Lasting Lessons from Living Off the Land

During my growing-up years on the farm, I learned important moral and ethical lessons that became a foundation for my adult life.  As I explained in an earlier blog (Click HERE.), I was enlightened morally and ethically by the discipline of loving parents who pointed me on my path to God.  At first, I frequently needed the application of force to my back-end, both at home and at school.  Gradually, my growing respect for human authority led me to recognize my responsibility to an even higher Authority-- the God of all creation.

As I advanced in education, I learned that God reveals His dominion over creation in ways that are obvious to all.  For example, the existence of the Law of Gravity became obvious after several painful encounters.  Less obvious are laws of creation discoverable through scientific inquiry (e.g. laws of heredity and genetics).  These understandings eventually led me to recognize and adopt the principle of stewardship of my God-given gifts of time, talents, and treasures. 

At age 61, I became a blogger and named my blog, “Oikonomia.”  This odd word comes from the Greek word for stewardship, οἰκονομία, pronounced oy-kon-om-ee'-ah which combines oikos (Greek, “house”) and nomos (“to manage”).  This derivation gives us our English word, “economy,” suggesting that every “house” or “system” functions according to an “economy” based on certain laws or rules of order.  The “house” can be any system that requires management such as a farm, any private corporation, or civil government.

The concept of stewardship offers an ideal picture or model of how we ought to think and act; namely, as servant stewards and managers of God’s creation in keeping with His revelation in the Bible, and His natural revelation within the created order (Romans 1: 20).   Since 2008, Oikonomia has been addressing topics of science, faith, and culture based on the Christian stewardship model.  Here in this blog, we will consider whether principles of stewardship and free market capitalism are adequate to address what appear to be a widening gap between the materially rich and the poor.  Or, is it time for us to try another economic system, such as socialism and communism?

Back to my early life, what better place is there than a farm to learn that we are stewards within a “system” that operates by certain laws which require our respect in order to live and flourish?   Using the farm as our example, we will now enumerate some of the principles and values that should characterize good stewardship of any “house:”
1)  My Father’s World
2)  Hand of God’s Providence
3)  Respect for the Order of Creation
4)  Merit-based Privileges
5)  No Free Lunch
6)  Delayed Gratification
7)  Rewards of a Fruitful Harvest
8)  Responsibility to Share with Others

My Father’s World
When I was a young preschool farm boy, my physical world was the farm.  To me, my father was the “lord of the farm.”  He urged me politely and, if necessary, by “persuasion,” to join in the discipline of completing my farm chores responsibly.  My father taught me to work hard and live responsibly.  I was motivated by his example as I worked with him.  He was strong but he also worked with considerable arthritic pain which motivated me all the more to help him “carry the load” of farm work.

When Sunday came, we refrained as much as possible from our labor and our family worshiped God with other people of faith.  My father was accustomed to teach and pray within our assembly, and he tried to live a godly life during the week.  I now realize that my parents’ choice to lead us in faithfully attending church and serving God was a valuable example for me as I eventually married and established priorities in my family.

Among other things, my father taught me the necessary skills of feeding and caring for our large flock of chickens; and gathering, washing, grading, and boxing eggs to sell.  I kept meticulous records from day to day and tallied the income from each dozen sold either at our home or in local grocery stores.  Our farm also produced young Holstein heifers which we sold to dairy farmers; and we grew wheat, corn, oats, and cantaloupes which we sold either in town or at our roadside market.

Hand of God’s Providence
Gradually, I learned that while our family depended upon the income from our work on the farm, our farm in turn was part of the much larger world beyond our 200 acres of land.  Our income from the sale of the products of our labor depended upon the willingness and financial means of our buyers to purchase them.  Our buyers in turn were subjects of the conditions in the larger economy and policies within which they had to operate.  I was humbled to think of the complexity of the market economy and even more humbled to realize that my Father and our farm was only a tiny speck in the larger oikos operating under the providential hand of our Heavenly Father.

The concept of stewardship has no basis without a foundation of faith and recognition of our dependence upon a providential God who owns and sustains His creation.  He is the “Giver of every good and perfect gift that comes down from above” (James 1: 17).  It is this benevolent God who has appointed us to be good stewards of the Earth (Genesis 2: 15).  Psalm 65: 9 declares: 
You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
   You greatly enrich it;
The stream of God is full of water;
   You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.

Respect for the Order of Creation
As we have discussed elsewhere [Click HERE.], God’s call to Adam was to till (serve) and keep (preserve) the Garden.  Even before I learned the Hebrew meaning of “till and keep,” I was privileged to be part of tilling and keeping the soil of our farm.  We practiced contour farming, crop rotation, and application of livestock and “green manure,” all of these in keeping with the created order and sound ecological principles.  By practicing sustainable farming as it is now called, we were blessed to receive a bountiful harvest during most years.

