On February 1, 2020 in Bedford, Virginia we hosted a public reading from the essay by well-known poet, author, essayist, and farmer Wendell Berry entitled: 'Christianity and the Survival of Creation' - from the book Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community. Those who attended were invited into discussion on the views presented.
An excerpt from the essay:
"The conservationist indictment of Christianity is a problem, secondly, because, however just it may be, it does not come from an adequate understanding of the Bible and the cultural traditions that descend from the Bible. The anti-Christian conservationists characteristically deal with the Bible by waving it off. And this dismissal conceals, as such dismissals are apt to do, an ignorance that invalidates it. The Bible is an inspired book written by human hands; as such, it is certainly subject to criticism. But the anti-Christian environmentalists have not mastered the first rule of the criticism of books: you have to read them before you criticize them. Our predicament now, I believe, requires us to learn to read and understand the Bible in the light of the present fact of Creation. This would seem to be a requirement both for Christians and for everyone concerned, but it entails a long work of true criticism--that is, careful and judicious study, not dismissal. It entails, furthermore, the making of very precise distinctions between biblical instruction and the behavior of those peoples supposed to have been biblically instructed..."
This event was hosted by Terra Numa, a Christian ministry focused on becoming holistic followers of Jesus. We host conversations on Creator, Creation, Community, and Culture in the context of whole-life Christian faith.
