As redeemed Christians, what is our role in the area of agriculture? Is it the notion that Christianity is merely a personal experience that applies only to one's private life and therefore has no application to agriculture? I reject that as being incomplete. Instead, what is needed is a complete transformation of the prevalent agricultural situation. This requires special discernment from humans (Christians and non Christians alike) who are created as God's image bearers.
Sustainable Agriculture
While the industrial model of agriculture is very prominent today, the Sustainable Agriculture model is gaining acceptance as Vos and Vander Zee point out in their chapter on Sustainable Agriculture in the book Signposts of God's Liberating Kingdom (1998). Sustainable Agriculture is an agriculture that is economically viable, resource efficient, environmentally sound, promotes justice to both the human and non-human creation, and builds community while providing food and fiber for humans for long periods of time. While many agricultural producers would probably agree with this definition, for a variety of reasons it is not practiced to the fullest extent possible.
Worldview and Sustainable Agriculture
A person's relationship with the ecosystem does affect his or her perception of Sustainable Agriculture. If we live according to our worldview, either God, the rest of creation, humans, or something else is exalted. We are not passive observers of the ecosystem. Humans are directly involved in the ecosystem and like the rest of creation are created by God. For example, we derive our food and the air we breathe from the ecosystem and we add wastes to it. How we react with the rest of creation is largely a spiritual matter. In fact, what we call the ecosystem reflects how we view it. It is often referred to as nature but the more correct term is creation. We must ask ourselves if our own individual philosophy when extended to its logical conclusion leads to sustainability.
Theocentrists believe God is in charge, that people were created in part to be faithful stewards of the ecosystem, and that every part of creation belongs to Him. They acknowledge that there is a separation between God the Creator and His creation and thus the creation is not equal to God. Because of Adam's sin, humans have separated themselves from God. We have exercised our place in creation wrongly. We are rebels who have tried to make ourselves the center of the universe. This was not part of God's original plan but it is symptomatic of the selfishness and greed common to all humanity apart from God. God sent His son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for this sin and separation. By His death and resurrection He has conquered sin. As redeemed Christians we can now have the freedom in Christ to exhibit the theocentric view of creation. To acknowledge that the Lordship of Christ extends to every cubic centimeter of creation. Christians, of all people, should not be destroyers and exploiters of creation, but should treat creation with overwhelming respect. Our role as servants in creation should be to care for it with compassion and humility. We are called as faithful stewards of creation that God loves.
Theocentrists exalt God over creation, including humans. Following the example of Christ as servant leader, they have the ability to put others above self and see humans as caretakers of creation accountable to God. This view is consistent with Sustainable Agriculture and will promote good environmental stewardship and sufficient food production. This results in a reasonable quality of life and thus the long term sustainability of creation.
A concept appropriate to these issues is that of "usufruct." This concept should be a guiding principle in how we should practice agriculture. Usufruct is a word that is rarely used today. In fact, most modern dictionaries do not have it listed, probably because the concept is no longer considered relevant in our modern economic climate. Usufruct literally means to "use the fruits of." It is the right to utilize and enjoy the profits and advantages of something belonging to another so long as the property is not damaged or altered in any way. In response to the concept of usufruct Wendall Berry has stated: "To receive the gift of creation and then to hasten directly to practical ways of exploiting that gift for maximum production without regard to long term impacts is at best ingratitude and at worse blasphemy ( the act of claiming for onesself the attributes and rights of God)." May God guide us as we seek to do His will in terms of how we practice our agriculture.
Ronald J. Vos, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Agriculture, Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA. This article was adapted from a presentation made at the Christian Environmental Council meeting, October 20-22, 2000.
