Conservative? What Are You Conserving?
I’ll admit upfront that up until this point, I’ve not read anything by Wendell Berry. His is one of those names that I’ve seen tossed around by many authors I respect. I’ve wanted to get around to reading him but for whatever reason, he’s never made it to the top of my “to-read” piles. So I was intrigued to see an interview with him in the newest Christianity Today (November 2006).
My interest in wanting to read Berry was really piqued when reading Rod Dreher’s Crunchy Cons. Dreher’s vision of a truly faith-informed conservative approach to not only politics but all of life has intrigued me since reading his book. Dreher argues that the modern Republican Party’s definition of conservative politics as tax cuts and business breaks is actually anything but conservative. Instead, the word itself certainly connotates conservation and Dreher argues that many of the things that have come to be associated with “liberals” such as organic foods, care for the environment, etc. actually belong in the conservative camp.
Dreher openly acknowledges his debt to Wendell Berry among others. The Christianity Today article begins:
Wendell Berry defies easy description. His book jackets call him everything from social critic to farmer to conservationist, and he is all of these, though they do not contain him. He is a writer-poet, essayist, and novelist. Everyone from The Progressive to National Review has claimed him.
Asserting the relationship that ought to exist between Christianity and conservationism, Berry says: “What Christians offer is an understanding that the world is not ours, that we are not the ones that give things value.” But, Berry says, “The church and all of our institutions have failed to oppose the destruction of the world.” This is a powerful indictment that I have been thinking much on since reading it a few days ago.
Christians ought to be at the forefront of conservation efforts, we (should have) a vested interest in the environment and we should live by the understanding that it is not ours, we are stewards and we will one day be called to give an account. Yet it seems, and I realize that stereotypes fall short, that many professing Christians find themselves politically and pracitcally aligning themselves with the very forces that do the environment the most harm. Many have come to associate Christianity with a free-market economy to the point that we’re willing to let the environment be destroyed as long as no one’s economic rights to expand are questioned.
I witnessed much of this first-hand last year in Tanzania. One of the things that many of the missionaries are trying to instill in the people is a care for the land as part of a larger biblical worldview. Deforestation has literally destroyed much of the land. Rather than care for the soil, many people simply burn the land which will produce fresh vegetation. The problem is that the soil becomes depleted and though there is fresh vegetation for a short time, it is only for a short time, it is unhealthy and it is more difficult to grow the next time.
In Berry’s perspective, the fact that “The church and all of our institutions have failed to oppose the destruction of the world” means that not only are we complicit but that we are also guilty. While we might debate the severity of Berry’s sentiments, what we cannot argue is that, at least in part, he is right that we have not opposed nearly enough. I am personally convicted that my family does not recycle as we ought to, we do not typically buy our produce either locally or organically. While these are small steps, they are steps and Christians must be willing to examine everything we do in light of the Gospel.
The biblical worldview asserts that mankind has been placed on the earth to act as God’s stewards and in a sense, His gardeners. Instead we have depleted natural resources and generated nearly unmanagable waste. Though there is debate about the reality of “global warming,” it is clear that the glaciers surrounding Mt. Kilimanjaro have shrunk, much soil now requires years to replenish, we are losing trees faster than they are growing and we are not caring for the earth as we should.
Christians must begin to think of the Gospel as a message that affects not only the whole person, but the whole creation. Paul says in Romans 8:18-25 that creation itself groans to be freed from the bondage of sin. What are we doing to loose those bonds and break those chains?
- Read Wendell Berry
- Read Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher
- Read The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Like the Rest of the World? by Ron Sider
- Subscribe to Christianity Today
Posted in Christian Living, Culture, Theology
November 15th, 2006 at 8:43 am
I just went and listened to Wendell Berry here in Louisville at the Festival of Faiths (which is a whole ‘nother topic for discussion). He was dialoguing with a Buddhist monk (which is a whole ‘nother ‘nother discussion!). While I found the setting and dialogue to be a bit off the wall, Berry himself is a very intriguing character who should be heard. He was talking about technology, and how we have too much technology for our own good. I wish more people could be exposed to his type of thinking. Thanks for the good post.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Always interesting, Brent. I’ll piggyback the issue a bit if you don’t mind.
