God & Nature Magazine
  • Winter 2023 Issue
    • Letter From the Editors
    • Braden, A Modern Bestiary
    • Garte, Assembly Theory
    • Defoe, The Heavens Declare
    • Greenberg, Bonding
    • Barrigar, God's Big Story
    • Phillippy, Overcoming Paradox
    • Bostrom, Near
    • Clifford, Hidden Figures
  • Fall 2022 Issue
    • Letter Fall22
    • Curry, Attentiveness
    • Russo, Deconstruction
    • Touryan, Four Forces
    • Mittchell, Three Words
    • Philippy, Math Theology Fall 22
    • Bostrom, Goodbyes
    • Clifford FAll 22
    • Linsley, Mystic Exile
    • Hall, A Call to Arms
  • Summer 2022 Issue
    • Letter Summer 2022
    • Engelking, Neurotheology
    • Kelley, Environmentalism
    • Garte, Sandpipers
    • Madison, Cultivating Contentment
    • Collins, Answers on Evolution
    • Touryan, Tentmakers
    • Oord, Ever-Creative God
    • Bostrom, Mentors
    • Clifford, Carbon and Sin
    • Campbell, Just, In Time
  • Past Issues
    • Spring 2022 Issue >
      • Letter from the Editors Spring 2022
      • Curry, Knowldege and Truth
      • Pinkham, On a Car Emblem
      • Murray, Candling the Egg
      • Carr, Music, Math, Religion
      • Smith, Wonder and Longing
      • Linsky, Cyber Service
      • Bostrom, Buteo
      • Obi, Coincidences
    • Winter 2022 Issue >
      • Garte &Albert Letter Winter 2022
      • Thuraisingham Pondering Invisible
      • Cornwell Mediations from Molecular Biologist
      • Fagunwa Blsck Scientist & Church Father
      • Garte A Dialogue
      • Gonzalez Being Human
      • Klein Naturalist in Two Worlds
      • Bostrom Creeds
      • Clifford Winter 2022
      • Ardern Contact Points
      • Cooper Imagine No Christmas
    • Fall 2021 Issue >
      • Garte &Albert Letter Fall2021
      • Johnson, God Winks
      • Cottraux, Ancient Aliens
      • Arveson, Anti-Vax Email
      • Gammon, Evolutionary Insights
      • Mitchell, No One Told Me
      • Rummo, Faith in the Invisible
      • Bostrom, Fall Furrows
      • Lemcio, A Franciscan Weekend
      • Funk, Plant Haiku
      • Robinson & Lim, Who is God?
    • Summer 2021 Issue >
      • Garte &Albert Letter Sum2021
      • Warren, Immunization and Salvation
      • Defoe, Bernard Ramm
      • Cornwell Canine to Divine
      • Mix, Running with Nature
      • Pinkham, Scuba Divers
      • Cao, Physics and Bible
      • Bostrom, Sugar Birds
      • Clifford Sum21
      • Oostema, Evolution of Faith
      • Hall, Generation upon Generation
    • Spring 2021 Issue >
      • Garte and Albert Letter Spring 2021
      • Loikanen, Divine Action
      • Madison, Humus and Humility
      • Lappin, Puddles and Persons
      • Cornwell, God's GPS
      • Touryan, Contolled Fusion
      • Russo, Vaccine and Salvation
      • Bostrom, Short-eared Owl
      • Redkoles, Expect Unexpected
      • Clifford, Boring
      • McFarland, Imposition of Carbon
      • Lemcio, Manis Mastodon
    • Winter 2021 Issue >
      • Winter 2021 Contents >
        • Garte and Albert Letter from the Editors
        • Burnett How iit All Started
        • Isaac Director's Corner
        • Ruppel Herrington, First Editor
        • Burnett Origin of Lire
        • Hearn Balance
        • Middleton Natural Theology
        • Story Antibodies and Randomness
        • Lamoureux I Sleep a Lot
        • Warren Overloaded Brains
        • Isaac Knowledge of Information
        • Bancewicz Wonder and Zebrafish
        • Oord Photoessay
        • Albert Hope in Winter
        • Clifford Storytelling & Drama in Teaching
        • Pohl The Column (Poetry)
    • Fall 2020 Issue >
      • Letter from Editors
      • Pohl, Panpsychism and Microbiome
      • Reyes, Communion During Loss
      • Griffin, Hands On
      • Azarvan, Science and Limits
      • Cornwell, Search Engines for God
      • Thuraisingham, Duality of Humans and Particles
      • Touryan, Prayers of Petition
      • George, Perfect Vision
      • Declare the Glory, Green: Awe
      • Bostrom Purpose
      • Oord, Theological Photoessay
      • Clifford, Food, Water, Waste
    • Summer 2020 Issue >