Reflecting back on my adolescent development as a farm boy under the influence of my father, I am thankful for how he respected the natural order as relates to what is fitting at each stage of my growth and development.  He refrained from requiring too much of me as an elementary school age laborer whether it be pacing my involvement in handling farm machinery or in my understanding of sexuality.  For example, during my pre-adolescent years, my father would assign chores to direct me away from the stable area where our prize Holstein bull was called into action to service a receptive heifer.  Part of my maturing as a young man was to be invited to help in this process as well as to have conversations about gender and sexuality. I now realize the importance of the family unit as God’s plan for helping young lives understand their identity and purpose.

Merit-Based Privileges
Most of the advancements that I experienced as I grew older on the farm were privileges afforded based on my being responsible for lesser assignments.  Today, we hear much about “merit-based” employment, pay, and promotion; and we also hear of the tragic consequences of employing unqualified or inexperienced individuals.  Jesus said, He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much (Luke 16: 10). 

Expectations placed upon me as a farm boy served in the development of my moral and ethical conscience.  When I shirked my duties or did not give my best effort, I was not afraid of physical punishment as much as dreading the sense that I had disappointed my father.  Since those days, I have come to believe that “the fear of the Lord” above all means to “fear causing grief to my Lord” by my moral failings without repentance.  “Working out our salvation” (Philippians 2: 12) does not mean that salvation is merit-based; Christ has already paid the price for our justification (Romans 5: 1).  He has set us free to walk in the power of His Spirit so that “His commands are not burdensome” and we can do those things pleasing in His sight (1 John 3: 22).

No Free Lunch
We have already cited Genesis 2: 15 which contains God’s command that humans are to “till and keep” the Garden.  Already in Genesis 1 we see God Himself working and then resting from His work.  The Judeo-Christian faith does not condone lazy or slothful behavior.  The Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonian church, if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat (1 Thessalonians 3: 10b).

There was always work to do on our farm.  While we trusted God to provide the sunshine and rain for our crops, it was our responsibility to plow the soil, plant the seed, and provide the necessary nutrients and cultivation necessary for a successful harvest.  Our survival as a farm family depended upon the annual income from our harvests.  We were reminded of our daily dependence because our fields and garden provided much of the food for our kitchen table and income to purchase the rest.

I learned from farm life that there is no “free lunch” in this life.  I also learned this principle from a classic story, The Little Red Hen, which has been told and retold in different versions.  What follows is similar to the version I read as a boy:

“Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat.

She called her neighbors and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"

"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.

The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.

At last, it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.

She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbors to see. Then, the little red hen as was her habit said,

"Who will help me eat the Bread?"
"I will," said the cow.
"I will," said the duck.
"I will," said the pig.
"I will," said the goose.
"I will," said the little red hen, but you will NOT!

The fundamental importance of being a diligent worker is realized not only on farm and factory; but it is also evident throughout the natural order of creation as we observe the creatures great and small.   Proverbs 6: 6 and following points us to the ant as a revelation of a “work ethic” in non-human creatures (see quote on Right):

Delayed Gratification
The farm is also a great place to learn the virtue of patience.  The Apostle James used a farm analogy to teach patience: The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains (James 5: 7).  The Middle Eastern farmer has to wait for the “early rains” to soften the soil for planting; then patiently wait for the “late rains” in the Spring to mature the crop.

When my farm chores were finished, I loved to read, so I loved to collect books.  I was thrilled when a local grocery chain began to sell The Golden Book Encyclopedia (Western Printing and Lithographing Company, 1960).  One volume was made available each week.  So, I had to patiently wait (sometimes straining to my limit) to get home from school to learn whether mom and dad had brought the next volume home.  My weekly wait was well worth it in the short-term and has taught me the blessing of delayed gratification in many areas of my marriage and professional life.  Indeed, now that I am old, my anticipation of Heaven’s glory has become my greatest joy.

Rewards of a Fruitful Harvest
Patiently waiting for gratification is a major part of crop farming.  For example, raising 4 acres of cantaloupes each year employed us in planting, thinning, hoeing and weeding from the time school ended in the spring until the harvest in August.  When we were tempted to sample a cantaloupe without waiting until it had ripened, we were greeted with a flat, unpleasant taste.  But when the melons were ripe, my cousin and I would whip out our pocket knives and feast on any delicious melon that was not perfect enough for market.  All of the blood, sweat, and tears of our summer labor in the fields was richly rewarded by the harvest.

When I married Abby, God blessed us with a family, and eventually after patiently waiting, we were able to own enough land to have a large garden.  We were able to teach our children, Bradley and Melinda, some of the lessons we had learned from our farm backgrounds.  While digging potatoes and snapping beans were not their favorite chores, the rewards of fresh green beans, corn on the cob, and fried okra on our dinner table reminded us of God’s bountiful provision and reward for our labors.

