Christian Agrarians in "Christianity Today" Magazine

My thanks to Hugh out in Washington State for letting me know of THIS ARTICLE in Christianity Today magazine.

I spoke with the author, Rob Moll, many months ago and figured something had been published already. I pretty much forgot about it.

It is a well-written article, but there is one point I want to clarify. Mr. Moll makes it sound as if all Christian agrarians are farmers. To define, pigeonhole, and limit this “movement” of the Lord to farming only is a big mistake.

There are many, many Christian agrarians out there, myself among them, who are not farmers. Our operations are more homestead oriented. We are industrial world (and industrial culture) contrarians. Our life focus is on faith, family, community, living simply, and working to be less dependent on the industrial/Babylonian system. Most of us choose to leave the urban areas and live in rural surroundings because it best fits the lifestyle we have chosen to pursue. But some Christian agrarians do live in the suburban centers.

Joel Salatin (quoted extensively in the article) has written a great book titled Family Friendly Farming. I think it is his best book. But not all Christians aspiring for the agrarian life can be farmers (at least not right away). Family Friendly Homesteading is the next best thing.

I welcome all Christianity Today readers who are interested in learning more about Christian agrarianism to check out the web site for my book, Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian. The site will take you to a selection of my online Christian agrarian essays, and the writings of other Christian agrarians.

To quickly and easily purchase a copy of Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian, I recommend you go to Cumberland Books.

2 comments:

Yeoman said...

"But not all Christians aspiring for the agrarian life can be farmers"

How true.

I had my own blog at one time (and it was about the only agrarian blog I knew of at the time) reflecting my struggle to leave the law, which I do well, but don't like, and become more of a yeoman. Ultimately, I shut it down for a variety of reasons, one being that it appeared to me that I was never going to really make it. I was then, and still do, raise livestock. More now than then, but as land prices around here go up and up, and the true agricultural parcels get chopped up, I see my dream fading more and more each day. Indeed, most days I don't dream it any longer.

I must still wish for it, however. I still have my cattle, and I check this blog, and some similar ones, every day. Indeed, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that where my blog was once sort of alone, and never fully agrarian by any means, now there are a lot of them, and they are.

Anonymous said...

Hi Herrick,

Cumberland books is fine - tho I've been struggling to source a copy of your books and essays here in the UK or in NZ, my homeland. Not many stockists will ship internationally.

Do you have any suggestions where I could order your books to be shipped to me?

regards, Rudy, London, UK