Water and Agriculture (part one): Gardening God’s Way [Mike Writes]
In June 2024, Mike Betts and John Raspin introduced their plan to research and write a series of articles called Church for a Broken World. This series aims to connect believers with Christianity’s legacy of social reform and examine how we can continue to thrive in our unified mission to transform the eight domains of society: water and agriculture, social and civil society, education, arts and media, science and technology, governance, medicine, and economics.
What follows is part one of a two-part examination of the water and agriculture domain. It offers an honest assessment of the current environmental crisis and presents a biblical perspective on creation care. If you have not already done so, we recommend reading the introductory article in the series before continuing.
Mike Betts: I don’t know about you, but I love fishing. I am also partial to a walk in the countryside and experiencing nearly everything nature offers. The natural world stimulates our senses, maintains and restores health, reveals how wonderfully creative God is, and helps us understand other aspects of His character more deeply.
Yet responsible stewardship isn’t always prioritised. Why do we struggle to care for the world that provides for much of our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being?
Well…
We may lack knowledge and need to be educated.
Maybe we believe there is little point in caring for a world ‘in bondage to decay’ (Romans 8:21) and slowly passing away.
Or is life so stressful that climate concerns are low down on our list of priorities?
While I can empathise with these struggles, I am also convinced that neglecting our planet has terrible consequences.
I hope the following insights will strengthen your current convictions or inspire new ones about the vital importance of preserving God’s creation. As will be the case throughout the entire series of Church for a Broken World, you will be exposed to darkness and light; you will be shown the former so that you may know where to apply the latter.
Wake-up Call
The term water crisis has once again entered our vocabulary, and while it might never be as expensive as oil, we have been told that factors such as climate change are expected to boost the price of fresh H₂O in the coming years.
The closely connected agricultural industry isn’t doing any better. Increased wildfires, rising sea levels, and the health of farm workers and livestock are just a few ways global warming can and will impact our food supply.
“We are called to be the leading proponents of change and, in the present instance, preservation. The church cannot hit snooze while the rest of society is awakening!”
Society is WAKING UP to the lack of care for the natural world. Unprecedented volumes of documentaries, books, and art are being produced that express aspirations to redeem the broken and polluted. In light of this, I have asked myself, with increasing frequency, how should the church respond.
I believe that as caretakers of God’s earth, we should be at the forefront of research and good practice. Working with the rhythm of nature, implementing practices like zero tillage and rewilding, and innovating the latest technology to attain precision farming and clean water supplies are laudable endeavours that deserve our attention and support.
Few of us will be significant innovators in this field, but there are many simple contributions that everyone can make. It’s my observation that farming has always been a lonely endeavour, involving long hours of often isolated work to meet our most basic and crucial needs. You might know fellow believers in jobs that promote and produce food and clean water. If you do, take an interest in what they do. Allow them to get excited about their job. Tell them that partaking in sustainable agriculture is a noble use of their abilities and that working with the land to produce bountiful food is a godly assignment. On top of that, don't forget to ask them how the church can help – how you can help. I’m sure they will have some great ideas.
You might not be surprised that John Stott also has something to say about the matter:
God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?
Thank you, Mr Stott, for your characteristically challenging words! We can all fall victim to blaming the world for its moral failings while neglecting our responsibility to be a transformative presence. We are called to be the leading proponents of change and, in the present instance, preservation. The church cannot hit snooze while the rest of society is awakening!
“You might know fellow believers in jobs that promote and produce food and clean water. If you do, take an interest in what they do. Allow them to get excited about their job.”
For this reason, John and I want to attempt to uproot any disconnect between caring for the world's inhabitants and the world itself.
In this initial part of ‘Gardening God’s Way,’ we aim to emphasise the seriousness of the current environmental crisis before demonstrating the biblical foundations of creation care.
We don’t have all the answers and would certainly support believers taking the initiative to investigate further. As such, let this be something of a launchpad.
As promised, the following picture is pretty bleak, but remember, we must not run from reality – we must face it with the light of Christ, the transformative power of prayer, and the readiness to get involved.
The Great Unknown
John Raspin: Isn’t it extraordinary that when God created the world, He decided water should cover about 71% of its surface? According to the US Geological Survey, the planet has over 1,386,000,000 cubic kilometres (332,519,000 cubic miles) of water! 97% of the earth’s H₂O is seawater, and 80% of that remains unexplored.
If you’re anything like me, the sea terrifies you. H.P. Lovecraft wrote: ‘The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.’ Whenever I think about these words, my mind conjures images of booming waves that reach the heavens, and I imagine myself afloat with no land in sight, unable to shake the feeling that something lurks beneath me, unseen. The sea is the great unknown — where Leviathan dwells, concealed by dark and ancient waters.
Yes, the ocean's vastness humbles us. And yes, like many elements of creation, it reflects God’s power and majesty. But the sea is also integral to life. The Ocean Conservation Trust informs us that 50% of our oxygen comes from the sea, and the ocean absorbs 98% of the sun’s rays.