      • Summer 2020 Contents >
        • Editors Letter Summer2020
        • Jones, Science Faith Duopoly
        • Mix, God and the Virus
        • Warner, COVID-19 and Goodness of Creation
        • Gonzalez, Pandemic and Groaning of Creation
        • Johnson, Star Wars Food
        • Pyle, It Takes a (Medical ) Village
        • Arveson, Use for 3D Printers
        • Peterson, Pandemic and Research
        • Zeidan, Mentorship Online
        • Oleskeiwicz, Dragonfly on Water
        • Carr, COVID-19 and Climate Change
        • Nierrman, The Squirrel
        • Cornwell, COVIS-19 Bucket List
        • Bostrom, Grass Thoughts
        • Clifford, Summ20 Conflict
    • Spring 2020 Issue >
      • Letter from the Editors SP20
      • AD
      • Murphy, Nature and Calvary
      • Dickin, The Flood and Genesis 1
      • Gruenberg, Empiricism and Christian Spirituality
      • Ungureanu, Science, Religion, Protestant Tradition
      • Russo, How does it End?
      • Siegrist, Problems with Materialism
      • Ohlman, 20/20 in 2020
      • Warren, Rock Frogs
      • Edwards, Sanctuary
      • Bostrom, Clothed
      • Clifford, The Lent of Lockdown Spring 2020
      • Hall, 1:30 AM on a Tuesday (Poem)
    • Winter 2020 Issue >
      • Letter from the Editor Winter 2020
      • AD
      • Wimberly Inheritance, Meaning and Code
      • Defoe; A Pastor's Journey
      • Mix The Ends of the World
      • Pevarnik Limits of Physics
      • Greenberg "Godly" Science
      • Pinkham Teleological Thinking
      • Alexanian How to Witness
      • "Declare the Glory" Neal, Cross, Gait
      • Clifford "Across the Pond" Winter 2020
      • Oord "Theological Photoessays" Winter 2020
      • Salviander The Objective Man (Poem)
      • Ohlman Orphan of the Universe (Poem)
      • Lemcio Grey's Anatomy (Poem)
    • Fall 2019 Issue >
      • Letter from the Editor Fall 2019
      • Phillippy Mathematics and God
      • Pohl & Thoelen Databases
      • Garte Limits of Science
      • Mitroka Healthy Lifestyle
      • Sigmon Science and Revelation
      • Mariani Compatibility Creation and Evolution
      • Anders Theistic Evolution
      • Touryan Are we alone
      • Johnson Purpose and Source
      • Declare the Glory Curry, Smith, Best
      • Clifford "Across the Pond" Fall 19
      • Oord "Theological Photoessays Fall 19
      • Eyte Cross Cascade "Poem"
    • Summer 2019 Issue >
      • Letter from the Editor Summer 2019
      • Arveson Is There a “Theory of Everything”
      • Anderson The History and Philosophy of Science and Faith
      • Tolsma Science in Church
      • Salviander Black Holes and Atheism
      • Johnson Practical Problems for Literal Adam
      • Hall God and the Assumptions of Scientific Research
      • Linsky Overcoming Misconceptions
      • Wilder Sanctity of Creation
      • Clifford "Across the Pond" Summer19
      • Oord "Theological Photoessays" Summer 2019
      • Flaig Time and Me (Poem)
    • Spring 2019: Creation Care and Environment >
      • Letter from the Editor Spring 2019
      • Bancewicz;Sustainability Pledge: Why the Environment is My Problem
      • Lin; Environmental Problems as a Place for Compromise and Dialogue
      • Garvey; Where the Fall Really Lies
      • Lewis; Solar-Powered Life: Providing Food, Oxygen and Protection
      • Garte; Time and Human Impact on the Environment
      • Mays; Reforming Science Textbooks
      • Carr; Cosmic Energy First, Then Matter: A Spiritual Ethic
      • Kincanon; The Young Earthers and Leibniz
      • Declare the Glory Gauger
      • Clifford "Across the Pond" Spring 2019
      • Oord; Photoessay. Theological Photo Essays
      • Rivera; Photoessay. Digital Artwork: Images of Jesus
      • Albert; Poem. A Goldfish Sings a Tentative Psalm
      • Armstrong; Poem Holy Sonnet XI
    • Winter 2019: Education and Outreach 2 >
      • Letter from the Editor, Winter 2009
      • Applegate; Project Under Construction: Faith Integration Resource for High School Biology
      • LaBelle; Sidewalk Astronomy Evangelism - Taking it to the Streets!
