BIBLICALLY PRINCIPLED SUSTAINABILITY
Isaiah 2:3-5
"Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD."
What is Biblically Principled Sustainability?
If you are looking for a higher standard in regards to your diet or your agricultural practices from a Godly perspective, the modern church will most likely send you to science or medicine for knowledge rather than impart Biblical knowledge on the matter with you. While we believe the revelation of food immorality birthed our modern organic and sustainable food system, it most certainly has been science and medicine that has fathered it, and now awkwardly mothers it.
Despite the entire modern church age, we believe that God’s Law found in the Old Testament of the Bible is not only a viable source of knowledge and wisdom in all that we do, but an expected standard for all of Christianity to establish and adhere to (Romans 3:31). Although some believe it is impossible to follow any of God’s Law, mostly used to abolished it in a Christian walk (Matthew 5:17-19), we find the half a dozen or so statutes of God’s Law which morally governs food cleanness and production are incredibly more easy to follow then the thousands of statutes written in man’s law which governs food cleanness and production.
Below are all of the major tenants of a moral food lifestyle that we have found in the Bible in regards to diet, production and land stewardship, animal husbandry and work ethic. Adherence to these tenants is what we call Biblically Principled Sustainability.
What is Biblically Principled Sustainability?
If you are looking for a higher standard in regards to your diet or your agricultural practices from a Godly perspective, the modern church will most likely send you to science or medicine for knowledge rather than impart Biblical knowledge on the matter with you. While we believe the revelation of food immorality birthed our modern organic and sustainable food system, it most certainly has been science and medicine that has fathered it, and now awkwardly mothers it.
Despite the entire modern church age, we believe that God’s Law found in the Old Testament of the Bible is not only a viable source of knowledge and wisdom in all that we do, but an expected standard for all of Christianity to establish and adhere to (Romans 3:31). Although some believe it is impossible to follow any of God’s Law, mostly used to abolished it in a Christian walk (Matthew 5:17-19), we find the half a dozen or so statutes of God’s Law which morally governs food cleanness and production are incredibly more easy to follow then the thousands of statutes written in man’s law which governs food cleanness and production.
Below are all of the major tenants of a moral food lifestyle that we have found in the Bible in regards to diet, production and land stewardship, animal husbandry and work ethic. Adherence to these tenants is what we call Biblically Principled Sustainability.
In our modern times we have abandoned all principals of a Biblical Economy in favor of a fiat (fake) economy. There has been no other time in history where we have fully abandoned a tangible capital/wealth system in favor of a completely intangible credit/debt system (Deuteronomy 25:13-15). Unfortunately there is no way outside of barter that we can fully implement this tenant with the world economies of today, but we believe the content of this tenant to be some of the most important information out there. Recognizing what the root of all evil is (1 Timothy 6:10) plays an incredibly critical role in understanding how not to participate in it (Luke 16:13).
We see in Deuteronomy 25:13-15 that we are commanded to maintain a just system in regard to money and commercial exchange. Now it’s easy to understand how important it is when selling tomatoes at $1/lb and then overcharging folks because of a broken scale. We clearly see this is a form of defrauding people of their money and it’s always a given that stealing is wrong. We read also here in this verse a promise given by God of the blessing that will come when we honor this command as a guiding pillar in our economy. It makes sense to me because how long will you remain in business in the land when your cheating customers out of their money?
We recognize that this morality in commercial exchange is so important that even in Mans Law we find a department devoted to making sure all of our business is conducted by a set standard of weights and measures. But what happens when we don’t honor the just weights and measures command in regards to the money in our purses and wallets?
Above we have the money of our country 100 years ago and money from today. The money of a hundred years ago was regulated in weight and measure. The term dollar was its unit of measurement. We see the standard clear as day with the weight and measure from this money. We see not only was it gold and silver, but it was measured out just like measuring spoons in a kitchen are. 5 one dollar gold coins actually weighed that of a single $5 gold coin. 4 silver quarters equaled the same as a one dollar silver coin, etc.. All the weight here in these coins are divisible by a standard weight and measure. When we look at our modern tokens, we find no such standard of weight at all, and the measurement of a dollar makes as much cents as the cheap metal it’s stamped on.
Within Gods commanded system to have money of silver and gold and use just weights and measures, the money of 100 years ago was a substance of wealth. It was honest money. If I buy from you a pound of tomatoes for a dollar and I use the silver dollar here, we exchange an equal value. It is a true barter system. I get one pound of tomatoes worth 1 dollar of value and you get 1 ounce of silver worth one dollar of value. When you sell me a pound of tomatoes for 1 dollar by today’s money, I get 1 pound of tomatoes worth one dollar of value and you get one token of junk metal only worth your faith in it, and the hopeful ability to use it as legal tender tomorrow. You can literally go to bed and wake up the next morning and your token could be worth less then it was the day before.
The Biblical economy ran as a pure barter system and reigned since the beginning of time as the logical and useful system that it was. Never in history has any other culture before us just abandoned it for a worthless token system that can be produced at the flick of a pen and loaned out on interest by the pen keepers. The reason why standards of weight and measure no longer are necessary in our modern money system (besides the fact that our grandparents were plundered of their actual wealth by statute of mans law nearly 100 years ago) is because we no longer barter and measure out wealth in our commercial transactions. We deal in pure debt, and these are just tokens of debt.
Most don’t realize that debt is really big business and it’s a business fully run by banks and managed and enforced by man’s law. Interest on debt has to be the easiest way to make money in the whole world, especially for banks who are allowed by man’s law to just print what they want to lend. We can easily understand why our debt credit system came about because it’s a lot easier and profitable for the banks to just print paper money than mine silver and gold.