We need the ocean, yet it is under serious threat from – you guessed it – humans. If the current rate of global warming, pollution, and overfishing continues, more than half of the world’s marine species may face extinction by 2100.
But, the ocean is not the only water source under threat.
Dirty Water
Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh, and most is unsuitable for human use. To be precise, the US Bureau of Reclamation claims that 2.5% of the freshwater is unavailable because it’s ‘locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps, atmosphere, and soil,’ or it’s ‘highly polluted,’ or it ‘lies too far under the earth's surface to be extracted at an affordable cost.’
That means only 0.5% of our planet’s freshwater supply can be used. I’m sure we’re being responsible with such a limited resource…
Nope.
One BBC article reports, ‘Sewage spills into England's rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled in 2023.’ Dr Dania Albini, research fellow in biosciences at the University of Exeter, told the BBC that ‘not a single river in England [is] rated as healthy according to the latest Rivers Trust Rivers report’.
“Not a single river in England [is] rated as healthy according to the latest Rivers Trust Rivers report.”
Heavy rainfall has driven this rise in sewage spillage, but human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are a leading contributor to above-average rainfall levels. Met Office Senior Scientist Mike Kendon said: ‘A warmer atmosphere has a greater capacity to hold moisture, so as our climate warms, we expect it to become wetter too’. This is what we call a vicious circle. We might be unable to control the weather, but we can affect it.
Arid Land
Agriculture is also susceptible to these shifts in weather and climate. The World Economic Forum claims that the increase in extreme weather is beginning to impact the production of everyday household staples such as potatoes, rice, and soybeans. Another study by NASA suggests that maize crop yields are projected to decline by 24% by 2030.
Already, more than 10% of the world is undernourished, and that number will only increase if the climate crisis continues on its current trajectory. Unfortunately, we shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to agriculture. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has reported that 31% of human-caused GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions originate from the world’s agri-food systems. Here’s the rub, and I’m going to quote myself, ‘Agriculture contributes to adverse environmental conditions that oppose its much-needed proliferation.’
Another number projected to swell is the global population – it will reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. José Graziano Da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, warned that attempting to reach the 60% increase in food production required by 2050 through a ‘farming-as-usual approach’ will put too much strain on our natural resources.
“...there is perspective-shifting, darkness-dispersing, despair-relieving wisdom in Scripture, and we would do well to consult it before turning elsewhere. ”
I’m no doomer (I know that that’s rich coming from the guy who just relayed a bunch of doom-y stuff), but all this feels like we’re on course for devastation. However, you won’t be shocked to know God has the answers. Much of Western society might view the bible as outdated and irrelevant, but it actually presents a God who loves the entirety of His creation and offers enduring guidance about how humans should relate to the natural world. Be convinced there is perspective-shifting, darkness-dispersing, despair-relieving wisdom in Scripture, and we would do well to consult it before turning elsewhere.
The Biblical Picture
Mike: Turn to Genesis 1 and read the creation account…
You might have noticed that, upon finishing His work of creation, the Lord thought it was ‘very good’ (v. 31). The sixth day arrives, and in a moment of reflection, the Maker declares that everything is working perfectly–the world is a flawless reflection of His benevolence and creativity. But our God is not a deistic creator; He walks upon the earth's surface and gets involved in the natural processes He initiated.
“Adam learnt how to garden God’s way, and together, they worked to maintain order. While God’s sovereignty ultimately ensures the proliferation and prospering of creation, the timeless message of Genesis is that mankind has the privilege of being under-stewards.”
The ancient practice of agriculture and cultivation can be traced back to these beginning stages of creation. In Genesis 2, God is described as the planter of ‘a garden in the east, in Eden’ (Gen 2:8). While Eden was filled with many pleasing trees and a life-sustaining river, it required much attention. In response to this need, God placed man in the garden ‘to work it and take care of it’ (vs.15).
The details are sparse, but we can imagine God and Adam working the land together. The Lord likely spent hours teaching Adam how to prepare the land and prune the evergreen in a way that produced the best results. Adam learnt how to garden God’s way, and together, they worked to maintain order. While God’s sovereignty ultimately ensures the proliferation and prospering of creation, the timeless message of Genesis is that mankind has the privilege of being under-stewards. There is a fundamental and humbling lesson to be learnt from these opening chapters: creation does not belong to us. As James C. Ungureanu claims, we are ‘guests, not landlords.’
There is no indication that the work became hard or toilsome until the fall, which ushered in death, spiritual and moral degradation, and the entire corruption of the whole creation. Adam is told that the land is ‘“cursed”’ because of his (in)actions and ‘“through painful toil [he] will eat food from it all the days of [his] life.”’ Arable pastures ‘“produce thorns and thistles,”’ and harmonious cultivation is replaced by endurance and sweaty brows (Gen 3:17-19). Man’s relationship with the land is reconfigured, and mutual abuse ensues. Creation is ‘subjected to frustration’ (Rom 8:20) and ‘groan[s] as in the pains of childbirth’ (v. 22), and man has to undergo back-breaking work to reap a harvest from a corrupted nature.