      • Reed; Speaking to the Heart and Mind of Students about Evolution and Creation
      • Marcus; The Conflict Model
      • Rivera; The Implicit Assumptions behind Hitchen's Razor
      • Russo; Redeeming Bias in Discussion of Science and Faith
      • Fischer; Origins, Genesis and Adam
      • Clifford Column, Winter 2019
      • Gait; Photoessay - Stripes
      • Lee; Poem. In Chaos and Nothingness
    • Fall 2018: Education and Outreach 1 >
      • Letter from the Editor Fall 2018
      • Glaze; A Walk within Two Worlds: Faith, Science, and Evolution Advocacy
      • Johnson; Teaching the Controversy in Texas
      • Cootsona; Mere Christianity, Mainstream Science and Emerging Adults
      • Kindstedt; Creating a Third Culture
      • Zeidan; An Effective Way to Integrate Supportive Communication and Christian Belief into Virtual Classrooms
      • Marshall; A New Model of Causation
      • McClure; Nothing in the Bible Makes Sense Except in the Light of Grace
      • Frank; Christianity, Science and Teamwork
      • Assad/Reyes; Interview. Discovering a Renewed Sense of Awe and Wonder about God
      • Clifford Column Fall 2018
      • Menninga; Photoessay. What do These Stones Mean?
    • Summer 2018: Judgment and Peer Review >
      • Letter from the Editors Summer 2018
      • Jones; Peer Review: Avoiding Judgmentalism
      • Arnold; Discovering Spiritual Information Through Peer-Reviewed Science
      • Peterson; Peering at Double-Blind Peer Review
      • Smith; A Philosophical Influence from the Scientific Revolution on Scientific Judgment
      • Mix; The Poetry of Probability
      • Mobley; Randomness vs. the Providence of God?
      • Gordon; Chances are Good: Design and Chance in Genesis 1
      • Siegrist; But the Multiverse...!
      • Reyes; The Community Table: Interview with Marianne Johnson
      • Clifford Column Summer 2018
      • Hill; Poem. Synthesis
      • Lemcio; Poem. I Could See Where This was Going
      • Oord: Photoessay
    • Spring 2018: Chance & Design >
      • Letter from the Editors
      • Bishop; God, Love and Chance
      • Bonham; Quantum Reflections
      • Spaulding; God as Designer
      • Garte; Teleology in Evolution
      • Hall; God, Chance and Buridan's Ox
      • Pohl; Why We Need a Third Culture in Church
      • Dorman; Liturgical Brain
      • Warren; Galapagos
      • Blanchard; On Christian Science
      • Touryan; The Cross as a Cosmic Filter
    • Winter 2018: Race & Inheritance >
      • A Note from the Editors
      • Essay: “Some Pastoral Considerations of CRISPR CAS 9 Gene Editing” by Mario A Russo
      • Essay: “The Genetics and Theology of Race” by Sy Garte
      • Essay: "Grieve the Segregation of Science" by S. Joshua Swamidass
      • Poem: "Cardboard Man" by Ciara Reyes
      • Featured Interview: “Love Is Risk” with Carolyn Finney
      • Essay & Poem: “Abortion Languages: Love, fear, confusion and loss”
      • Essay: "Why the Church Needs Intersectional Feminism" by Emily Herrington
      • Essay: “Elected to Salvation (and other things?)” by Bill Leonard
      • Essay: “Local Colour: A reflection on family, history, and heritage” by Mike Clifford
      • Interview: Corina Newsome, environmentalist and animal keeper
      • Essay: “Spiritual Kin Selection” by Steve Roels
      • Photo Essay: "Trouble in Paradise: Plastic pollution in the Bahamas" by Grace Swing & Robert D Sluka
      • Essay: “Race & Inheritance: Personal reflections and annotations” by Walt Hearn
      • Interview: Carla Ramos, molecular biologist
      • Clifford Column; Discipine Hopping
      • Lemcio; Waves
      • Harris Artwork