Responsibility to Share with Others
The Christian faith calls us not only to be thankful for the bounty of God’s provision whether from the farm or from a garden in the city.  In rural communities like ours, it was common for neighbors to share the harvest of fruits, vegetables, etc. with one another or even pay for services with products from farm or garden.

In recent times, churches in our experience offer a harvest table where members can share from their bounty with others in the Body of Christ.  The account of the early church in the Book of Acts describes how the believers were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need (Acts 2: 44-45).  These believers faced considerable rejection and persecution but their selfless, voluntary generosity became a powerful testimony to unbelievers and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved (v. 47).

Christianity and Capitalism
I have shared eight (8) stewardship principles contained within the lessons that I began to learn during my experience on the farm.  I am still learning from such character-building experiences.  These principles have followed me into my old age and into a culture that is vastly different from that of my growing-up years.  Our family farm was nested in an agrarian community in which the majority of families at least professed faith in God and loved the freedoms and opportunities offered in our country.  I have explained how important our faith in God’s providence was to our family values, worship, and work ethic.

Many of these truths are among those our Founding Fathers considered “self-evident truths” which are famously listed in the Declaration of Independence; namely “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.”  Our Founders understood that it is God who established the created order and desires that each person flourish by practicing personal initiative and good stewardship of their time, talents, and treasures in order to benefit from the opportunities they receive from the hand of Providence and from caring people serving in various capacities.  When these stewardship qualities are exercised, they have resulted in an economy based on free market capitalism—an economy based on individual freedom of choice, right to hold private property, advancement based on merit, profit motive, competition, and justice and the rule of law.

Christianity Counterfeited?
God has revealed in His Word that we are created in His image (Genesis 1: 27) with the capacity to express love toward Him and to our neighbor.  But Genesis 3 reveals that we are fallen creatures who although professing to be wise, act like fools (Romans 1:  22).  We are capable of loving God and others, and we discern when there is injustice and inequity among us.  But our efforts to solve our problems often ignore our need for transformation of heart and mind (Romans 12: 1-3).  Our well-meaning intentions lead us into a godless, humanistic approach to solving perceived social injustices.  One consequence of excluding God’s truth from the equation is to focus on the material world as expressed in an atheistic, materialistic worldview.   

Those who aspire to a materialistic worldview point to free market capitalism as the cause of the widening gap between the rich and the poor.  They propose to close the gap and remove class distinctions by replacing private ownership of goods and services with a collective ownership and means of production.  The principles of stewardship which I learned from the farm no longer apply:
1)  NOT My Father’s World:  Far from being “lord” or owner of our farm, my father is just a worker of land that is part of a collective; family members are workers, or “comrades.”
2)  NOT the Providential Hand of God:  Rather, we must look to the economic planners who decide what is best based on a supposed scientific understanding of Earth’s climate and weather.
3)  NO Respect for the Order of Creation:   There is no Creator; human needs and behaviors are understood as instincts that have evolved to favor survival.
4)  “NO Free Lunch” is replaced with “Free Lunch” for those who are deemed the oppressed and who deserve special “help” and, retribution if deemed necessary.
5)  NO Delayed Gratification as long as the collective can supply our material wants “now.”
6)  NO Merit-based Privileges:  they are the cause of unwanted class distinctions
7)  Rewards of a Fruitful Harvest consist of equal returns for all regardless of the labor invested.
8)  Responsibility to Share with Others – NOT from generous hearts, but enforced by the collective

Ben Shapiro has pointed out that socialism has its own moral flaws: “Socialism violates at least three of the Ten Commandments: It turns government into God, it legalizes thievery, and it elevates covetousness.  Discussions of income inequality, after all, aren't about prosperity but about petty spite. Why should you care how much money I make, so long as you are happy?”

But Hasn’t Capitalism Failed?
In spite of known failings of socialism and communism, many today have lost faith in free market capitalism.  After all, the rich seem to get richer while affordability of housing and other basic needs seem more and more a distant dream.  Many who profess faith in God condemn the wealthy and corporations while calling for a more just distribution of wealth.  How can a sincere Christ-follower believe in capitalism?  Where is the church of Christ in the face of so much inequity in our society and around the world?

We have addressed the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism and socialism in an earlier blog entitled “There’s No Such Thing as Private Property” [Click HERE.]  However, we believe it is correct to say that God’s purpose for His Church through Christ’s death and resurrection is His best and only plan for redemption of fallen man.  Likewise, there is no better economic system than capitalism to allow the freedom in which humans can respond to their calling to steward their God-given abilities in creative and cooperative ways for the betterment of others and their own livelihood.  But like the church, capitalism can become corrupt and fall into ill repute when the principles of God's Word are ignored and selfishness rules.

