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    William Merritt Chase, detail, “Topaz Grapes”

    Setting the Table at Koinonia Farm

    By Bren Dubay

    January 12, 2015
    3 Comments
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    • Dan Grubbs

      Careful word studies in Genesis (especially 1:28 and 2:15), paired with the teachings of Jesus Christ lead me to strongly believe we are failing in our mandate of stewarding God’s creation. Not only should humans (at least those of us in the West) be producing food differently than we currently are, we should also be eating differently. Though I have written extensively on this specific topic, I think I’ll direct you to the writings and comments of Dr. Normal Wirzba. You can find many videos online of him addressing this very topic. The harm humans are doing to God’s creation to produce the food we eat isn’t an agriculture problem, this is an eating problem. Therefore, every one of us is culpable. Every plant, every animal, and the soil, are all created by God. Therefore, they are creatures. Yes, plants are creatures and we should fully understand what we’re dealing with when we decide to eat something because, as Dr. Wirzba mentions, something had to die in order for us to eat. That is the way our Lord designed creation. Since that’s the case, we should be eating and farming with the reference due the work of God’s hands. If anyone does take on the challenge of word studies of the passages above, I specifically point out the study of the Hebrew words we translate as “dominion,” “put,” “to work,” and “to keep”. These are eye-opening word studies that give us deeper insight into what God was telling us in the Genesis account.

    • Geoffrey

      So very excited to see Koinonia continue to be the "demonstration plot" guiding those who want to discern and lead a more Christian life. In a time when we can feel overwhelmed with the information about global warming and the impact of many years of financial interests driving decisions in the US, it is good to hear about those determined to make decisions based on higher principles setting the example for others. I hope many people will share this message of determination and hope.

    • Andy

      A sense of healing and atonement for mankind and the planet pervades this whole article

    Tending the garden was humankind’s first task. In the words of Genesis 2:15: “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” Today, however, there is growing alarm that the way we have been cultivating is bringing our planet to the brink of destruction.

    Following World War II, modern agriculture set out to feed the world. In order to produce more food, we adopted the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides, unintentionally launching a war on the soil. The result has been massive loss of topsoil over an area the size of Africa. And because the remaining soil is depleted and lifeless, our food contains fewer nutrients.

    Koinonia Farm, a Christian community in southwest Georgia, began seventy-two years ago on an eroded and almost treeless piece of land. Our focus and passion is the soil, since healthy soil produces healthy food. We practice biological, regenerative farming, using none of the “-cides” (from the Latin -cida, meaning “a killer”); all organisms, even weeds, are important. To build organic matter, we apply compost teas, soil amendments such as molasses and gypsum, and bio-stimulants, and we spray beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. Our goal is soil teeming with diverse life. According to research by the Rodale Institute, rebuilding the soil may even be part of the answer to climate change.

    Since embracing this practice, we have seen remarkable growth of biodiversity not only in the soil, but on it and above it. The variety of bird species has dramatically increased. One Koinonia member recently counted more than fifteen types of butterflies on a single walk. Our cattle are grass-fed and serve the soil through a system called intensive grazing, and our chickens follow the cattle from sunup to sundown, sanitizing the land.

    Back in 1957, local Ku Klux Klan members angered by Koinonia’s multiracial membership sought to force the community to sell the land and move away. Koinonians refused to go. Founding member Clarence Jordan reflected on their decision:

    Fifteen years ago we went there and we bought that old, run-down, eroded piece of land. It was sick. There were gashes in it. It was sore and bleeding. I don’t know whether you’ve ever walked over a piece of ground that could almost cry out to you and say, “Heal me, heal me!” I don’t know whether you feel the closeness to the soil that I do. But when you fill in those old gullies and terrace the fields and you begin to feel the springiness of the sod beneath your feet and you see that old land come to life, and when you walk through a little old pine forest that you set out in little seedlings and now you see them reaching for the sky and hear the wind through them . . . Men say to you, “Why don’t you sell it and move away?” They might as well ask you, “Why don’t you sell your mother?” Somehow God has made us out of this old soil and we go back to it and we never lose its claim on us.

    Surely the original soil from which humankind arose was rich and life-filled. At Koinonia, we are making every attempt to set the table for those coming after us. Life begets life.

    a painting of a bunch of red grapes William Merritt Chase, detail, “Topaz Grapes”
    Related Article Clarence Jordan Read
    Contributed By BrenDubay Bren Dubay

    Bren Dubay is a member of the Koinonia community in Americus, Georgia, founded in 1942 as a “demonstration plot for the kingdom of God.” The community grows pecans, operates a bakery, and welcomes visitors.

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