A Language that can Make Us Whole

Belize-

A Language that can Make Us Whole: Reading and Writing Environmental Literature.

Between the wisps of swaying branches on a sunny pastoral afternoon in Belize, Tityra birds murmur in the branches while the stories from the week still resonate in our minds. Stories by Henry David Thoreau Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard, Wendell Berry, and our very own professor Fred Bahnson himself. These are just some of the many story tellers who took us on our literary journey this week. Fred brought much to the course, coming from four years of agricultural ministry at “Anathoth Community Garden” in North Carolina, he challenged us to realistically see Christian Shalom as an agrarian community.

Our mid-week excursion took us to Mountain Pine Ridge forest reserve, where we encountered a flood of both inspiration and scenic wonder that fused into class

As we entered into the week with an exuberant Monday, it didn’t take long to tap into the reservoirs of thoughts that we compiled two weeks ago during Reading Week. After that full week of reading, the discussions that now followed brought the text to life. From land ethics to agrarian visions, from stories to essays to poetry, Fred facilitated the way. Utilizing a variety of writers, as well as daily reflection on the Psalms, we listened, discussed, and even argued. Through all of it, we sought a language in the shape of God’s kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven. How are we to resist what Bill Mckibben refers to as society’s dominant theme of “running Genesis backward, decreating”? Perhaps this plethora of literature contains glimpses of answers that we must prayerfully sift through. Perhaps the writings and words we’ve composed throughout the week do. Words, after all, shape who we are. Words shape stories, and as Barry Lopez reveals to us, “Sometimes people need a story more than food to stay alive”.

Night classes around a bonfire were exquisite venues for story telling and even a bit of good 'ol Irish fiddle! (Thanks to Fred's fine-tuned skills)