One needs to realize that choosing sides in “conservation” is not always as it seems. Many of us have grown up with the image that big business/capitalism is the great destroyer of the planet. While this view is a vital part of the environmentalist worldview, I’m convinced that much of the movement’s underpinnings owe more to an anti-capitalist economic agenda than genuine concern for the earth. Communism and socialism have failed in the economic arena, so its champions are forced to carry the torch elsewhere, including environmentalism and wherever they can ride Bono’s coattails. (Picture those ignoramus musicians screaming “Justice!” at the Live8 concerts.)
Socialism trusts in the goodness of men’s hearts to keep people clothed/fed, conserve natural resources, and to advance the human condition. As Christians we understand why this trust in man leads to disaster. Under communist regimes, dictators plunder while everyone else is hopeless. Apart from fear and force, there is no incentive but to work for others or avoid adding to their misery by poaching natural resources. Countless countries around the globe remain in shambles as a result of current or past socialism. I’m certainly no expert on Tanzania, but wouldn’t its environmental failures make sense in this light? See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Nyerere
Capitalism trusts in man’s self interest to keep people clothed/fed, conserve natural resources, and to advance the human condition. The results are nothing short of amazing. Self-interested men begin serving each other (albeit outwardly). Marvelous technologies are created so that we can yield maximum benefit from natural resources while minimizing negative impact. Americans enjoy a level of prosperity and comfort unparalleled in the history of the world. Do we waste too much? Certainly, but the solution is to involve more self-interested capitalists, not less. Living in Arizona, I can point to the 400,000 acres of forests that burned recently because the so-called environmentalists kept the capitalists from thinning the forest.
Ultimately, neither socialism not capitalism produce true holiness before God. Without God’s work in our hearts, both systems leave us concerned primarily with material things. However, there’s no contest in which system produces the best life for its people. That matters to me.
Can you blame me for being suspect when I see this new crop of “evangelical” environmentalists? If socialism can so easily animate the environmental movement then why couldn’t it cloak itself in theological terms? (Not a comment on Crunch Cons per se: I’ve only had time to hear an interview with him.)
Likewise, we must realize that there are many capitalist materialists who are just as pleased to co-opt Christian language for their selfish ends. Let’s pray that our pastors are so busy preaching Christ and Him crucified that there is no room for pontificating about the lowering the capital gains tax or global warming.
November 15th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Jim, as always, thanks for the comments. It’s interesting that you bring up socialism in general and Julius Nyerere in particular, for that is very much part of the current plight for Tanzania. To a large degree, socialism robbed many of the people of any incentive to work and/or care for the resources.
While I’m no expert on the “crunchy con” movement (if you can call it that), I don’t think it’s pushing for a move away from capitalism. It’s still firmly entrenched in a “market economy” approach but calling for a reigning in of the “big business” approach that the Republican party has so easily lent itself to in recent years. I may be wrong, but after reading Dreher’s book, I certainly didn’t feel that he was pushing for socialism over a capitalist approach.
November 15th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Brent,
Good post. Berry was one of those authors that everyone I respected read, but I had never read him. He doesn’t have the mass market, consumer appeal, which is ashame on one hand because he has very important things to say…and yet, he’s probably glad that he’s not the next best seller. I have been working my way through his book, Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community.
Great stuff. He is very convicting on many levels, from the things you touch on regarding conservation…and I am convicted about the issues of a capitalistic economy (not all aspects, but many of them) and how that affects us as well.
Thanks for posting this…
Rhett
November 15th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
“Socialism trusts in the goodness of men’s hearts to keep people clothed/fed, conserve natural resources, and to advance the human condition.”