      • Hearn; Eulogy - Beyond Science,
    • Summer 17: Cosmology & Theology >
      • Letter from the Editors: Summer 2017
      • Essay: "The News from My Home Galaxy" by Walt Hearn
      • Interview: "Deep Incarnation & the Cosmos: A Conversation with Niels Henrik Gregersen" by Ciara Reyes & Niels Henrik Gregersen
      • Photo Essay: "Breath & Dust" by Kathleen Eady
      • Essay: "Why the Eagle Nebula Just Doesn’t Do It For Me" by Mike Clifford
      • Essay: "The Cosmos in My Hand" by Lucas Mix
      • Interview: “What is Life? On Earth and Beyond” with Andreas Losch
      • Artwork by Missy Pellone
      • Essay: "When God & Science Hide Reality" by Davis Woodworth
      • Essay: "​In Search of Wonder: A Reflection on Reconciling Medieval and Modern Cosmology" by Monica Bennett
      • Essay: "If Christianity and Cosmology Are in Conflict, Whose Side Is Philosophy on?" by Vaughan Rees
    • Winter/Spring 17: "Flesh & Blood" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Winter/Spring 2017
      • Essay: "Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics: On microbiomes and the meaning of life" by John F. Pohl
      • Essay: "With All Your Mind" by Paul S. Kindsedt
      • Essay: "The Stuff of Life" by Mike Clifford
      • Essay: "Experiencing God’s Love in a Secular Society: A Christian experience with socialized medicine" by Alison Noble
      • Poem: "The Problem with Pain" by Eugne E. Lemcio
      • Essay: "Thoughts of Death in a Cruel World: Job’s suicidal ideation and the “right” Christian response to depression" by Jennifer Michael Hecht and Emily Herrington
      • Essay: "Tissues at Issue" by Walt Hearn
      • Essay: "The Dilemma of Modern Christianity" by Tony Mitchell
      • Poem: "Light" by Billie Holladay Skelley
      • Essay: "Some Theological Implications of Science: Revisiting the Ant" by Mario A. Russo
    • Summer/Fall 16: "Stewardship of Words" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Summer 2016
      • Levity: "Walt Being Walt: Excerpts from the ASA newsletter" by Walt Hearn (compiled by Jack Haas & Emily Ruppel)
      • Poem: "A Prayer Tribute to Walt and Ginny Hearn" by Paul Fayter
      • Essay: "Authentic Science & Authentic Christian Faith" by Paul Arveson
      • Essay: "On Modern-Day Saints & Epistles" by Emily Ruppel
      • Essay: "​Mathematics and the Religious Impulse" by Karl Giberson
      • Poem: "The Wasteful Gene" by Eugne E. Lemcio
      • Three Poems by Dan Eumurian
      • Excerpts from: "The Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity" by Edwin Yamauchi
      • Essay: "A Comprehensible Universe: The blessing from God that makes science possible" by Bob Kaita
      • Poem: "The Epistolarian" by Emily Ruppel
    • Spring 16: "Brain Science" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Spring 2016
      • Essay: "Ancient Q, Modern A (?)" by Walt Hearn
      • Essay: "Souls, Brains and People: Who or what are we?" by Gareth D. Jones
      • Essay: "A Functional Theology of Psychopathology" by Edgar Paul Herrington IV
      • Three Poems by Richard Gillum
      • Essay: "Thoughts of Death in an Unkind World: Job’s suicidal ideation and the “right” Christian response to depression" by Jennifer Michael Hecht
      • Short Story: "Malefic" by Jeffrey Allen Mays
      • Essay: "An Engineer Visits a Mindfulness Workshop" by Mike Clifford
      • Essay: "Traces of Trauma in the Body of Christ: The case of The Place of Refuge" by Elizabeth Hernandez
      • Essay: "Did God ‘Create’ Science? Christianity and the uniqueness of the human brain" by William H. Church
    • Winter 16: "Quantum Physics/Epigenetics" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Winter 2016