John R.W. Stott, in writing about authentic Christianity, gave this example: 

"There was a Hindu professor in India who once identified one of his students as a Christian and said to him: “If you Christians lived like Jesus Christ, India would be at your feet tomorrow.” I think India would be at their feet today if we Christians lived like Christ.  From the Islamic world, the Reverend Iskandar Jadeed, a former Arab Muslim, has said “If all Christians were Christians—that is, Christlike—there would be no more Islam today.”²

 Perhaps we could add, “If all Christians were Christians—that is, Christlike, there would be no need for government welfare programs and no fascination toward socialism or communism."

Today, relatively few boys and girls have the opportunity to grow up on a farm where they can learn the basic principles I have outlined in this blog.  However, if children are introduced to Jesus Christ and their faith is nurtured in a Christian home with the aid of a healthy local church, they will have opportunity to mature in like manner regardless of their culture.  May we who profess Christ be truly Christlike in our needy world.

Reference:
¹ The Little Red Hen, An Old English Folk Tale was modified from The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Little Red Hen, by Florence White Williams

² Stott, John R.W. 2009.  “Becoming More Like Christ.”   C.S. Lewis Institute.  Click HERE.

    Read or listen to a more expanded version of The Little Red Hen.  Click HERE.

Humility in Science and Politics

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.  – Psalm 19: 1, 7

I sat in silence before God and His creation as I observed the beautiful sunrise over Lake Howard in Winter Haven, FL.  The march of brilliant gold and orange hues across the expanse of the morning sky above and the still waters of the lake below seemed to swallow me in the glory of God all around me. 

Sunrise over Lake Howard in Winter Haven, Florida

Beneath my perch on the boat dock, the water was coming alive through the movements of many tiny creatures awakening to the warmth of the sun’s rays. The shallow water teemed with algae, protozoa, and arthropods.  Fish swam amid the littoral grasses and blooming pickerelweed.  A pair of ducks creased the golden glassy surface of the lake as they swam effortlessly in front of me.  Overhead, hundreds of martins and a few herons and ibises graced the sky.

While a myriad of biotic interactions of Lake Howard responded to the rising sun, the sound of automobile and truck traffic around the lake reminded me of the human population of Winter Haven.  Commuters, tourists, and seasonal migrants (“snowbirds”) interact with the natural and built landscape around the lake, each one contributing to the local economy.  My mind drifted to thoughts of the complexity of the “still somewhat free market” economy of America.  I was humbled and awed once again by its capacity to provide goods and services in spite of the tendency of humans toward greed and depravity.  Adam Smith attributed the seemingly unexplainable workings of the market economy to an “invisible hand.”

Now, the sun has appeared at the horizon to my right and I must shift my gaze away from it lest the energy of its life-giving rays damage the visual receptors of my eyes.  I was reminded that many times in Scripture, men have responded to the glory of God with reverent fear lest they “see God and die” (e.g. Exodus 24:9-11).  Likewise, we must respect the workings of God’s creation, learning to fear and respect the power of sun, torrential rain, lightning, tornado, fire, and hurricane.  Each of these fearsome elements of the Earth are necessary in some form to support life.  But they each must have our humble respect if we are to avoid death.

Although no human can fully comprehend the complex workings of either an ecosystem or an economic system, we have been honored by our Creator as appointed stewards of both.  Today, the economy (from oikonomia (Gr.) = “management of a household”) looms large as a determiner of how humans interact with the creation, the so-called “natural world.”  Whereas, in pre-industrial days, most people interacted directly with the forces of nature to obtain food, clothing, and shelter, today most people interact through numerous and complex interactions of the market economy—still influenced by “the invisible hand.”

As the sun now shines above the lake, I am being serenaded by redwing blackbirds and warblers who, like my wife and I, are enjoying this warm, southern latitude before migrating north.  As egrets, ibises, and herons fly across Lake Howard, their vocal expressions join with the sounds of the bustling economy of Winter Haven.  I am humbled, though not nearly enough, at the thought of how blessed I am as an American to have freedom and access to essential elements for life and many amenities besides.

Whether necessity or amenity, each of our goods and services are procured and supplied by people willing to submit to a daily schedule of work and rest.  In return, each worker is rewarded with some wage or salary based on economic and ethical considerations of their employers.  In somewhat like manner, each nonhuman creature of Lake Howard must also labor to obtain food and shelter while avoiding nearby predators.  The reward for the effort of each nonhuman creature is food and survival for another hour, or another day.

Upon contemplating the rising of the sun, the awakening of an aquatic ecosystem, and the onset of another day of labor for farmers, fishermen, homemakers, teachers, health care workers, scientists, lawyers, and corporate executives, I sit in awe that our civilization functions as well as it does.  Who can comprehend the awesomeness of the threads holding it together?  And at the heart of it all is an essential element of moral and ethical commitment to love and respect our neighbor as ourselves.  Each worker has an essential daily role-- the mother who packs lunches and sees her children off to school, the bus driver who provides safe transportation, and the computer programmer who maintains essentials like traffic control, power grids, telecommunication, law enforcement, and national defense.