We read in Scripture however that the whole practice of interest on debt is forbidden (Deuteronomy 23:19-20). It is what the bible calls usury. How horrible is it really to make money off of someone who is in need and has to borrow? We also read again another built in promise that if you don’t involve yourself with committing usury, the work you do put your hands to in the land will be blessed.
So whats a scenario look like that doesn’t have the kind of faith to believe Gods promised blessings? Well One of the biggest industries that go affected by the use of a debt system is absolutely agriculture. This is a chart complied by the USDA showing the amount of farms in our country mapped out for the last 100 years.
See that 100 years ago in this nation there were over 6 million farms in this country and just about every single one of them produced healthy organic food. There were no regulations, no pandemic food illness outbreaks, and we can see in the first few decades of this chart, life for farmers was pretty stable and the trend was in a rise. During those decades however the debt system and income tax was implemented by our faithful government through the newly chartered central banking system in 1913, and in less than 20 years our whole entire economy came crashing down during the great depression in 1929.
The solution to the debt problem that had already crashed our wealth system was to confiscate all our wealth, and in 1932 the government and banks took all of the gold out of our wallets and purses, and replaced it with freshly printed debt notes. We can see over the next 5 years a boom in the agriculture industry, but that short artificial inflation of fake money created such an unsustainable market, that over the next 75 years, 4 million families lost their farms. Their wholesome traditions and their livelihoods lost by going into debt to go bigger with their competition who had better protections from the government in the new regulations that has brought us to where we are now. Factory farms now produce 80% of all our food.
The debt spiral that has happened to farmers and the industry of agriculture over the past 100 years is criminal. Farmers 100 years ago who were not rich enough to maintain the competition against the artificially inflated “Industry” farms, were wiped out by the new size and scope unlimited printed money on interest could create.
We see a clear divide between organic sustainable agriculture vs. agriculture whose sole pursuit is money. We see the standards set by man’s law in complete opposition of the standards set by God law for our food supply. As Christians being called to be good stewards of the earth, we would have no ability without the artificial faith based money system we have in place to cause the amount of devastation and pillaging that we do to our soil and rivers. And worse yet, this money based factory food system we have now produces nothing but sub quality food that is poisonous to eat and drink fresh, without high end regulations that control the sterilization and decontamination of the product it produces. The quality and output of this factory industry is so unsustainable that it must prohibit wholesome fresh foods from the market so everyone has no choice but to purchase the inferior product.
I cant imagine a more fitting scripture to such a topic as this.
If we think back to the chart of the total farmer decline in our country, I believe we have to recognize that our love for money has brought about the current state of our food system. When reading scripture and comparing it to our modern narratives on food production, we find it evident that we walk very contrary to God on these matters.
With the state of modern health getting worse and our food system becoming so devoid of nourishment, it’s no surprise that those who have defrauded and pillaged us with unjust weights and measures in our wallets also pick our purses clean with usury. This system that has filled the void created by the abandonment of Gods law only reinforces the growing divide of wealth in our culture with the commandments, statutes and judgments of men. Over regulation reigns supreme and none of us can deny it. As with most things, I suppose it’s all just a matter of who we place our faith in. Do we truly feel secure by the full faith and credit of the government? Or do we give full faith and credit to the creator of all things and seek his promised prosperity through obedience to his word?
Unfortunately at this time this system we have reviewed is the system that now rules over us and there is not much we can do as individuals to change it, but as Christ said, the truth will set us free. So the best we can do now is share this truth with others and have faith. Wealth will come to all of us who put our hands to the work of Gods will. His blessings promised for our obedience to his instruction. I believe we just have to break the mindset that our money and our wealth are one in the same.
Throughout the history of mankind, the keeping of any calendar system has always been inspired and built upon the management of agriculture. In Scripture we read that God established the whole creation under such an agricultural order.
We read that on the 4th day of creation God appointed the sun, moon and stars in the firmament of the heavens to be for our time keeping. Revolving in the heavens like gears in a huge clock, crafted with a precision so perfect, it has provoked all man from the most ancient primitives to our time here to behold the magnificence that is our God. (Psalms 19:1-3)
The calendar we follow today is called the Gregorian solar calendar. This calendar we follow stemmed from Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and was an attempt to reform a previous Roman calendar ordained by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, the Julian calendar, and alleviate the burdens of the inaccuracy and seasonal shifts it created over many centuries. Ever since the day we deviated from God's perfect calendar however, we have found ourselves always having to manipulate time in order to maintain the keeping of it. The history of these 2 calendars specifically shows the inability to manage such heavenly affairs.
Within the institutions of Gregorian time keeping in regards to its calendar, we find some of the most basic forms of ignorance and rejection of God's knowledge within it. First off in Scripture, the sun divided the days from the nights with evening and morning as its reported divisions (Genesis 1:16-19). With our Gregorian traditions, we separate days by dividing the night in half at our own appointed midnight. Second, the sun dictates days and is pretty clear throughout scripture as such, yet we hold it at the center and direction of our years. The Julian solely used the sun as its year, and it was pretty clear after a while of following it that the earth’s seasons are not dictated solely by our orbit around the sun. So much so that all throughout the history of using it we had to drop whole weeks off of our count when upgrading to the Gregorian. Why we adopted another solar calendar is beyond us.
The moon on the other hand is the instrument of time only traditional farmers and serious fishermen follow anymore. With the modern doctrine that the law is abolished, therefore no longer needing to worship God on the holy convocations of the new moon and feast days or the remembrance of the weekly Sabbath (Isaiah 66:23), it is no wonder we pay no mind to the instrument of time which dictates our weeks (Sabbaths) and months (new moons). The words new moon and month (H2320) throughout Scripture are used as one in the same, as is the phrase, "beginning of your months". The words seven and week (H7620) are also used one in the same, which we all know the sacred full one to be the Sabbath.
