God’s image,” Massa said. The farm’s livestock help in that regard too. For instance, rather than using tractors, the couple pastures pigs in the rice fields during the fal- low season. The pigs root up weeds, “basically plowing our fields for us,” Massa said, “so we don’t have to use tractors or fossil fuels. It’s a pretty cool arrangement.”
Even city dwellers can use food as a way of honoring God’s works. Take Alice’s Garden, that community garden in Milwaukee where Williams used strawberries to coax a mother into getting help.
By Sam Thomas
(Leviticus 25). Deuteronomy envi- sions that the covenant community is marked by being “blessed in the city and blessed in the field” (28:3- 5; 33:13-15). And Isaiah cautions against “plowing continually” and not being well instructed in proper care for the land (28:23-26). In the New Testament, the cov- enant with the earth and with human beings is presented most clearly in terms of the body of Christ and the eucharist—the “Bread of Life” has come for the sake of the entire cos- mos (John 6).
Our vocation as human beings is to be good stewards of creation and seekers of justice (see the ELCA statements on “Caring for Creation” and “Economic Life” at www.elca. org/socialstatements). A Lutheran ethics of food starts with the recognition that we are all part of systems that we create and support—either directly or indi- rectly—and ends with a hopeful account of what it means to be free in service to others and to creation. A Lutheran food ethics should include room to think and work toward the
“For me, agriculture is all about celebrating God’s creation,” she said. “It’s just a natural blending of feeding souls physically and spiritually.” Williams pointed to the way a gar-
den’s plants can support each other side-by-side. “We grow basil with tomatoes because what one takes away from the soil, the other gives back to the soil,” she said. “The scent that one of those plants gives off protects the other plant from insects. ... The same is true for [our] lives. God has put into place all the things to support us on our journey. We just need to be open to them.”
BRIAN STETHEM/CLU
All food has “background,” says Sam Thomas, a professor at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks.
also aware that often their ideals— theologically motivated or not— aren’t matched by the reality of our economics of food.
One of the best ways to engage the ethics of eating is to grow some food—in a pot, a side yard or com- munity garden—or join a CSA (com- munity supported agriculture). Get to know a farmer or two, and ask them about their experiences and learn from their wisdom.
improvement of our systems, and to develop awareness of the back- ground of our choices. Ethics is always messy, and it almost always involves tradeoffs. I certainly don’t have all the answers to how we might make our food systems more environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. Some of the most ethically serious people I have met are farmers and ranchers, many of whom are in tough situations, often making trade-offs to remain financially viable. I have nothing but respect for people who grow food for a living, and yet I am
Growing food and connecting to land and community are good ways to guarantee that at least some of the important ethical questions will remain at the forefront of our minds. So does God’s grace extend to Minnesotans who eat strawberries in January? Of course it does. Does this mean there are not problems with that picture? No, it does not.
Thomas is associate professor of religion at Califor- nia Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks. He is the founding faculty adviser for the CLU SEEd Project (Sustainable Edible Education) and board president of the Abundant Table Farm Project in Santa Paula, Calif., an Episcopal-Lutheran ministry that provides farm education for youth, fresh produce for schools and internships for young adults.
You can help ELCA World Hunger not only supports programs such as the ones in this article, it also works to address the root causes of hunger, such as poverty and environmental degradation in the U.S. and 50 other countries.
Hunger Leaders raise funds and awareness on behalf of ELCA World Hunger. Last year alone, these vol- unteers helped raise $18.5 million for hunger relief around the world. To become a Hunger Leader, call 800-638-3522 or email hunger@
elca.org. To make a gift, visit www.
elca.org/hunger, call 800-638-3522 or send checks to ELCA World Hunger, PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764.
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