Week 5

I don't think I would be the only student in this class to say that these four chapters of Ellen Davis' Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible were not the most riveting pieces we've read throughout our time in the Honors program. However, I am one of the few who can say that I did actually read them, but that doesn't necessarily mean I got much out of them; I was bored, disinterested, and constantly thinking of all of the other, more invigorating assignments I had waiting once I finished reading. Yes, I know that admitting my academic faults is not really the Honors way, but hopefully my blunt honesty will win me back some points with the academic world.

That being said, this post has probably been the most difficult one to start thus far. After all, where do I begin writing about something that came dangerously close to putting me to sleep? How am I supposed to conjure five hundred words over something I found as enjoyable as reading the dictionary? Well, it helps to spend the first two paragraphs stalling.

Nevertheless, my apparent disinterest in this topic appropriately serves as topic enough; my disregard for Davis' propositions embodies the stance of modern society in regards to said propositions and raises a few interesting thoughts. For instance, isn't it ironic the level of effort I put into reading and processing a chapter entitled, "Wisdom or Sloth? The Character of Work?" I understand that Davis directs her writings towards agriculture and actual physical labor rather than academic work, but the irony is still intriguing. The chapter emphasizes more the importance of working not simply land but more appropriately whatever God has created and allotted to each individual. Hence, perhaps I am slothful and unwise in my work ethic, and this chapter made that truth annoyingly clear to me.

"Reading the Bible Through Agrarian Eyes" also caught my attention (as much as I could stand) simply because I had no idea what it meant. Why does it matter that I should approach the Scriptures with agriculture in mind? After all, Jesus was a carpenter, not a farmer. Again, through the chapter, Davis reveals my folly. Land itself is an important theme of the Old Testament, and a knowledge and understanding of its significance in those contexts ought to affect our interaction with it and care of it today. Hence, my ignorance if its importance and its many occurrences in the Bible diminishes my appreciation of it and assumed responsibility for it.

I was raised in an urbanized community, so why would I bother to approach my daily life with any other fixation? Agriculture was not an aspect of my immediate world, so why would I interpret theology in an inapplicable manner? Thus, Davis does a stellar job in illustrating how I, as simply a reader, let alone a steward of God's creation, have little concern for an agrarian mindset.

So what?

Well, I'm not much of an original thinker (there's that blunt honesty again). My viewpoints and preconceptions are products of an influential society, so my disregard for an agrarian mindset is merely a reflection of our society's disregard for an agrarian mindset. Even when I was assigned to read these works, I couldn't bring myself to pay attention enough to formulate any kind of critical thought; I just don't have a passion for it. Surely that isn't unique in our world. Surely my apathetic approach to this literature is derived from the modern world's (dare I say it: the modern church's) consideration of these topics. We work smarter, not harder, so why develop a theology of hard work? We ask ourselves how the Scriptures apply to only our personal lives, so why consider the importance of a lifestyle completely other than our own when reading the Bible?

I don't think this is a reflection of poor theology; Davis clearly outlines various logical, pertinent arguments that are consistent with Christian fact. There's nothing heretical about the church's agrarian viewpoints; the problem lies in how often such viewpoints are used. This is a reflection, rather, of poor attitude. We as a human race and we as a church simply just don't care about whatever we deem unnecessary, and we are awfully quick to deem things unnecessary. Heck, I deemed an agrarian approach to the Bible unnecessary after reading only the title of the chapter, and I completely overlooked the value of approaching the Scriptures with such a mindset.

That kind of poor attitude, moreover, doesn't have a lot of limitations. It can easily carry over into several aspects of one's life, and if the church doesn't check its attitude soon, who knows what other kind of truth could be thrown out the window?