Within the institutions of Gregorian time keeping we find no regard whatsoever to God’s appointment of the moon. Looking at any free calendar you can get from any local bank in regards to the moon, we find only more of the most basic forms of ignorance and rejection of God's knowledge. Gregorian months are dictated by random starting points all throughout the year and don’t even reoccur in the same fashion year after year. The only consistency is the clever patterns the total days per month run on, which has no other purpose other then to make the sun keep catching up to the time it loses with the actual seasons on Earth.
In Scripture the moon was established not only to begin our months, but was also a critical component for signs and for seasons (Psalms 104:19). It is within these appointments that we begin to see the establishment of a moral work ethic appointed to the management of a moral agricultural model. This of course is all pending on when we begin our years.
In Scripture God appoints the new moon day that happens in Abib as the beginning of our year. From this sole point we find that all the agricultural season hinges. From the appointment of the fast from leaven and feast of spring lamb and bitter herbs in our first month, to the sheaf wave and the count of weeks until our first fruit harvest in the third month, all the way unto our in gathering of the full harvest in the seventh month, the calendar of the Bible promises us bounty and blessings when managing our agriculture under his dictation.
What’s more captivating is that the new moon that happens in Abib falls consistently every year under an even bigger cycle of timekeeping we all have completely ignored in our keeping of the Gregorian tradition; the stars.
We have now since abandoned the appointed knowledge of stars for almost 2000 years. Sure you can find a lot of anecdotal information from times past in places like the farmer’s almanac, but for the most part this system has been lost. Instead we take a single random day in the winter and use that to determine our new year and celebrate it by “dropping the ball” every single year. Yet again we have another random starting point that doesn’t have any purpose other than because Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory said so. Since then the highly coveted zodiac has fallen into the hands of pagans and heathens and its modern value thoroughly compromised. You now have had to wade through the perverse remains of a once great mapping of the stars in order to find any good use of it all.
In our commitment to Gregorian tradition, it has left us bewildered why we adopted the worship of the sun and not the appointments and worship of God. We believe the 4th Commandment, which is the remembrance of the Sabbath, transcends into much more than the 6 day work and 1 day rest command as most simply believe. In fact, Scripture teaches us that all Sabbaths and holy convocations (high Sabbaths) are to be remembered forever, but sadly they are long forgotten by the caretakers of the word of God.
In our studies of this topic we find testimony in the works of early Christian era writers like Josephus and Philo that this whole biblical calendar system was absolutely in place during the time of Christ. We believe this to be most edifying of what Scripture reveals. Therefore we abide by the Godly standards of timekeeping and observe all of the appointed times as commanded by Scripture. We believe this to be a critical tenant of moral animal husbandry, moral land stewardship, and moral work ethic intended by God and will explain further below more details in the following tenants.
The Sabbath is a pillar foundation to the understanding of a moral work ethic, animal husbandry, land stewardship, and even has its place directing our dietary schedules. With a commandment that dictates our weeks and which days we are supposed to work, it completely dictates our agricultural schedule.
We see in the commandment given to Moses on Mt. Sinai that our weeks should be cut into 6 work days and one day of rest. While many people believe the Sabbath to be all about that day of rest at the end of the week, most overlook the fact that half of this command is a command of Godly work ethic: 6 days though shall work.
That definitely is set in opposition to man’s calendar where the work week is 5 business days and the weekend brings in 2 days off every week. And that’s especially true if you have an easy bank job or government job. Unfortunately a lot of people end up fruitlessly working every day of the week.
Notice the command also declares that not only are we supposed to rest, but our families, employees and livestock are to rest. Definitely shows some dictation of our farm schedules.
Recalling back to Genesis 1 where on the 4th day God created the lights in the heavens to be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. We discovered how the years are determined and how this appointment of the moon and the green ear in Abib established the seasons. While I hope to not have to waste any time on how the days end and begin, it does leave one last item on the list not accounted for. Signs.
We see here that the Sabbath was a sign between us and God that was to be observed forever. How do you observe a sign?
For years when considering how the Sabbath was a sign between us and God to be observed, I never made any sense out of it until I started coming into the study of the Biblical calendar. In fact it was this verse that started me down that rabbit trail.
After realizing that the moon was supposed to be dictating our months and the new moon was the first day of each month, it became no surprise to me that the instrument of time God ordained to dictate our months also dictated our weeks. Being no one regarded the moon anymore in Gods appointed time keeping system, or in his times for worship, I had to really dig into the heavens on this.
Since it was the new moon that determined a new month, and it was to be set aside for worship, taking the dark moon/conjunction days out of the month left exactly 28 days of visible moon we could see in the sky. That equaled exactly 4 weeks of seven days every single moon or month. Once this was worked out to this point, the revelation on the matter of the Sabbath being a sign to be observed forever stood out like a bright red stop sign warning of the intersection ahead. Because if you start on the first day of the month, and follow the moon itself out through the rest of Gods month…
Every major phase of the moon lines up with every Sabbath of the month.
Think about it. The new moon, the half moon, the full moon back to the half moon again right back into the conjunction of the new moon are the ultimate “Sabbath” signs. No one can miss these signs.
If tomorrow the free calendar the bank gives out every year were not there for us to schedule our planting, our Sabbaths, our holidays and our harvests, how would we do it? Our modern man made calendar is only 400+ years old. The calendar it revised only 2000 years old. How did we know when the Sabbath was before Julius Caesar adopted the Egyptian sun worship calendar in his man made calendar, and created the day to worship the sun calling it Sunday?