As I reflect on the wonder and complexity that has unfolded in front of me on this winter morning at the shore of a Florida lake, I am not only humbled, but I am also confronted with many questions.  What then should be the attitude of one who exercises “steward leadership” in our scientific and technological society?  Wouldn’t he recognize the complexity of creation, the challenge it is to quantify and model complex processes and interactions, and our proneness to error?  Wouldn’t she recognize the tendency to view creation in too narrow of terms that must give away to deeper understanding—e.g. recall how classical, Newtonian physics was expanded to quantum physics; or in genetics, the transition from “heritability of acquired characteristics” to Mendelian genetics?  In regard to the latter, is he or she aware of the pitfall of Lysenkoism, defined metaphorically as the manipulation or distortion of the scientific process as a way to reach a predetermined conclusion as dictated by an ideological bias, often related to social or political objectives.  [See “Imagination that Contradicts the Reality of Science” Where I have noted how Trofim Lysenko diminished Russian progress in genetics because communist ideology bedded down with bad science.]

Considering the complexity of creation and human proneness to err in even the best science, steward leaders in science must insist on rigorous and repeated hypothesis testing, while providing for open communication and peer review of results in a scientific atmosphere free from “manipulation or distortion of the scientific process” for political gain.  For example, it is particularly disheartening to hear sweeping or derogatory statements about “climate change” from political leaders who know little about the challenge of modeling Earth’s climatology and predicting future climate trends.  Sec. John Kerry’s recent statement on climate change promotes Lysenkoism (metaphorically speaking) because he offers predetermined conclusions as dictated by ideological bias.  His derogatory tone discourages the open discourse necessary for scientific advancement of our understanding of Earth’s climate:

Climate change can now be considered another weapon of mass destruction, perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction… We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific facts.

A February morning at Lake Howard in Winter Haven, FL

Secretary Kerry’s leadership influence on climate science illustrates the urgent need for responsible steward leadership in federal, state, and local government?   Returning to my ponderings on Lake Howard, I thought about the role of steward leaders in government.  Are our “civil servants” aware of the depth of responsibility and opportunity as stewards to “do good” toward their constituents?  Do they even care?  Are they aware of the history of America which, though strewn with the evidence of the depravity of all humankind, is also strewn with evidence of great sacrifice, hard work, and faithful stewardship on the part of little known Americans?  Do our political leaders remember why our founding fathers structured our federal and state governments with checks and balances to avoid concentrating power in the hands of one or a few?  Indeed, do our political leaders remember that our rights come from Almighty God above and not from government--a government of the people, by the people, and for the people?   Finally, do they realize that, given the universal sin and depravity of mankind, laws must be justly enforced and due process of the law carried out to resist corruption of our institutions—homes, churches, schools, industries, governments, and financial institutions? 

The sun is now “climbing” in the sky above me and another day has begun not only along the shores of Lake Howard but all across the globe.  Suddenly, I’m reminded of Job’s response after hearing God speak:

I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.' – Job 42: 2-4

Lord, I too have spoken of “things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”  I am only one of your creatures among many, both human and non-human creatures—all depending on your grace and provision.  Help me to do my part as a humble steward of the opportunities you have afforded to me; and, help me begin by loving you with all my heart, soul, and mind; and loving my neighbor as myself.  Amen.

Stewardship of “God’s Economy” – Reverent Discernment of His Word and World

The Greatest Teacher often pointed to His creation to illustrate important principles or to reveal God’s nature and purposes.  To his anxious followers, Jesus said, “look at the birds” and “consider the beautifully arrayed flowers” (Matthew 6: 26, 28).  He pointed to the vine (John 15: 5) and the fig tree to teach fruitfulness (Matthew 21: 19-20).

Today, there are plenty of reasons to be anxious and pout about our circumstances, or point fingers at Washington or our parents or spouses or pastors rather than take individual responsibility.  But we often face a second challenge – stewarding the Earth at a time when we seem to have limitless power and ability to alter creation from the ocean depths to the atmosphere above.  We use technology’s tools to mine the treasures of God’s creation in search of a satisfaction that material pursuits alone cannot deliver.  Instead, God is calling His stewards to “mine” His creation and His special revelation in the Scriptures with a disposition of reverent discernment that we might learn and exercise our individual responsibility toward Him, toward our neighbor, and toward His creation.

Won’t you join me in an exercise of “mining” creation-- thoughtfully considering it as Christ, the Creator, commanded?    Respectful contemplation of creation is warranted because creation belongs to God and is meant to reveal His wisdom and glory. 

 

Let’s get acquainted with three creatures and consider what lessons they might teach us about real stewardship, or oikonomia (hence, our word, “economy.”)  Stewardship in this context is management of a human economy within God’s created order, or Economy (Berry, 1987) with due respect for the laws that govern this Economy for the good of all and the glory of God.  Our panel of three creatures includes Spring Draba, Skunk Cabbage, and Black Bear.  Later, we will meet “Mr. Hourly Wage Earner” who resides in many different cultures.   

