That's the title of Holly Lebowitz Rossi's report about conservative Evangelical churches that are getting into gardening, partly as as a way to serve the poor. Excerpt:
If contemporary faith and science clash on issues from evolution to abortion, environmental science and climate change seem to be escaping the maelstrom. "Green" is getting religion, with environmental consciousness taking root even within evangelical Christian circles, where it once was dismissed as left-wing radicalism. And in addition to recycling and installing low-energy light bulbs, churches are improving their little pieces of the planet by growing gardens on their property, creating food, community, and good green fun all in one.Evangelical environmentalism--often referred to with the less politically charged term "creation care"--at churches like Vineyard Boise is becoming more mainstream. A recent advertisement for Al Gore's environmental activism Web site wecansolveit.org featured 700 Club host and conservative political mainstay Reverend Pat Robertson and liberal African American preacher Reverend Al Sharpton seated next to each other, united in their support for environmental protection despite their myriad political and theological differences. In March 2008, the Southern Baptist Convention, a bulwark of conservative Christianity, released a Climate Change Initiative that accused evangelicals of being "too timid" on environmental concerns. The National Association of Evangelicals' Richard Cizik has been an outspoken proponent of creation care since 2003, and in April, he declared in the pages of this magazine, "Evangelicals are becoming the go-to religious community on the environment." A proliferation of books and publications, including Creation Care: A Christian Environmental Quarterly, are gaining wider circulation among evangelicals. A blog called "The Evangelical Ecologist" boasts more than three hundred thousand visitors. The word on the environment has reached the people of the Word.
Great piece. Read the whole thing.
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This is what all churches with a little land should probably be doing. I don't know if it is my "real estate envy" or what but I often look at the suburban churches with their manicured lawns and think "They really should be doing something with this". Our church, unfortunately, is smack in the middle of the city with only room for a parking lot. And considering I got laughed at when I suggested they put in a paper recycling bin from a company that would BUY the paper from them in order to make a little money at a time when they were crying poverty, again, I doubt I could convince them to grow an organic garden. Maybe I'll take it up with the Episcopal preacher at the church we clean, they're a little more receptive to that sort of thing than us mainstream Baptists, anyway.
Rod,
Thanks for posting this encouraging story. Great to see the evangelicals are getting in on this. I can remember years ago when my eldest brother was in seminary, and the family would visit. What I remembered most vividly (I was about 8 years old) was the dairy farming and vegetable farming the members of this religious order conducted on their grounds. "Ora et labora."
So from the perspective of our millenia old Christian tradition, there's nothing new about any of this.
The article did mention something I have seen previously and which I find quite annoying: that public service ad in which Robertson and Sharpton appear together. The former is the son of a US senator (from Virginia, back in the 50s and 60s) who found "religion" to be a useful platform for his own political career. The latter is a street hustler from way back.
The two of them certainly belong together! Two peas in a pod.
The next time you see that ad look closely at the cuffs of Al Sharpton's shirt. You'll see that they are monogrammed "RevAS." It would appear that the "Reverend Al" has journeyed a long way from the streets of Brooklyn.
Great news, Rod, thanks for sharing. "Stewardship" isn't compatible with "exploitation," and as Reaganite points out, this isn't really new (and if it were it wouldn't be conservative, would it? ;-) ).
I only wish environmental stewardship hadn't been so thoroughly mixed up with big-government statism and social liberalism by clowns like Mr. Gore. Do they realize how much they're hurting their own cause?
Well, I think it's too bad that all the ranting and raving threads are getting all the hits, so I'm just stopping by here to say that I think this is a great idea. The more gardening, the better, and working on it in company with neighbors and friends makes it all the better.
A propos of nothing, really, the older ethnic woman who lives behind us, and her unmarried son who lives with her, have a really splendid garden. The Baptists next door have cut down four or five trees and installed an above-ground pool and a shed. No sign of a garden yet, however.
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