      • Essay: "God and the New Evolutionary Biology" by Sy Garte
      • Essay: "Quantum Mechanics and the Question of Divine Knowledge" by Stephen J. Robinson
      • Essay: "Creation Out of... Physics?" by Joshua Scott
      • Essay: "Of Books and Bosons" by Mike Clifford
      • Essay: "Words, Words, Words" by Walt Hearn
      • Poem: "Encountering Ernst Haeckel’s 'Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny'" by Eugene Lemcio
      • Essay: "The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis: New conversations and theological questions at the horizons of modern science" by Michael Burdett
      • Poem: "The Difference" by Emily Ruppel
      • Essay: "Maupertuis's Ghost: Finding God in 'action'" by Colin C. Campbell
    • Fall 15: "Technology" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Fall 2015
      • Essay: "‘Braving the New World (Wide Web): Mapping Theological Response to Media" by Justin A. Bailey
      • Poem: "Entropy and Enthalpy" by Glenn R. McGlaughlin
      • Essay: "‘How Proactive Should Christians Be in Learning about Emerging Biomedical Technologies?" by D. Gareth Jones
      • Essay: "‘Can We Fix It? Erm..." by Mike Clifford
      • Poem: "To My Dear Parents" by Sarah Ruden
      • Essay: "‘Which Side, Lord?" by Walt Hearn
      • Poem: "The Column" by John F. Pohl
      • Essay: "‘Technology and the Church" by Derek Schuurman
      • Poem: "On the Shores of Oroumieh" by Emily Ruppel
      • Essay: "‘Technology as Discipline" by Johnny Wei-Bing Lin
    • Summer 15: "Doubt" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Summer 2015
      • Essay: "‘The Road Not Taken’: A personal reflection on careers, counterfactuals and callings" by Tim Middleton
      • Essay: "The Gift of Doubt in My Life" by Rev. Paul Herrington
      • Poem: "The Marsh Birds" by Sarah Ruden
      • Essay: "On St Brendan and the Pendulum of Postgraduate Study" by Mike Clifford
      • Essay: "Doubt: The Invisible Conversation" by Karl W. Giberson
      • Essay: "Doubt, Faith, and Crevasses on My Mind" by Peter M. J. Hess
      • Poem: "Magdalene" by Leonore Wilson
      • Essay: "Breaking Barriers, Ministering in Relationships, and Exemplifying the Gospel" by Stephen Contakes, et al.
      • Poem: "On the Extinction of Matter Near a Black Hole" by Ruth Hoppin
      • Essay: "Sometimes I Doubt..." by Walt Hearn
      • Essay: "The Risks of Love and Life's Big Questions" by Thomas Jay Oord
    • Spring 15: "Animals/Imago Dei" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Spring 2015
      • Essay: "50 Years of Wilderness: a Christian perspective" by Peter van der Burgt
      • Essay: "All Creatures Great and Small " by Walt Hearn
      • Essay: "Let There Be Less: A Christian musing on nature, faith, and farmers’ markets" by Emily Ruppel
      • Poem: "The New Plant and Animal Kingdoms" by Steve Roels
      • Essay: "Of Wonder and Zebrafish" by Ruth Bancewicz
      • Essay: "The Lion, the Spider and the Image of God" by Mike Clifford
      • Cat Poem 1: "Lullaby for Stomp the Cat" by Sarah Ruden
      • Cat Poem 2: "Letting the Dog In" by Emily Ruppel
      • Cat Poem 3: "Reading on the Couch" by Carol Ruppel
      • Essay: "Angry Discussions: A Wrong Way to Stand for Creation Care or Science Advocacy " by Oscar Gonzalez
      • Essay: "Ethical Eating on a Catholic Campus: Some thoughts from a student of environmental studies" by Grace Mican
    • Winter 15: "Information" >
      • Letter from the Editor: Winter 2015
      • Essay: "What Does it Mean to Know?" by Mark Shelhamer
      • Essay: "Knowledge of Information" by Randy Isaac