Spring Draba is an early-blooming spring wildflower which the 18^th century botanist, Linnaeus, named Draba verna.  In March in SW Ohio, the alert observer can usually find Draba growing in the hard soil of paths or trails, or in the bear spots that interrupt an otherwise smooth, green lawn.  Best if we get on our knees to look carefully-- a good posture for reverent discernment of God’s Economy.  There, you may see Draba, barely the height of the toe of your shoe.  Even then, she reaches this height only when her delicate, white flowers are hoisted on slender, leafless stalks to attract pollinators.   Until flowering time, Draba is only a lowly rosette of tiny leaves covering the otherwise bare soil. 

Spring Draba, Draba verna, with fruits (Fr) developing from the flowers.

Usually by mid-April, tiny Draba has already completed her annual life cycle.  Seeds from the previous year have sprouted and the ground-hugging, leafy rosettes have captured sunlight necessary for growth, flowering, fruiting, and production of new seeds that will be shed to lie dormant until the next Spring.  How does such a tiny flowering plant survive, being relegated to the hard-packed soil and expected to bloom on cold, windswept, March days?

Pretending to understand more than we actually do, botanists claim that Draba is “adapted to its niche,” or “occupation,” through natural selection.  However, some of us would credit a Divine Designer for originating the genetic blueprint which then has passed down through succeeding generations with minor changes through natural selection to become what we call Draba verna. 

Although Draba’s origin is debated, there is no debating the “do or die” situation that Draba faces each year.  Survival depends upon germination of tiny seeds in bare soil each Spring.   The tiny leaves unfold at ground level, the warmest place on blustery March days, to soak up the sunshine necessary for photosynthesis of food to support growth, flowering,  and seed production for the following year.  While still on our knees, we can consider how Draba teaches us individual responsibility to live in harsh places.  But Draba is not the earliest-blooming plant in the Midwest.

In February, long before Draba blooms, I make my annual pilgrimage to a nearby fen (alkaline wetland), often while it is still blanketed with snow.  Careful examination will reveal the pointy, purplish mottled spathes of Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, poking through the snow.   Each spathe is like a sheltering shroud that protects a fleshy, thumb-sized spike of tiny flowers within what amounts to a “warm room” in which pollination can occur. 

Skunk Cabbage:  Spikes of tiny flowers are surrounded by a hood-like "spathe"

What you won’t see on a cold, February day is the massive Skunk Cabbage taproot anchored deep within the wetland soil beneath each pointy spathe.  Here, soil temperatures average 55^o F year-around.  Within the taproot are rich stores of “heating fuel” in the form of carbohydrates stored there during the year before.  When Skunk Cabbage flowers are ready to display mature pollen to insects for pollination, the flower hikes up its “thermostat” and burns stored “carbs” that flow up to the spike from the taproot.  Environmental physiology students and I have measured temperatures as much as 15^o F warmer within the flower spikes than temperatures in the surrounding winter air!   Result?   Apparently, insect pollinators are attracted by the warmth and by the odor that is dispersed by the heat into the surrounding air.  By April, new cabbage-like leaves have emerged and their photosynthesis enables the production of many large seeds and the replenishment of taproot “fuel” for the following year.

Whereas, the Draba’s economy depends upon year-to-year production and germination of tiny seeds, the Skunk Cabbage economy is based on long-term savings and investment in underground energy reserves.   From these reserves it generates heat to accomplish pollination in the winter when there is little competition from other plant species for insect pollinators.   No matter to Skunk Cabbage if a bad year occurs; its taproot will have sufficient energy assets to “hold its ground” until a better year comes.

The Skunk Cabbage reminds me of another creaturely example, the Black Bear, Ursus americanus, common in western North America.  Like Skunk Cabbage, the economy of the Black Bear is based on large energy reserves formed during the summer by a diet that includes storage roots and tubers of plants, nuts, plant shoots and buds, large and small mammals, insects, honey, and salmon.  [Humm!  Would a Black Bear feed on a Skunk Cabbage taproot?] 

Like Skunk Cabbage which overwinters underground with its stored energy in a huge taproot, Black Bears also “go underground” in a den for the winter.   As days become shorter, bears prepare for winter’s food scarcity and cold by extensive foraging which leads to the addition of hundreds of pounds in body fat.  Pregnant female black bears have the additional challenge to their economy.   They must nurture two or more baby bears within their uteri which are then birthed in late winter.  To conserve energy, the Black Bear enters a suitable den to reduce body heat loss; and then, sharply reduces its metabolism to lower body temperature.   Denning and lowering metabolism conserve energy reserves for the bear just like a human family in a well insulated home that lowers its thermostat to save on their energy bill.