Sabbath Rest
Part of God’s plan to restore Edenic harmony is to institute sabbath rest. Per the Torah commandments, it is not just man who is to receive rest, but the land, too. In Leviticus, God tells the Israelites:
Omnipresent: “Our God is not a deistic creator; He walks upon the earth's surface and gets involved in the natural processes He initiated.”
“When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest” (25:2-5).
In the next chapter, God outlines the benefits of following His commands:
“When God instructs His people to Sabbath and allow the land to do the same, He calls them into simplicity; He invites them to embrace the unpredictability and restorative potential of natural processes. You could call this window of rest ‘biblical rewilding’. ”
“Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord. If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country” (26:2-6).
Just as He did in Eden, the Lord promises to ‘“walk among [them] and be [their] God, and [they] will be [His] people”’ (v. 12).
While complete restoration will only occur once Christ returns, God clearly desires to reinstate something of Eden. Underpinning this desire is the idea that stewarding nature is not the same as controlling it. The former involves knowing when to step back from intervening, while the latter implies a lack of trust in God’s provision, resulting in continuous human involvement. When God instructs His people to Sabbath and allow the land to do the same, He calls them into simplicity; He invites them to embrace the unpredictability and restorative potential of natural processes. You could call this window of rest ‘biblical rewilding’.
Rest for the land: “Godly cultivation opposes depletion and intensive agriculture, but it also recognises humans' vital role in the land's renewal and ongoing flourishing.”
While rewilding has raised some justifiable concerns, it is important to acknowledge that its vision of revitalised ecosystems does not necessarily entail the indefinite abandonment of natural landscapes. In fact, recent research suggests that the best way to enhance biodiversity is through traditional management and non-intensive farming. Godly cultivation opposes depletion and intensive agriculture, but it also recognises humans' vital role in the land's renewal and ongoing flourishing.
Sustainability and Equity is Part of The Great Commission
Truly truly, when Christ returns, the earth and heavens will be made new and somehow merge into a glorious new creation liberated from its present brokenness. This, however, does not mean we have permission to live lifestyles that intensify current states of pain, suffering, and poverty. There have been moments when the church has fallen victim to Neoplatonic thought, overemphasising the division between the material and the spiritual and believing that physical bodies are a passing irrelevance. Jesus does not teach that environmental degradation is unimportant because the current world is temporary.
If we think our evangelistic efforts don’t need to incorporate environmental action, we have missed the broader context of living under the influence and rule of God’s kingdom. His kingdom is far more righteous and just than our earthly one. It prizes order and care, not chaos and abuse. Scripture delivers a beautiful message that Heaven can transform the Earth and its inhabitants. The gospel is good news spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. All aspects of human existence benefit from the gospel being rightly outlived. So, as we go about our days, let us consider that nothing and no one in our passing home is exempt from receiving the bible’s vision of renewal.
A relationship with Jesus, our Saviour, and a deep knowledge of His servanthood is the cornerstone upon which everything is built. You could say that being a ‘follower of Christ’ is synonymous with being a ‘blessing to the world’. We should want to be good news because Jesus is good news. We should make sacrifices because Christ sacrificed everything for us.
Romans 12:1 calls us to ‘offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.’ This is described as ‘true and proper worship.’ Such worship is intrinsically linked to a Christian’s care for the vulnerable and should necessarily consider what responsible, God-given authority over the natural world looks like. This ‘true and proper worship’ should reverberate in settings where the priorities of the agriculture and water industry are decided. Let it be seen, as it so often has throughout history, in the hard work of believers who toil and strive to ensure that the most impoverished parts of the world are fed and watered.
I’m going to quote John Stott again: ‘Social responsibility becomes an aspect not of Christian mission only, but also of Christian conversion. It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbour.’
These words are challenging but true. Jesus tells us that our call is to love God and our neighbour, but love becomes diluted if it only attends to spiritual poverty and ignores physical needs. Our faith calls us to care for all our neighbours' needs, which extends to our engagement with creation. Christianity has a beautiful relationship with the environment, but misinterpretations of the biblical doctrine of ‘dominion’ sometimes muddy the water. Some critics argue that ‘dominion’ has fuelled exploitation, but deeper exploration shows a rich history of stewardship that champions care and reverence for the natural world. Understanding this context is key to challenging misconceptions and reclaiming a holistic view of creation care.
Next time…
In part two of Gardening God’s Way, Mike and John will move beyond the scope of the bible and explore how influential Christians have been at the forefront of creation care throughout post-biblical history. Then, they will conclude by providing examples of how the church continues to fight the good fight against climate-induced poverty through investing in sustainable agricultural and clean water initiatives.
About ‘Mike Writes’
Mike Writes is a monthly blog by Mike Betts, one of the apostles serving the Relational Mission family of churches. Mike provides fresh takes on unity and community, how the church interacts with wider culture, and the gospel’s power to change lives.
In this next season, he is teaming up with John Raspin to explore how the church has influenced major areas of society. John attends King’s Community Church (City West) in Norwich. His PhD research focused on the early modern period, especially how Christianity shaped Western culture.