And capitalism trusts in the greed in men’s hearts to keep people clothed/fed, nature tended, etc… Hardly a reasonable response either.
But with that aside, I heartily endorse Wendell Berry. At our church (also in Louisville) he is one of our patron saints.
He is highly readable (usually) and an artist in fiction, poetry and essay-work.
I was first hooked when I read “What are People For?”, a book of essays, and later sold when I read, “A Continuous Harmony” and have never read anything by him that I haven’t loved. Definitely read his fictional stories about Port Royall, beginning with “Fidelity.”
Sorry, big fan. Overzealous fan.
A couple of quotes and I’m out of here:
“Communists and capitalists alike, “liberal” and “conservative” capitalists alike, have needed to replace religion with some form of determinism, so that they can say to their victims, “I am doing this because I can’t do otherwise. It is not my fault. It is inevitable.” The wonder is how often organized religion has gone along with this lie.”
“An economy based on waste is inherently and hopelessly violent, and war is its inevitable by-product. We need a peaceable economy.”
“Practice resurrection…”
November 15th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Thanks all for the interaction.
Dan, I hope you took time to read the next paragraph where I almost word for word echoed your sentiment of:
“And capitalism trusts in the greed in men’s hearts to keep people clothed/fed, nature tended, etc… Hardly a reasonable response either.”
The wonderful thing about capitalism is that it turns greed, yes even sinful greed, into a force for real benefit for mankind. I don’t see what’s unreasonable about that. What’s unreasonable is pretending that man is not self-interested and greedy. I never said capitalism produces righteousness; it just recognizes that people’s love of self and money is ingrained into their nature while the love of neighbor is alien and rare. You can’t change the leopard’s spots, you gotta let a leopard be a leopard.
My favorite book on the subject is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I think her philosophy is severely lacking in many regards, but on this one point it is spot on.
Peace out.
November 15th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Oh yeah, and preach the gospel to that leopard.
November 15th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
This guy could single-handedly refute my arguments about the relative merits of capitalism. Fast forward 50 seconds in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhYg_7e3X54
November 16th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
“The wonderful thing about capitalism is that it turns greed, yes even sinful greed, into a force for real benefit for mankind.”
I wonder what could capitalism do with sinful lust? Or how about a little sinful genocide? Could it redeem those two by capitalizing on their inherent flaws to produce a strength?
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”
~James
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have…”
~Hebrews 13:5
November 16th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Great post, Brent. I’m in the middle of Berry’s book “Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community”.
November 17th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Let’s keep focused, Dan. You’re putting up some straw men that could take a long time to clear away. I never argued that God is pleased by mere capitalism or that he would overlook the use of inherently evil means because material good was achieved, such as in the case of a pornographer feeding and clothing his kids. I am arguing for capitalism as morally acceptable system that is demonstrably superior in advancing the human condition.
Would you posit that socialism makes human beings or their condition any better?
If we focus on the question of work, let’s examine three options:
1) Don’t work or work half-heartedly since the government is there to compensate for you.
2) Work hard out of mere self interest for the material rewards.
3) Work as though you are working for the Lord, knowing that he blesses you beyond the material provision.
We know that our world would be best if all people worked in faith as in option 3. That philosophy of work won’t rule until the Lord returns. Whatever is not done in faith is sin, so what are we left with? The last two options both have humanity remaining in sin, but are we really to believe that it makes no difference in our world whether people choose option one or option two? Aren’t we all better off if the governing economic system justly influences them to work hard?
Noted author, speaker, and expert on socialism Dennis Prager sums it up well, “Socialism makes people worse.” It marginalizes the wonderful calling to work that God designed us for and undermines our character.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/03/socialism_makes_people_worse.html
Trust me, I’ve walked the streets of Russia (back in the ‘ole Soviet days) and personally witnessed people waiting in lines for basic necessities only to find store shelves empty. The “cars” that the fortunate few citizens owned were more like lawnmowers with a shell. They would have made the mini Cooper look like a Ford Excursion! At the same time, government officials drove big sleek Volgas. You would be severely mistaken to believe the Soviet system somehow purged people of their basic self interest.
