Learning the Language of the Fields: Tilling and Keeping as Christian Vocation

Deffenbaugh calls us to “live in a reciprocal relationship” with our biotic communities-the plants, animals, and other non-human cultures that share our particular places in the world. By rerooting our global lifestyles in the ecological knowledge of our homes, we may truly begin to mend the health of our planet. Deffenbaugh marries Christian theology and spiritual disciplines with Native American mythology and the practice of organic gardening to deepen our engagement with the places in which we live.

Daniel G. Deffenbaugh teaches a variety of religion courses at Hastings College, in Nebraska. When he is not teaching or writing, Dan enjoys organic gardening, canning and cooking, fly fishing, raising chickens, bird-watching, and playing bluegrass music with his friends.