Well the truth is we read in Scripture and find in history that this calendar was what our ancestors used before Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory forced us to use their own man made calendars. Not once do we ever find mention of the words Saturday or Sunday in the entire Scripture,
And how do we know that our own ancestors looked to Gods calendar and worked their agriculture in his natural order?
Because the calendar they have handed down to us through their traditions of planting by the moon and stars that they didn’t even know they were using, that’s Gods Calendar.
This image shows us the most basic format of how we can plant by the moon, and our crops will thrive better than if we just force the soil to produce plants when we want it.
The calendar that I created the image before is basically the same as this chart here that’s showing us how the moon affects plant growth, ground water, and seed germination.
Take note that the chart begins with the new moon which we see here that it is set apart and doesn’t really provide much specific benefit in the natural order of agriculture. From there we see 6 days of Gods natural order at work providing benefit of agricultural occupation and specific plant growth. The seventh day seems to fall into a rut where there is no specific benefit because apparently the whole creation is in a pause, or a rest. We see that pattern continue throughout the rest of the month until it finally comes back to the new moon again, which would be the next month.
Seeing the natural order here in Gods creation, does it make sense that God would appoint a calendar and a Sabbath system that would be made for man and his benefit that would have us work with his natural order here and rest when his creation rested? Or would he rather us use a man made calendar that takes no thought of his natural order that has us working against it?
What we find when we look at this whole picture is the Sabbath day appointed by God on the seventh day of creation had more to do with the benefit of our agriculture and occupation then most of us realize.
The 4th commandment begs us to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy, like it’s something we could forget. With Christians worldwide divided over which Caesar sabbath to keep, with their only options being between the days of the Julian weekend, we have to stop and ask ourselves... What have we forgot?
Many in the agricultural community have come to find that the industrial raping and pillaging of our soils resources has been an utter calamity. For those who have not wizened up to his, well they have resorted to spreading more liquid sewage and chemical fertilizers on the land and have looked to the pharmaceutical companies to produce more chemicals and modified seed that will allow them to remain commercially viable (money) in such conditions. This perpetual runaway problem has led to a national food supply that produces unnecessary widespread sickness, disease, and even death in some cases in tens of millions of people annually (Leviticus 26:15-21). As reported by the CDC, 1 in 4 Americans (75 million/yr.) are affected by tainted food every year.
For those who have wizened up to this ill stewardship of our land, they have recognized the value in allowing land to lie fallow for a growing season. Almost all organic farmers will “rotate” their crops through fields because it has immediate positive response. However, this trend among this resurgence of the age old practice of letting your land rest fails to recognize the source of such wisdom and in the name of commercial viability (money) doesn’t go the full length in securing the full blessings that are promised by God for its full adherence.
With the full abandonment of Biblical principals in our modern age for the pursuit of money and religious expedience, we miss the testimony and witness Scripture specifically offers on keeping what we believe is the most critical tenant of a truly moral and sustainable agriculture system. Most importantly we miss the true call to follow the “Law of the Land” and we replace it with some amoral adherence to allow and follow whatever bureaucratic mandate that gets passes down the power line.
Scripture commands that the nation as a whole should shut down its agriculture every seven years (Leviticus 25:3-4). Almost everyone’s reaction, including that of many professing Christians who lay hold boldly to a pure doctrine of lawless faith, claim full impossibility to follow such a command (Matthew 19:26). Just as all other immorality is excused in our food production and diets, the same case is made that .we need to feed the world and it’s our duty to do so at whatever cost (Matthew 16:8-10)
Despite the proclamation of a “faith only” decree by the modern church, the promise of blessing commanded by God in regards to shutting down agriculture nationally (Leviticus 25:20-22) in our culture receives not one ounce of faith. None. Ironically the greater blessing promised for doing all of God’s Word provides nothing short of full agricultural sustainability (Leviticus 26:2-12).
Our modern culture and its agricultural system bear no reflection of such blessings. While we feed the masses an abundance of cheap nutritionally void food, our modern food system bears more of a resemblance to the curse that is promised for not adhering to such a pure faith. With 98% of all of our food made and sourced now in a factory or by factory style farms instead of made and sourced by the family unit, the testimony of that curse lies in the nutritional difference between wonder white bread and a loaf of bread made by a mother who seeks to nourish her family. There is no doubt that the staff of our bread has been broken (Leviticus 26:25-28).
It is no secret that America was a land flowing with milk and with honey when it was first settled in 1607. 400 years later and the story is incredibly different. We now live in a time in this country where our bees are all dying off, fresh milk is illegal, our soil is depleted of its mineral content, and our food system in all its pharmaceutical and scientific glory is at what we believe to be the brink of its extinction (Leviticus 26:32-35). Sadly it will come at the cost of much human life and health, all because we have abandoned the simple faith of believing All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
While we can’t control the financial pursuits and desires of the masses, we do believe God keeps his promises, even for simple farmers of faith like ourselves. Therefore we abide by the Godly standards of soil health and produce no food from our fields every seventh year. Not only have we found this to be a core principal in the keeping of a moral food system in regards to the highest standards of land stewardship, but also it is the most assured way to produce the highest standards in food quality and nutrition.
We believe the quickest path back to a truly organic system is through the rest and renewal of our soil. If a plant or animal needs treatment to maintain its survival then it is acknowledged that the soil is not providing the vitality everything needs to thrive and no amount of synthetic fertilizer, insecticide, fungicide or liquid sewage can replace the real blessings of health and quality of life that come from a true faith in the Word of God, and we believe you reap what you sow, or in this case what you don’t sow.