Black Bear, Ursus americanus

We have seen how one species, Draba, with relatively small energy reserves, and two larger species, Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear which depend upon huge energy reserves, each take responsibility to prepare for and survive harsh winters and rugged environments.  The energy economy of humans is not all that different from other creatures.  Each must have suitable nutrition, shelter, and social relationships necessary for procreation and nurture of offspring.  However, biblically speaking, humans have been created with vastly superior intellect and ability to enter into more complex social and political relationships that revolve around a monetary economy.

Let’s consider the laborer who earns an income based on an hourly wage or who is paid by contract when a particular task or job is completed.  The survival of many of the world’s workers and their families depends upon hourly or otherwise regular wage-for-work.  The plight of many laborers may be illustrated by the story once told by Ralph and Lucy, our family friends who once served as missionaries in Bangladesh.   Ralph had come upon a heated argument between several laborers, or coolies, along a riverbank.  It seems that at least one coolie was objecting to a request from his superior to unload bags of rice from a truck and onto a boat docked at the riverbank.  Why would a healthy, adult Bengali male refuse this opportunity for employment?

Upon inquiry, Ralph learned that the payment being offered to the coolie in rice grain for food in return for his labor was unacceptable to the man because it offered insufficient caloric value for his service rendered.  Amazingly, this man’s economy had taken into account the calories required to unload the rice from the truck, a task he was willing to do.  But, he refused to move the rice onto the boat in what would have been a smoother, more efficient operation.  Reason?   His payment in calories and nutrition would not have provided sufficient compensation for his bodily work plus extra calories and nutrition needed to feed his family.

This account illustrates the large cultural and economic gap that exists between Asian coolies and most people who read this blog.  The Bengali breadwinner’s economy required literally a day-by-day “balancing of the books” for him and his family to survive.  Few of us can even comprehend such an economy.  Like Draba with her “do-or-die economy” in the harsh soil and cold days of early Spring, many wage-earners must take day-to-day responsibility to support themselves and their loved ones.

We now return to our opening question:  If we agree that God calls us as His stewards to consider  His creation with a disposition of reverent discernment of our individual responsibility toward Him, toward our neighbor, and toward His creation; then, what can we learn from creatures so diverse as Draba, Skunk Cabbage, Black Bear, and a human laborer?   First, we learn the principle of God’s provision.  God provides for His creatures through the Economy of His creation.  All creatures must have a continual supply of energy and nutrition for sustenance.  Draba and Skunk Cabbage rely on sunlight to power their growth and reproduction from inorganic building blocks in the soil and atmosphere.  On the other hand, Black Bear and the human worker consume plants and sometimes meat as food.

Though they are diverse, the Creator has equipped each creature to obtain necessary sustenance according to their niche in the Economy of creation.  No creature can create and sustain life out of inorganic constituents.  Test tube experiments to produce even one living cell have failed, let alone efforts to create and sustain the economy of a whole ecosystem as attempted in the Biosphere 2 project in the Arizona desert in the 1980’s.

God’s special revelation in the book of Job underscores the necessity of His provision for His creation:

            But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you;
              And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
              Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you;
              And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
             Who among all these does not know
             That the hand of the LORD has done this,
             In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
             And the breath of all mankind?  -- Job 12: 7-10 (NASB)

The second principle we learn from the natural revelation through these four kinds of creatures is the principle of individual responsibility for survival and reproduction.   Within the larger Economy of creation, in order to survive, each creature must operate within physical and biological limits that govern its own economy.  Thus, we see Draba being and doing what Draba is designed to be and do; namely, facing the rigors of cold, March days on hard soil to grow and produce seeds for the next year.  

Likewise, the Bengali worker must complete his task for a payment of food that is sufficient for his bodily sustenance with enough extra to feed his family.  On the other hand, the economy of Skunk Cabbage, Black Bear, and many of us includes a means of storing energy or monetary assets that provide a “cushion” against immediate life or death.  However, the principle of individual responsibility still applies in that all creatures must acquire energy and nutrients during the season of opportunity and save extra for an unfavorable season lest they die.

A third principle revealed in Scripture and in creation is the principle of reverent discernment in conservation and restoration.   Successful conservation of the diverse forms of life on Earth must respect the unique requirements and context upon which each species depends for its existence.   Our panel of four creatures can each testify that even well meaning attempts to promote their welfare often represent a violation of natural laws that govern their well being.  For example, let’s help Draba by tilling the soil in those hard-packed, bare-soil spots and then add some nitrogen fertilizer.  Result?   Many of her tiny seeds will be buried too deeply to germinate; and, the increased soil fertility will enable other plant species including lawn grass to invade and occupy the bare spots and make it inhospitable for Draba.  The harsh environment that Draba is designed and adapted to face is the very key to her survival.

Like Draba, both Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear naturally benefit from simply being left alone by well meaning caretakers.  There is a reason that the two plant species have been called “wildflowers” and that Black Bear is considered a “wild animal.”   Attempts to “domesticate” or otherwise alter their natural context have violated the very nature of what they were created to be.

