Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Christians and Creation - A Positive Approach IV
Having established that Christians have a different view of creation than environmentalists, and looking at the consequences of that fact in skepticism, a local perspective and humility, The next question is how do we develop this view and perspective? I would like to argue that we do so, by following God's mandate to go out and make use of the earth.
Now by this, I do not mean hiking, visiting parks, and that sort of thing. Wonderful acitivities all, and I engage in them routinely, but they are like watching creation on TV - look but don't touch, engage, but do not interact.
These activities give creation a sterility, a metaphorical "virginity" if you will, that makes one somehow more interested in preservation than in genuine interaction with creation. To be sure, some areas should be preserved because of unique beauty, popularity or individual desire because individuals owning land can choose to use or not use it as they see fit. But I am talking about changing creation, making or growing something.
When one actual interacts with creation, one learns so many things, most importantly - how fragile creation IS NOT!
Unfortunately, most people cannot engage in animal husbandry of any sort, they simply lack the space and resources, so let's pull that off tha table. Gardening is, I believe the ticket. Not flower gardening either. That's lovely, but again its about looking, not intereacting. Nope, I think everybody should grow a vegetable garden for at least one season. I don't care if you live in an apartment - most cities make land available for this purpose somewhere near you. And when you do it, do it for real - feed yourself and your neighbors.
The first thing you will learn is what good food actually tastes like. Did you know that real sweet corn (not this hybridized little corn shaped sugar nuggets you get at the store) loses 95% of its internal sugar within the first 5 minutes of being picked? You have never tasted anything so wonderful in your life as corn that moves in the most rapid possible manner from stalk to pot of boiling water. Tomatoes! - oh dear Lord, nothing in a store can match a home grown tomato in flavor - NOTHING. I could go on like this for hours....
But the most important lesson you will learn from growing a vegetable garden is how very little you actually have to do with the whole thing. You dig a little, plant, keep it watered and you'll get food. In less arid climates than mine, you may not even have to water. That's all it takes. Oh sure, there are things you can do to increase yield some, but at its base, you have nothing whatsoever to do with the actual production of all that wonderful (and I mean wonderful) food. No matter how hard you try to be, you are not in charge of your garden.
That is, I think the ultimate lesson when it comes to Christians and creation. No matter how much we think we are in charge, we are not. We do not make it work. we cannot make it work. Only the Creator can.
Part V is available here.
UPDATE: Further thoughts along these lines can be found here.
Related Tags: vegetable, gardens, creation, Christians, environment
Now by this, I do not mean hiking, visiting parks, and that sort of thing. Wonderful acitivities all, and I engage in them routinely, but they are like watching creation on TV - look but don't touch, engage, but do not interact.
These activities give creation a sterility, a metaphorical "virginity" if you will, that makes one somehow more interested in preservation than in genuine interaction with creation. To be sure, some areas should be preserved because of unique beauty, popularity or individual desire because individuals owning land can choose to use or not use it as they see fit. But I am talking about changing creation, making or growing something.
When one actual interacts with creation, one learns so many things, most importantly - how fragile creation IS NOT!
Unfortunately, most people cannot engage in animal husbandry of any sort, they simply lack the space and resources, so let's pull that off tha table. Gardening is, I believe the ticket. Not flower gardening either. That's lovely, but again its about looking, not intereacting. Nope, I think everybody should grow a vegetable garden for at least one season. I don't care if you live in an apartment - most cities make land available for this purpose somewhere near you. And when you do it, do it for real - feed yourself and your neighbors.
The first thing you will learn is what good food actually tastes like. Did you know that real sweet corn (not this hybridized little corn shaped sugar nuggets you get at the store) loses 95% of its internal sugar within the first 5 minutes of being picked? You have never tasted anything so wonderful in your life as corn that moves in the most rapid possible manner from stalk to pot of boiling water. Tomatoes! - oh dear Lord, nothing in a store can match a home grown tomato in flavor - NOTHING. I could go on like this for hours....
But the most important lesson you will learn from growing a vegetable garden is how very little you actually have to do with the whole thing. You dig a little, plant, keep it watered and you'll get food. In less arid climates than mine, you may not even have to water. That's all it takes. Oh sure, there are things you can do to increase yield some, but at its base, you have nothing whatsoever to do with the actual production of all that wonderful (and I mean wonderful) food. No matter how hard you try to be, you are not in charge of your garden.
That is, I think the ultimate lesson when it comes to Christians and creation. No matter how much we think we are in charge, we are not. We do not make it work. we cannot make it work. Only the Creator can.
Part V is available here.
UPDATE: Further thoughts along these lines can be found here.
Related Tags: vegetable, gardens, creation, Christians, environment