Above we made mention that it has been science and medicine that has fathered, and now awkwardly mothers our modern organic and sustainable food system. Over the past century the hybridization of the pharmaceutical industry and the agricultural industry has been nothing short of magical. We wanted bigger animals, faster growth, higher yields, longer shelf lives, minimal labor costs, cheaper outputs, cheaper inputs, and minimized natural risk all in the name of higher profits; and boy have they delivered.
Because of the Pharmaceutical companies, we are now in an age where we have adulterated almost every aspect of the agricultural process. We can magically grow food in dead soil. We can magically keep alive sick animals that would otherwise die in the conditions we raise them in and we can pre-emptively prevent disease and sickness altogether which would otherwise destroy whole herds and flocks. We create crops that never rot, food that never spoils and we magically transform corn and soy into any type of food imaginable.
We live in a time where the majority of people in our culture don’t know how to grow or raise food and farmers don’t write the text books, pharmacists and scientists do. This might be the first time in all of human history that majority of its advanced civilization don’t have the basic skills to produce their own food and in some cases even cook it. While some of these achievements could be argued as the greatest advancements in our society, the over use of pharmaceuticals in our food supply has been the single largest driving force in our culture which has driven many consumers and small farmers back to the local based organic food system we see flourishing in small town markets all across the nation.
Hence our expression that science and medicine is the father of the organic movement (Proverbs 15:32).
Ever since we abandoned our knowledge of the natural world in favor of our adulteries of it, going back to it has proven an awkward challenge. Our reliance of science and medicine to edify the steps we take back into the “organic” path has made for a new series of magical feats performed by the Pharmaceutical companies. While we abandon the use of synthetic pharmaceuticals in place of ones derived naturally from nature, our belief in this organic salvation allows us to dump a lot more chemicals into our agricultural processes under a blind faith that it can’t be harmful… its organic right (Proverbs 14:12)???
Most believe organic and/or natural foods are grown without the use of pesticides, insecticides and fungicides, and that organic and/or natural meats aren’t raised in crates, given antibiotics or vaccinated. There are some truths to these beliefs and there are some farmers who have gone above and beyond industry standards to uphold these high standards, but in most circumstances we would find no such absolution has been made by this adolescent industry. It’s true the conversion to “organic” does represent a rejection to the toxic synthetic chemicals we dump over the bulk of the world’s food supply, but there are many cases to be made that many of the ”naturally sourced” chemicals being used in the organic models are proving to be just as toxic.
Hence our expression that science and medicine now awkwardly mothers it (Proverbs 3:5).
Many would believe there is no specific mention of pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, vaccines, drugs, hormones, and/or steroids in Scripture. Those who believe the Old Testament an irrelevant application in a Christian walk would be surprised to find that the full revelation of this topic and its forbiddance is reaffirmed directly in the New Testament.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
To those who don’t study Scripture for its underlying truth, it would be easily dismissed that there is nothing in the Apostle Paul’s list of forbidden practices that deal with anything regarding the pharmaceutical nature of our modern agriculture. Aside from this list containing many of the tenants of a Biblically Principled Sustainability, including that of uncleanness which modern theology steadfastly believes isn’t applicable anymore; the specific one that deals with our subject matter is that of witchcraft and its broader category of sorcery (G5331) and “magic”.
Witchcraft- Strong's G5331- pharmakeia
From G5332; medication, pharmacy, that is, magic: G5332- pharmakeus- From pharmakon, a drug, that is, spell giving potion; a druggist, a pharmacist or poisoner, that is, a magician or sorcerer
Since our culture blindly buys what Hollywood and fairy tales have sold us as the definition of witchcraft and magic, we see the Apostle Paul choosing a very different topical definition then our presumption that he is talking about shooting fireballs out of our hands or brewing potions that alter nature... or is he?
The word Pharmakeia and its related word forms pharmakeus & pharmakon are the same Greek words from which we derive the modern English words pharmacy, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical, pharmacist, pharmacopeia, pharmacology, pharmaceuticalist and pharmaceuticalism; all which practice, study, manufacture and brew up pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, vaccines, drugs, hormones, steroids and the like for profit. We find that the Apostle Paul very specifically is calling out this industry in regards to its “witchcraft” (Luke 6:44), and as we have read above this industry has performed much “magic” in our agricultural system.
The pharmaceutical industry today has the same Greek title that it had at the time the New Testament was written 2000 years ago, and it is still doing the very same thing it was apparently doing then, creating and dealing in poisonous drugs/potions. In our modern time we have seen the rise of the pharmaceutical industry become the greatest industry on earth. The product it sells allows us to live our feeble lifestyles of sin and uncleanness all the while giving us the false security of being untouchable (Isaiah 47:8-10).
Scripture says that merchants who sell "sorceries" have deceived all nations (Revelation 18:23). So what exactly is the grand deception we are warned of here? Is it of the great Pharmacopeia companies, who hire no one but the smartest scientists (G3097) on the earth to create drugs for profit? Is the loss of life or destruction of health from such products only another business opportunity to create more profit, and not a real ethical dilemma? Or is it the David Copperfield's of the world that performs "magic" to crowds for entertainment the warned of deception?
Sorcerer- Strong's G3097-magos
a Magian, that is, an Oriental scientist; by implication a magician, a sorcerer, a wise man.