Well meaning attempts in the late 1800’s to conserve the Black Bear in Yellowstone National Park while providing closer access for tourists to observe and feed them led to a conversion of this grand , wild creature from bear to beggar.  As Angela Reese reported in her masters thesis (2007) 

Yellowstone condoned the regulated feeding of bears at these “lunch counters,” and tacitly gave patrons permission to feed bears themselves. Later she adds: Roadside feeding transformed passive spectators into active participants and allowed the park visitor an opportunity for interaction with park wildlife. These visitors became shapers of bears’ lives and behavior (Biel, 2006).

The same well meaning efforts, sometimes in the name of “social justice”, without reverent discernment can be as demeaning and degrading to humankind as it is with wild creatures. Before developing this notion further we must remember both the uniqueness of humankind and the great cultural diversity within Homo sapiens.

The average American has more economic security than many lower-income workers around the world.  Like the Skunk Cabbage and Black Bear, many of us have reserves in our household economies.  Nevertheless, all humans have an individual stewardship responsibility to utilize time, abilities, and opportunities to care for themselves, family, and neighbor.  Responsibility to work is grounded in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures which reveal a Creator Who works and rests.  It follows that God has given mankind a weekly cycle of work (six days) and rest (a Sabbath day) (e.g. Exodus 20: 9-11).   The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 3, that Christians should not lead “an undisciplined life” (verse 6).  Paul’s own economy as a tentmaker underscored his teaching (verses 7-9) as well as his command that “if anyone will not work, neither let him eat” (verses 10-12). 

There is no contradiction in God’s Word between “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19) and “if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.”  We are called to help the helpless; but with a correct definition of helping, one that respects human dignity.  Marvin Olasky (WORLD, 2009) quotes Josephine Lowell, a 19^th century New York City charity leader, who wrote: 

the problem before those who would be charitable, is not how to deal with a given number of poor; it is how to help those who are poor, without adding to their numbers and constantly increasing the evils they seek to cure.  

Olasky further quotes an article in Charities Review, in 1900, in which Edward T. Devine called for charities whose goal was 

not "that poor families should suffer, but that charity should accomplish its purpose." Thoughtless generosity was akin to selfishness if it made charity misfire. Generosity plus discernment was key. 

Throughout history, there have always been people in need of help.  Good stewards are to use reverent discernment to rightly identify God-given abilities and opportunities both for meaningful work and to rightly discern the right ways to help our neighbor when he or she is in need (see Ephesians 4: 28).  Nowhere does the Bible teach that it is the responsibility of government to help of the poor and needy.  The 19^th century charity leader, Amos G. Warner, understood this principle and saw governmental welfare as necessarily more impersonal and mechanical than private charity or individual action (Olasky, 2009).

Today’s news is filled with reports of well meaning efforts by Washington to help the needy while challenging the more fortunate to “pay their fair share.”  Yet Washington’s distance from the diversity of American families, businesses, and local economies, and its “one-size-fits-all approach is like fertilizing Draba or providing food “dumps” for Black Bears.  Result?  A violation of the natural order in which human dignity is often lost and an ever larger percentage of Americans become dependent upon government.

In summary, we can discern from God’s created order that all creatures are dependent upon His Economy.  Second, God has equipped each species to respond by using its genetic and behavioral equipment to “be fruitful and multiply.” Fruitfulness depends upon both individual responsibility and the state of the environment and biotic community within which a given species lives.

Third, any human effort to “help” another species or a neighbor must be guided by reverent discernment of God’s natural and special revelations.  Our father Adam’s first lesson in stewardship was to become acquainted with the other creatures with such detail that he came to understand that his niche was totally different from any other creature (Genesis 2: 15-25).  Likewise, humble discernment is necessary for effective conservation and restoration human communities and local economies.   Conservation of wildlife such as the Black Bear requires more than provision of feeding “dumps” that convert them to beggars.  Likewise, restoration of human dignity and purpose among the needy depends upon short-term assistance that includes assistance and incentives to find meaningful work.  

Conservation and restoration of both mankind and fellow creatures requires knowledge of and attentiveness to the uniqueness of each biotic community and neighborhood; gaining a “sense of place” as described in Oikonomia, Sept. 31, 2011 .   These are the tasks best taken up by responsible members of family and church spheres of authority in cooperation with appropriate local community groups.  

Your comments are always welcome.  My sources and some additional references are listed below.

References:

Berry, Wendell.  1987.  Home Economics.   North Point Press, San Francisco.

Biel, Alice Wondrak. 2006. Do (not) feed the bears: The fitful history of wildlife and tourists in Yellowstone. University Press of Kansas. 186 pgs.

Olasky, Marvin.  2009.   Giving That Worked.   WORLD Magazine, March 14, 2009).

Reese, Angela.   2007.   Addressing Food Conditioning of Cascade Red Foxes in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.   Masters Thesis, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.