“Much of the charm and persuasion of [Wendell] Berry’s work lies in the simplicity with which he reads the world. Yet if we are going to read him through the lens of Christian confession, at times we need to make use of somewhat technical language and concepts to clarify the tensions present not just in his work, but in any earnest struggle with the narrative of creation, fall, and redemption. The ‘given creation’ is good and worthy of our care, Berry argues, yet it is also fallen, diseased, unhealthy, and thus longing for redemption. Berry shows that we need not sit by passively, waiting for redemption to happen. To probe his thinking further, here we will introduce the language of structure and direction. . . .

“Berry’s vision is often expressed in the language of gift and givenness. Structure is the boundedness that is built into creation, boundaries that call not for lament but humility and proportionality. But structure is also God’s gift to us, his love embodied, and calls for our gratitude. Controlling, overcoming, superseding all these are destructive impulses toward violating structural limits. Structure is the fundamental ‘given thing,’ given not as a blueprint but as a call and response. It requires human negotiation for its fulfillment, for fruitfulness and health — Genesis 2:15 can, in fact, be read as a trope for ‘farming.’ It is always necessary for human beings to work at the creational structure’s unfolding; humans can’t avoid guiding creation, because all of our actions are directional. We either foster life or foment disease, or most likely do some measure of both, whenever we act in this fallen world. Human actions always take place within the context of a creation that is open; creation may be thought of as fully healthy not when empty from humans but when appropriately stewarded and nurtured by people. Berry’s work consistently points out that we always have an effect upon the rest of creation, often at multiple levels, just by virtue of being humans. His concern is primarily the danger of denying that we have an impact, but he also warns against the claim that we need not recognize natural limits just because we have the apparent power to supersede them.

“Berry recognizes a responsibility that does not end, a faithful stewarding that is ongoing between the given and the gifted. This negotiation with limits is at the heart of his understanding of farming, of household, of community, and of patriotism. Direction has to do with faithfully directing creation in light of the conditions and choices that come out of Genesis 3 — the fall is always present, alongside creation’s goodness. Before the fall, there was only one direction chosen — faithfulness. But the fall has damaged our ability to respond to the structures of creation. Our vision is clouded, and hence the attraction of the ‘quick fix’ that would seem to solve our dilemmas immediately. The curse of disobedience is manifested in the struggle associated with our work to bring forth life. This situation does not call for despair or nostalgia, whether for ‘idyllic childhood’ or for Eden, nor for escape into a world of fantasy. Instead, the faithful path is one of oft-frustrated hopefulness, a sensibility that can wed grief with joy. This long journey, this life’s work, is what Berry seeks to embody in his own and his characters’ commitment to place and people.”

— from J. Matthew Bonzo and Michael R. Stevens, Wendell Berry and the Cultivation of Life: A Reader’s Guide (Brazos Press, 2008)

J. Matthew Bonzo and Michael R. Stevens discussed this book on Volume 95 of the Journal.

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