What’s worse is that the Word of God fully declares that people who seek after those who practice “magic” will be physically defiled (Leviticus 19:26-31). The word defiled (H2930) here has the same connection to the Biblical concept of uncleanness as with hybrid and GM foods and the forbidden lists of unclean meats. Could it be that the consumption of sorcery and witchcraft has something to do with one’s physical wellbeing, hygiene and health? Could our defilement be disease and other such sickness? It seems no matter how hard we try to escape the curse of our sins and uncleanness, our reliance of pharmaceuticals is always met with a long monotone list of side effects (Leviticus 26:21).
We believe that blind faith in science and the use of pharmaceuticals in our agricultural system only masks the symptoms of poor moral standards and almost always neglects to address problems with actual solutions. Many turn to the pharmaceutical companies and medical establishment for salvation for and from their food choices, demanding solutions to our soil problems, our crops and animals’ inability to live in the production conditions we provide, our economic instability and scaled mismanagement among many other issues we seem unable to resolve by any other means. After years of consuming once hailed solutions to our problems we then run to the very same corporations to solve our health problems that developed for such blind faith.
As for us we consider our faith in the Word of God. If our soil is depleted and won’t grow food it might be that the land needs rest, not more chemical fertilizer. If an animal is dying or in poor health it might be the conditions we raise them in need reassessed (Proverbs 27:23), not preventative antibiotic and other drug regimens implemented. If vegetation cannot stay alive and exist in your land without a prescribed regime of pharmaceuticals applied to it, there might be a reason other than a lack of such chemicals. If our own health is deteriorating from our poor diets it might be that we need to reassess our beliefs (Philippians 3:18-19) on what should be considered good wholesome food sources and diets, not partake in a prescribed pharmaceutical life support while continuing in our taste driven lusts (2 Peter 2:9-12).
While this whole revelation might be a real hard pill to swallow for many, we heed the warnings found in Scripture on having a misguided faith in pharmaceuticals (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). We believe there is a fine line draw between what is medicine and what is not, therefore we exercise much discernment in this regards in the raising and management of our food production, even in regards to “organic and natural” methods. Humanity has thrived for thousands of years without a pharmaceutical based agriculture and if we truly are aiming to return to this “organic” standard then we must not allow the pharmaceuticals to reign over it (Exodus 22:18).
Much of the modern Local Food movement surges with informed folks who are looking for that organic healthy heirloom vegetable which they are convinced is the superior alternative to the new age convenience food rotting in the outside aisles of the grocery stores. And with good reason too.
Many have already caught on to the knowledge that has in recent years surfaced regarding hybrid vegetables. Studies show that the product of such plants we hybridize for more commercial viability (money) tends to be extremely less nutritionally dense then their open pollinated/heirloom counterparts. We have even heard science make the case for genetically modified foods with these studies, as if it makes sense to further alter the genetic makeup of our food to fix the problems that developed from altering the genetic makeup of our food.
Luckily when the issue of genetically modified food comes up in the modern local food movement, it’s met with great bitterness and disgust. It’s completely safe to assume most people do not feel easy with the idea of Frankenstein genetics replacing that which our Creator designed for our consumption (Genesis 1:29-31). Grains and vegetables spliced genetically with insecticides, pesticides or anything else in no way comes off as safe and wise to consume. There is even new reports surfacing of meat grown in petri dishes that “look and taste like the real thing”, grown from modifying stem cells that Science proudly reports as “revolutionizing the future of food”.
Many of us know in our hearts that this is not the future we should be plotting a course to. Yet in the name of feeding the poor hungry masses cheap inexpensive food, science gets away with adulterating our food supply with no ethical regards.
It would be safe to assume with the silence of the modern church on these issues that the Bible has nothing to say on matters like this. While there are many individual Christians who fall into the organic food system’s convictions on GMO’s, they do so with general feeling that we should not adulterate God’s creation. Most don’t realize however that Scripture carries a very direct forbiddance on hybridity and GMO’s.
We believe the 7th Commandment, which is the forbiddance of Adultery, transcends much more than the sexual immorality of prostitution and marital infidelity as most simply believe. In fact, Scripture teaches us that all sexual immorality is Adultery, including that of our plants and our livestock, most specifically, the hybridity or mingling of their seed (Leviticus 19:19).
Besides the direct act of creating hybrids and GMO’s being forbidden, Scripture expounds upon it even more by forbidding the planting of mingled seed and declaring that the food produced from them is defiled (Deuteronomy 22:9), which happens to carry an “clean/unclean” context in the Hebrew text (H6942). The concept of food being defiled and set apart in a clean/unclean context turns off the modern church from protesting the sexual immorality of plants and animals and spreading the Word of God on the matter.
We believe this to be most forbidden as Scripture declares and therefore abide by the Godly standards of health and practice no hybridity in our breeding programs or produce any food from hybrid or genetically modified sources.
Sadly this might just be the hardest tenant to follow and requires much diligence to sort out the centuries of misconduct in animal husbandry. While most plants and vegetables are easier to research for hybridity, research into livestock hybridity poses a huge wall of challenges.
We have found while raising cattle and poultry that the reproductive language used by farmers, hatcheries, genetic associations, breeders, different branches of science and the like carry no definitive meaning when inquiring on reproductive concepts. Concepts like selective breeding, cross breeding, line breeding, pure breed, purebred, pureblood, hybrid vigor, and many other terms used in animal husbandry are often individually defined and is almost never used in the capacity of a specific animal’s species, scientifically categorized or as God himself categorized upon creation (Genesis 1:11-12;24-25).
As we grow in our knowledge of true hybridity and decipher the language of commerce from the intent of God’s design for the species, we too will grow in practice with it. It has been man’s duty from the fall to be accountable for his knowledge of good and evil and all true knowledge revealed on the matter will be met with an equal amount of repentance and shared for others to weigh and judge for themselves.
