Soil and Sacrament: A spiritual memoir of food and faith (2013). Fred Bahnson. New York: Simon & Schuster.
I started reading this book today and I am so, so glad it’s come into my life. In a well-timed fluke, last night I watched the documentary Symphony of the Soil – and I highly recommend it. It’s an absolute must-watch for people interested in the connections between ecology and agriculture.
This book, Soil and Sacrament, follows the personal spiritual journey of a Methodist pastor who travels to different faith and ethnic communities (Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal and Jewish) where growing food and tending the Earth are central to spirituality.
The book is just beautiful, so far. Christendom desperately needs to take seriously the concerns of the environmentalist movements if we are ever to fulfil the mandates to tend God’s garden and to feed the hungry. It’s a relief and inspiration to read this book. And there’s lots of practical gardening advice woven through the text.
Fiona
sunrise over swamps 