to the beauty, integrity and harmony of the biotic community. It is wrong when it goes the other way. The authors of the essays worked independently in preparation for the Dordt College consultation. One should take note of a most interesting dynamic. There emerges in the writings a consistent identification of elements of biblical wisdom about stewardship in the care of creation and references of the prophetic traditions about social critique. Several African authors offer stimulating and challenging essays as they demonstrate the unquestionable necessity of consulting indigenous insights about agriculture, its iv relation to natural ecosystems and to human communities and their value systems. We ignore these insights at our peril! The need and potential significance of Christian agricultural workers in the 21st century is well articulated. The meaning of servant leadership and prophetic critique is described in the call for the development of a sustainable and therefore just agriculture and food system requiring the evolution of a new paradigm for the way food and fiber must be produced so that humanity serves in God's image for keeping the land. This paradigm emerges from biblical insights about the values of healthy ecosystem functions, human community needs and points to a new agenda for research, testing and modification. These values function as guidelines for the care of all of creation. This challenge suggests a new dimension of Christian discipleship. This work will take us far beyond the limited and frequently destructive mindset of maximizing crop yields for the generation of wealth. C. Dean Freudenberger, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Theology Claremont, California September 2002 v Introduction: Building Consensus for Biblical Holism in Agriculture David J. Evans and Keith P. Wright Dating back to the first Lausanne conference in 1974, there has been a growing movement within Evangelical Christianity to minister to the needs of the whole person—spiritual, physical, emotional and social. Various names and/or definitions for this marriage between evangelism and social action have been postulated by several evangelical scholars and activists including Tetsunao Yamamori [symbiotic ministry] (1976, 1987, 1993), Ron Sider [good news and good works] (1999). In the 1990s, this concept evolved further into what is now referred to commonly as “Biblical Holism”. In this more recent iteration, it is important to note that concern is not only directed toward the spiritual, physical, social, and emotional well-being of people, but also toward the non-human part of God’s creation. Thus, when one speaks of Biblical Holism, one is usually referring to a triangular relationship between God and humans, God and non-human creation, and humans and non-human creation (Steward, 1994). A fuller definition of Biblical Holism is God’s work, through Jesus Christ, to redeem and restore all things that were created good but became damaged and broken as a result of human sin (see e.g., Colossians 1:20). Expanding upon the key relationships above, Darrow Miller (1999) identifies six key primary and secondary relationships that comprise Biblical Holism: Primary Relationships (vertical): God with humanity (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 3:6-7; Rom. 5:10) God with non-human creation (Gen. 1:1) Secondary Relationships (horizontal):