While it is acknowledged the sciences that has developed in modern times that allows us to impregnate animals who will never in their whole lifetime have to come in contact with a sire is pretty amazing and incredibly great for profit in some cases, there is much to consider however when harmonizing the intent of our creator with our pursuit of money.
Our understanding of sexual reproduction is no longer primitive and shrouded by the barriers of microscopic biology like it once was. We now know that reproduction occurs when a single sperm fertilizes a single egg. The sperm that usually gets the egg is the overachiever of the millions that are distributed per service. Without interference Creation achieves perfection 99.99% of the time, even when it doesn’t seem so in our profit margins.
Over the past century, the technology has developed to allow us to harvest sperm from sire animals, freeze it and/or transfer it at our convenience to desired females. While Creation intends a single sperm from a single service or more to impregnate a single animal, man has now manipulated dozens of sperm from each service to be used throughout multiple animals. We now produce hundreds of thousands of animals in our husbandry programs annually which by the intent of creation where never meant to exist.
Does that make it inherently evil or bad? I don’t have an answer for that and science seems to not feel there is reason for concern. It is certainly not in line with natural order though. That alone however is not enough to call for a forbiddance of it if Gods moral Law does not directly condemn it. So what does Scripture declare on the topic of artificial breeding?
Many would believe there is nothing directly specified in Scripture regarding the forbiddance of artificial breeding. We also believe this to be the case in regards to our modern terminology on the matter. We call this insemination and fertilization, gilded with words like science, progress, advancement and ingenuity. All things Scripture would have no conflict with if pursued ethically by HIS moral standards. Yet there is a very specific forbiddance we should consider on the matter, but first we must depict the process of how it works in order to have a clearer understanding of how the Scripture might apply.
With the following explicitly described below, imagine Moses, Christ, or any other prominent figure of Scripture walking in the barn while this is taking place and ask yourself “What would they call it?”
As we mentioned, the process of all artificial breeding requires that the sperm of any desired beast must be harvested. This process requires someone to incite and manipulate the beast into ejaculation. The manipulation of any ejaculation whether with man or beast is called masturbation under any other circumstance. We believe that changing the word into something scientific as to not incite such imagery isn’t enough to change the fact of the matter. How would Moses regard the scientific masturbation of beasts?
The case could be made that Moses would understand that this type of sexual relationship with beasts is simply science, but we are willing to believe that Moses would probably not. We side with Moses here and believe this to be an act of bestiality and therefore abide by the Godly standards of natural animal reproduction and believe this a critical tenant of moral animal husbandry.
Again, we believe the 7th Commandment, which is the forbiddance of Adultery, transcends much more than the sexual immorality of prostitution and marital infidelity as most simply believe, and even transcends the hybridity and genetic adulteration as described above. In fact, Scripture teaches us that all sexual immorality is Adultery, including that of our plants and our livestock, most specifically, sexually engaging with animals at all (Exodus 22:19) even if there is no sexual intent. While it’s easy to dismiss it as a non-sexual act due to the fact that there is no sexual intent on behalf of man, the beast being manipulated into ejaculation would probably tell a whole other story.
With that being said the debate above of whether using dozens of sperm from a single service for multiple animals goes against the intent of creation or not is an irrelevant one. Regardless of whether science finds that we can do so without consequence or if in another hundred years we find that we have amalgamated all genetic diversity to the point of special collapse, the gateway down such a path should be barred. While it seems harmless enough, the ultimate development of artificial breeding coupled with the hybridity and genetic adulteration we also find forbidden is not a matrix we should want to open.
When you read the title of this tenant what was the first thing that came to your mind? We imagine most people think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the command issued by God to not eat the infamous forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:16-17). Christian and non-Christian alike know this story. Now this is not what this tenant is about but we would like to take a moment and draw an overall premise to Biblically Principled Sustainability while your mind is already here.
Of all the things in the garden to eat there was a command issued to not eat or touch (Genesis 3:3)a very specific food. A serpent came along and seduced Eve (Genesis 3:4) into believing that it wasn’t that important to listen to the “Law” God had issued to Adam and Eve concerning obedience to God's command. Theology has speculated over the millennia in great complexity every detail about this event and draws many different conclusions on the matter. Our simple take is that if we read God’s Law regarding food (Leviticus 11:8), or even for that matter the whole Law found in Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:5-8) and believe it is not essential or relevant to a moral Christian walk (Revelation 14:12), then it begs to be asked “who is this serpent that has seduced us? (Genesis 3:1)
Awkwardly the answer to that question when literally asked always alludes to Christ being the one telling us to "not worry about what God said to do and how to live".
Many claim Christ showed us we no longer need to listen to and obey God’s law (Matthew 7:21-23). The overall adoption of the modern church body to accept this without question suggests Adam probably went down without a fight when Eve relayed the same message to him from the serpent. Are we saying Christ is a serpent? God Forbid (Galatians 2:17-18)! We believe Christ took away our sin, not the standards which determine our sin (Romans 7:7) and our only means to repent from it (Romans 6:1-2). With a call to repentance that no longer requires us to return to that standard which we transgressed and strayed from (1 John 3:4-6), many in the modern church live out their whole lives never really knowing the law let alone the amazing knowledge given to us in some of its most obscure commandments.
One of those commandments is the command to not eat forbidden fruit. While this might confuse some due to the overwhelming attention original sin receives, it’s a command that is most definitely lost in obscurity to much of the modern church. While it doesn’t have much to do with our “original” sin, it has everything to do with agriculture and our “continual” sin.