Lastly, let’s be very careful about counting ourselves as either on the side of the rich or the poor. God is no respecter of persons in that regard, so neither should we. Instead we should all be reminded to turn from our natural love of money to a love of God and neighbor. For those who have been blessed with money or power, the Bible has a warning of special accountability for all that you’ve been given, and you are not to oppress the poor. Most every American is rich in comparison to the rest of the world. Let’s realize what we’ve been given, respond with thankfulness, and pray that we would behave in a manner worthy of it.
November 18th, 2006 at 12:19 am
1. I’m not advocating in favor of socialism. To suggest that would be erecting a strawman to knock down instead of dealing with what I’ve said.
2. I realize we all in the West are amongst the wealthy.
3. The Bible has a great deal to say about wealth and poverty and most of it quite alarming for those with wealth.
“Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?…Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court?” -James 2
“Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.” -James 5
These are some harsh words. And that theme is repeated throughout the Bible. Some make the argument that God does indeed side with the poor against wealthy oppressors. Reading passages such as this throughout the Bible makes that a strong argument.
4. My only point, which I was trying to do humorously, was to point out that to argue that capitalism capitalizes on greed to make a good is not very sound policy.
I apologize for helping us stray so far off topic, I’ll stop straying further.
November 19th, 2006 at 12:47 am
I’ve been thinking about similar things (namely how capitalism IS all about greed, but socialism/communism is obviously not the solution).
It seems to me that the Gospel is, among other things, about how we can be free from the enslavement of this world, including from economic systems based on greed or the goodness of our own hearts. And we’re freed by submitting not only to Christ, but more importantly (economically) to each other. And we’re equipped to make those sacrifices by the Holy Spirit.
At least, this is how it seems to me that things ought to be.
I think you’re on to something, Brent, talking about the small steps your family can take. I think it’s easy to have a defeatist attitude about the entire thing, to think ‘the whole world’s enslaved to capitalism or socialism, so I might as well live my life as normally as I can and do what I can w/in the system.’ But if we can all make small changes in the way we do things, things will slowly start to change. Recycling becomes normal for your kids and mine, and 35 years from now, when their generation is running our towns, they’ll have an innate belief that recycling is a necessity, not an extra.
I know that environmental issues don’t correspond 1:1 with economic issues, but I think we can all agree that they’re tied together pretty closely.
I think we can do things to make a difference, to make things more like they ought to be, to make the Kingdom more evident; that’s an economic, environmental, and everything issue.
November 19th, 2006 at 6:56 am
Providing opportunities and an environment where enrtepreneurship is encouraged is desirable. Capitalism is not in and of iself evil but it is not also the end-all, be-all.
Unions are useful if they work to keep people from being employed in unhealthy conditions. That is how they got their start. Of course corruption was soon on the heels of unions. $50 an hour for some guy or gal to put nut “A” on bolt “B” is nothing more than gang-land tactics.
Christian stewardship of the “whole of creation” is a sound practice. We are given sound minds and with those sound minds we can discover how to employ the resources of the world while insuring the replenishing of those very same resources.
Christians should be at the forefront. I personally do not place any stock in a revitalization of the Republican Party. I don’t place any trust in kings and rulers. We have seen what that has gotten us.
The Republicans still don’t get it. They have abandonded the conservative cause and a third party may be viable when enough conservatives lend their effort into it.
I have created a Wiki to discuss and plan for this. What would the platform look like? Who would potential candidates be?
If you want to contribute go to http://ur.wiki.com/Home and join us in discussion. Contribute your ideas for what you would like to see as a viable alternative to the “still lost in the dark” Republican Party.
As people who are to proclaim liberty throughout the land we can lead this and find ourselves in compliance with the second great commandment of loving our neighbor as ourselves by preserving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I see no profit in trying to revive a party which is as dead and rotting as a tree that has fallen in the forest.