Wendell Berry’s Impact

Chatting with Harry and Jennifer in early 2024, I asked why they thought differently about the connection between environmentalism and living out their faith. “Wendell Berry opened my eyes,” Harry replied immediately. “Mine too,” Jennifer said. “Mine too.” “I mean, we owe a lot to that man,” Harry reflected. In the face of messages that farming sustainably was irrelevant to their faith, or even anti-Christian, Berry stood out as a voice validating their efforts. Several farmers of faith in my research repeatedly referenced his writings as fundamental in their shifting perspectives on both topics. In contrast to a climate where rural Christianity is often associated with the right, Berry did not fit into political labels or extremes. Multiple farmers told me that they looked to him as a model for how to speak to their own communities in ways that would open dialogue, rather than shut it down. Wendell Berry’s Impact Posts on Berry