This is my second review of a Joel Salatin book, the Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. My first review was of Folks, this ain’t Normal. While Joel has many books, The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs is written directly to the Christian audience. His purpose? To challenge the fact that not only are American Christians not the people that are defending and caring about the earth but are quite often the ones championing poor stewardship of the earth. Like all of Joel’s books, this is well put together, well thought through, and most of all it challenges the way we view the world. This is a book that every Christian should read. If you aren’t a Christian, but care about the environment and the condition of our food system, maybe pass this book along to Christians in your life.
Growing up as a Christian, I have always been taught how important it is to be a good steward of those things in our lives: money, relationships, jobs, homes, cars, etc. But for some reason this didn’t apply to caring for the earth, because “God is going to burn it in the end anyway” and “man was given dominion over the earth”. Why do many American Christians think that for some reason God doesn’t care about the earth and animals he created? Why do those who worship the Creator, so often mistreat His creation? How sad is it that throughout history, Christians have more often than not pillaged and hurt the earth, all in the name of “dominion”. If we believe that the Lord has given us dominion over the earth, who do we think has dominion over us? Do we want God to treat us the same way that we have often treated the earth?
Why is it considered crazy in many churches to recommend using reusable or compostable plates/cutlery? Or instead of having a large church lawn sprayed with fertilizer, why not an organic community garden? Or to suggest that the church kitchen be used for classes and to make food to feed the hungry? Why as Christians do we support a food system that mistreats animals and the earth (confined animal feed lots, genetically modified food, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, to name a few)? Why through our food purchases do we support pigs, cows, and chickens to live in such a way that they don’t get to express the uniqueness with which God created them? Why do we not celebrate the “pigness of pigs”? Instead we support a system that is working to find a way to remove the stress sensor in a pig’s brain so that we can abuse them without feeling bad about it. Is this really something that God would condone? Just like the tower of Babel, just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should, and it doesn’t mean that God celebrates what we are doing.
These are the tough topics that Joel isn’t afraid to broach in this book, but it’s not all doom and gloom! He also provides so many ideas and examples of how we can do better and support better practices in our food system. If you grow your own food, learn regenerative practices or support those local farmers and producers that do. As Joel says, there are so many part-time farmers who are just a few customers away from being able to quit their jobs and go full-time on the farm; be one of those customers!
Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Wow, that is quite the commandment. Do your food purchases and choices reflect and support godly things? I challenge you to take the time and effort to find your local farmers and food producers and support them as much as you can. If you don’t know where to start on finding regenerative farmers, a good place to start is local farmer’s markets, search “Meet Your Farmer” on this website for Twin Cities area farmers, and your local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter. And if you can, see what changes you can make in your local church! Let’s get back to be intimately involved in our food and the earth.
There are so many poignant and powerfully convicting points that Joel makes in this book, that I can only touch the surface of in the post; please, please read this book (get if from Amazon, borrow it from a friend, get it at your library). If Christians could come together to embrace honoring the world the Lord has created, what a witness that would be!
Have you read this book? What steps have you taken in your life to be a better steward of our world and food system?