Joel Salatin has committed his life to a "land healing ministry." He claims, "I am a caretaker of creation; I don't own it." He believes it is his responsibility to step into creation as land stewards and redemptive embassadors and embrace it as a dance partner. We need to appreciate our invisible dependent creation. This statement is so applicable to many aspects our lives. This includes the invisible microorganisms in soil, the invisible trillions of cells in our bodies, to the invisible God that created the universe. We don't realize the tremendous power and creativity of our Maker until we study what he has created. We are called to take care of this earth and enjoy it in its natural original beauty. This is what God called us to do, he cares about His creation. In the words of Joel Salatin, "God is interested in the pigness of the pig."
Studying this cultural artifact has sparked an interest in this topic of caring for creation. There are many practical ways, that we as Christians, can participate in a system that does good and allows us to participate in the Kingdom.
Discussion Questions:
- In what ways does the distorted view of creation and animals extend to our view of other humans?
- Where else in creation do we witness the amazing design of our Creator?
- What are ways we can be stewards for God's Kingdom?
"A culture that just uses a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure, to be manipulated by whatever creative design the human can foist on that critter, will probably view individuals within its community, and other cultures in the community of nations, with the same type of disdain and disrespect and controlling type mentalities."
ReplyDelete–Joel Salatin, Food Inc.
I didn't catch it the first time, but the question of how our treatment of animals is applied to other people also includes, according to Salatin himself, "the community of nations." Honestly, I think this is an allusion to Salatin's closet disdain for America's foreign policy. While he never comes out and says he doesn't think we should have invaded Iraq or Afghanistan, if you listen closely you can almost hear it in his voice.
However, that's all just speculation. The last thing I want to do is put words in Salatin' mouth. What are some other things that he could be alluding to with this language?
Nice work summing up Salatin's presentation, Lauren! Salatin's vision for agriculture is a far more wholistic than the industrial model and seems like a signpost toward shalom in that area of life.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kyle, I suspect you may be right. If I remember correctly, a lot of evidence was percolating up about torture at the time and Salatin may have been alluding to that. Regardless, I think it's a decent interpretation.