Page 2 of 3
That said, organic and local food is often more expensive than mass-produced food items. You pay for the small business owners' expertise and long hours. If, when you think of stewardship, you think primarily of the bottom line of your bank statement, then the organic local fare doesn't make a lot of sense.
Creation Care
And yet the category of stewardship is a bit broader than the bottom line. The first command God gave humans was to "fill the earth and subdue it" and rule over its creatures (Gen. 1:28). With this responsibility, God gave humans a role in maintaining the tender balance God created. Besides being stewards of our own resources and bodies, then, we are charged with being stewards of God's creation.
Advocates of the so-called food movement will point to modern "factory farming" as irresponsible in its treatment of the land and inhumane in its treatment of animals. These growing and production practices release carbon dioxide, pesticides, and animal waste into the atmosphere and water supply. Because volume and efficiency are primary concerns, these sorts of operations are charged with cruelty for the ways they feed, house, and slaughter animals for food. Interestingly, the Bible addresses both of these points. A number of Old Testament laws address the responsible treatment of the earth (Lev. 25:1-5, for example) and the fair treatment of animals (Deut. 5:14; 25:4).
All of this should factor into how we understand our duty to be good stewards. If treating the earth and its creatures fairly and responsibly costs a few extra cents per pound, it might be worth it.
Justice
The Bible also has a bit to say about justice related to labor—how we treat human workers. The price we pay for food reflects the wages paid to the workers who cultivate and harvest it. In some cases, the less we pay, the less someone somewhere makes. According to Scripture, those who work should enjoy the benefits of their labor (Ecc. 3:13). Everyone should have the opportunity to work for their livelihood (Lev. 19:9-10). Perhaps most important, we should not take advantage of laborers who work hard for their living (Deut. 24:14-15).
Many advocates argue that eating organic, local, and fair-trade food enables each of us to participate in this aspect of biblical justice. Paying a little more for our produce puts a little more in the pockets of deserving laborers.
Viewed through the categories of stewardship, creation care, and justice, then, the "food movement" clearly shares important points of contact with faithful Christian living.
The Dark Side of the Food Movement
Although the current emphasis on food in the media and Christian conversations touches on important aspects of Christian discipleship, it nevertheless poses subtle dangers for Christians.
For one, it's possible for all this philosophizing about food to become a clever cover for good old-fashioned gluttony. It is helpful to remember that the human appetite is a popular metaphor in the Bible for righteousness and self-control. Paul describes those who oppose the gospel as ones whose "god is their stomach" (Phil. 3:19), for their minds are set on earthly things. The earliest Christian monks associated food and righteousness so closely that they ate only what they needed to survive; anything more was considered unholy indulgence. They surely took things too far. But our cultural context tempts us to err in the other direction. Nearly every time I turn on the television, a different celebrity chef is encouraging me to celebrate food for food's sake. The growing attention to food can tempt some (it tempts me!) to indulge in the succulent and decadent delicacies the world's cuisine has to offer. It's not wrong to enjoy food, of course. But it is easy for us to baptize a concept that has always had a negative connotation—indulgence—so that it has a positive connotation. We may enjoy the fruit of the earth that God deemed "good." But we shouldn't forget that physical discipline is a crucial part of Christian discipleship (1 Cor. 9:27).
