Food, Farming, and Faith, livre ebook

Using scripture and science, a Christian agricultural scientist presents an ethic of farming that promotes good food and a healthy environment.

Using scripture and science, a Christian agricultural scientist presents an ethic of farming that promotes good food and a healthy environment.

Food, Farming, and Faith looks at agricultural sustainability and Christianity. Using scripture and science, Gary W. Fick-a Christian agricultural scientist-demonstrates that faith can inform decisions about creating, managing, even consuming our food. The book highlights such topics as food and celebration, environmental care, ecology and faith, soil and water stewardship, animal welfare, and the impact of poverty on women and our food supply. Throughout, Fick presents and discusses biblical passages that comment on these areas and provides insight from personal experiences growing up in a ranching family, in teaching sustainable agriculture, and as a scientist. Ultimately, Fick challenges the reader to think about eating more thoughtfully so that we have good food, a healthy environment, and a comfortable lifestyle all at the same time.

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
1. It Is All about Food

Thanksgiving
Other Food Associations
A Matter of Life and Death
2. The Foundation of Stewardship

Motivation
In the Beginning
Biblical Stewardship
Loving What God Loves
3. Ecology in the Bible

Living in the Central Flyway
Holistic Thinking
The Christian Environmentalist
Genesis 1
The Population Problem
Humans and Nature
Biological Diversity and Species Extinction
Other Ecological Issues
Conclusions
4. Land and Climate

The Best Land in the World
Good Land
God's Land
Sabbath Rest for the Land
Then What Should We Do?
5. Soil and Water

Buried Fences
Soil in the Bible
Water
What Is Essential?
Essentials for Soil and Water
Conclusions
6. Crops, Seeds, and Food

Gardening Runs in the Family
Kinds of Crops
Seeds Are the Source
Nurturing the Crop
Harvesting, Storage, and Celebration
The Essentials
Conclusions
7. Livestock and Agriculture

Cowboy Days
Are Livestock Really Good for Us and the Environment?
Livestock in the Ancient Writings
Other Aspects of Animal Welfare
Economic and Religious Factors
The Essentials
Conclusions
8. Farming Systems and the Practices of Agriculture

A Good Mentor
Systems Thinking
Soil Tillage
Nutrient Management
The Wisdom for Farming
Soil Tillage in the Bible
Nutrient Management in the Bible
The Essentials
Conclusions
9. The Culture of Agriculture

Teaching and Learning
Farmers in the Beginning
Land Tenure
Labor and Financial Matters
Food and Culture
Ethics and Morality
The Essentials
Conclusions
10. Abuse, Poverty, and Women

Poverty, Women, and Agriculture
A Personal View of Poverty
Proverbs on Poverty
The Abuse of Women
What Is Essential Here?
11. Food, Starvation, Obesity, and Diet

The Idealism of Youth
Hunger and Starvation
Obesity
The Biblical Diet
A Different Model of Food Production
Change
12. Agricultural Sustainability

Complex Concepts of Agricultural Sustainability
Metaphors of Agriculture
Simple Facts

Appendix 1 Abbreviations and Citation of Books in the Bible
Appendix 2 An Overview of the Bible
Appendix 3 The Essentials of Agriculture
Notes
Bibliography
Index