Scripture commands that when you enter into a new land and establish trees that bear food that you are not to eat from those trees until the fifth yearLeviticus 19:23-25). Much of the commercial industry follows this in some regards being most fruiting trees don’t produce fruit for at least the first 3 or 4 years. Many companies sell third year bushes and trees so when you take them home and plant them you will see some kind of fruit the first year in your ground. This usually isn’t much of a harvest, but it does satiate the consumers overwhelming demand for instant gratification.
The scripture states that a 3 year count begins upon planting the trees. We do not believe that buying and planting a 3 year old tree bypasses the command here nor does it secure the blessing promised for keeping these commands(Proverbs 3:9-10). It is recognized through our understanding of trees and their biology that a tree or plant of any sort that has time to establish a proper root system deep within the soil will have a higher chance of survival and long term output then one that we immediately start to harvest energy from before it has even established anything beyond its root bound ball.
The scripture commands that the fruit which grows in those 3 years is forbidden to eat, calling it “uncircumcised”. Now we aren’t even going to begin to try and explain what that means, but the question we feel that is answered is “Does it really matter? (1Corinthians 7:19).
The fourth year of a fruit tree is when the real first fruit comes. Scripture declares that this year’s fruit is holy and to be an offering to God. Much of the tithes and offerings of foods like this always went to the service of the congregation, to feed those who administered God’s ministry and to feed the poor, widowed and fatherless (Deuteronomy 26:10-13). In our modern church and agricultural system we neglect Gods portion completely and fail to recognize the great “welfare system” built into what should be a charitable Christian faith. When stealing Gods portion (Malachi 3:5-9) for ourselves however, it seems a system of taxation has come about in our nation that steals fourfold the amount of wealth from us in the name of feeding the poor, widowed and fatherless.
We believe even a tenant as simple as this single obscure command is paramount in a Christian faith. In just this small briefing of the commandment we not only find that it offers great wisdom on establishing trees that will yield a sustainable food supply for years to come, but also shows us how to establish built in “safety nets” for the poor and needy among us. No mention of bureaucrats, no mention of oppressive taxation, no mention of a church system who proclaims the law is done away with exception for tithing (which oppressively, and conveniently, comes in the suggested form of 10% of your total income rather than 10% of your agricultural increase (Deuteronomy 14:22); nothing but a simple common sense approach for establishing a food supply that not only meets our needs, but also meets the needs of those who need it more.
Therefore we abide by this command and are deeply rooted into the principals we take away from it when understanding it. We find it to be a small but important principal in the establishment of a moral land stewardship as it also offers us a wonderful efficiency to a national welfare system run by farmers and Christians rather than bureaucrats, which we intend to elaborate more on in further tenants.
Our last tenant is one where the modern church and the organic local food system fail to recognize the wisdom given to us in the Bible, and more strangely modern science. While the modern church cannot entertain food morality due to the dogmatic nature of their belief on God’s Law, it leaves me curious why the organic local food system hasn’t signed up yet.
The organic local food movement relies heavily on science and medicine to make informed decisions on their diets. We find that science and medicine both witness that we should not be engaging in unclean diets. Any simple Google search on the prime unclean suspects, those being swine (pork) and shellfish (clams, shrimp, oysters etc.), will show that there are indeed medical and scientific proofs declaring the poisonous nature of these supposed foods.
Since almost everyone in our culture has it naturally written in their hearts (Romans 2:13-15) to forbid the eating of rats, cats and dogs, things like swine and shellfish most certainly have flown under the radar. It is found that people tend to know the scientific warnings of eating these unclean foods, yet most believe that raising these creatures under the heavily controlled production and distribution protocols of Man's Law minimizes all the risk in consuming their flesh.
Even with refrigeration and the adulteration of their natural diets to resemble that of the natural diets of the clean animals we domesticate, does not the sow that was washed return to wallowing in the mire? (2 Peter 2:20-22 With the annual rate of sickness and death in our nation so high (Psalm 119:53) from our food supply, and our attention to food cleanness in way of over regulation and chemical decontamination so burdensome; it confounds us that no one on any side of the moral isle gives any credence to the Biblical precepts on food.
We think the reason why everyone easily glazes over the Bible and science on unclean foods is due to the other consistency found in the Google search you hopefully take time to do. You will find that you have to wade through very aggressive propaganda campaigns trying to convince everyone that despite the science they are finding, these foods are the “other white meat”. These campaigns have served the industry well (2 Peter 2:1-3) considering swine alone is an annual multi-billion dollar industry, and despite the science everyone still eats it.
Obviously we do not believe it’s the other white meat (Deuteronomy 14:3).
We believe that the categorical lists given to us in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 regarding the things to be considered food, and the things not to be considered food (Leviticus 11:46-47), are very relevant today to a person’s healthy living and/or walk in faith. While some of the other tenants of a Biblically Principled Sustainability are a little harder to purely follow, meats are the easiest. Therefore we abide by the godly standards of health and produce no food from unhealthy, unclean meat sources.
We believe all doctrine in the modern church age that supports the consumption of what the Bible declares abominable food should be reexamined with an open mind and reconsidered when revealed that there is nothing in all of the New Testament that declares that all unclean meats are now permitted to be eaten.
Dwayne P. McIntyre, Speaker
Want to have us speak or present our content as a workshop to a congregation or conference? We have been blessed with the opportunity to do so over the last few years all over the east coast. We can do small events and gatherings to large auditorium conferences. Our main presentation can be done in an hour, but the presentation itself is 3 hours for the full rich experience of information. We can also break out any one of our single tenants above in half hour to an hour workshops to complement any Agricultural seminars or symposiums.
Reach out and let us know what you have going on!