      • Photo Essay: "Being Here" by Carol Ruppel
      • Essay: "Truth Anyone?" by Walt Hearn
      • Poem: "Transformation" by Ruth Hoppin
      • Interview: "Unpacking Chance, Providence, and the Abraham's Dice Conference" by Olivia Peterson
      • Essay: "On Knowledge and Information–Tales from an English childhood" by Mike Clifford
      • Poem: "Space Travel" by Ruth Hoppin
      • Essay: "Resuming the Science/Faith Conversation" by Jamin Hubner
    • Archives >
      • Past Contributors
      • Unpublished Materal >
        • Richard Graven A Vision of God
      • Fall 14: "History of Science & Christianity" >
        • Letter from the Editor: Fall 2014
        • Essay: "Orchids: Why the founders of modern science cultivated virtue" by Ruth Bancewicz
        • Essay: "Science Falsely So Called: Fundamentalism and Science" by Edward B. Davis
        • Essay: "The Other 'Atom' in Christianity and Science" by Karissa D Carlson
        • Poem: "The Hermit" by Ciara C. Reyes
        • Essay: "Players" by Walt Hearn
        • Essay: "Using Storytelling and Drama in Engineering Lectures" by Mike Clifford
        • Essay: "Is There Anything Historical About Adam and Eve?" by Mike Beidler
        • Essay: "Finding Harmony in Controversy: The early years of the ASA" by Terry Gray and Emily Ruppel
        • Levity: "Fish n' Chips" by Mike Arnold
        • Essay: "Stories" by Walt Hearn
      • Summer 14: "Christian Women in Science" >
        • Letter from the Editor: Summer 2014
        • Essay: "I Really Did That Work: A brief survey of notable Christian Women in Science" by Lynn Billman
        • Essay: "He + She = We" by Walt Hearn
        • Photo Essay: "The Faces of Nature" by Susan Limone
        • Essay: "On Grass that Withers: Overloaded brains and spiritual discernment" by Janet Warren
        • Interview: "Ancient Humans and Modern Choices" with Briana Pobiner
        • Essay: "Crystallographer, Quaker, Pacifist, & Trailblazing Woman of Science: Kathleen Lonsdale’s Christian Life 'Lived Experimentally'” by Kylie Miller and Stephen M. Contakes
        • Artwork: "Eden, Zion" by Harold Sikkema
        • Essay: "Asking the Right Question" by Dorothy Boorse
        • Interview: "Not So Dry Bones" with Mary Schweitzer
        • Essay: "Is Being a Mother and a Scientist Worth It?" by Abby Hodges
        • Essay: "Playing God: A theological reflection on medicine, divine action, and personhood" by Ann Pederson
        • Column: Great Gravity! "BNL 1976 – 2000 (Part 1)"
      • Spring 14: "G&N: The 2-year tour" >
        • Letter from the Editor: Spring 2014
        • Essay: "Political Science?" by Walt Hearn
        • Comic: "Education"
        • Essay: "Finding Hominids with Kamoya Kimeu" by Fred Heeren
        • Poem: "Ziggurat (and Helix)" by Amy Chai
        • Creative Nonfiction: "One Summer" by Dave Harrity
        • Essay: "Do the Heavens Declare the Glory of God?" by Owen Gingerich
        • Comic: "Miracle Mechanics" by Emily Ruppel
        • Essay: "I Sleep A Lot" by Denis O. Lamoureux
        • Poem: "Angels and RNA" by Walt Hearn
        • Comic: "Seminary"
        • Essay: "The Elegance of Antibodies" by Craig M. Story
        • Photo Essay: "Conversing with Nature" by Thomas Jay Oord
        • Essay: "Under the Tutelage of Trees: Arboreal Lessons on Virtue, Kinship, and Integrity" by Peter M. J. Hess
        • Comic: "Humor"
        • Essay: "Science and Scientism in Biology" by Sy Garte
        • Interview: "Biopsychology and Faith" with Heather Looy
      • Winter 14: "Health & Medicine" >
        • Letter from the Editor: Winter 2014
        • Poem: I Have a Piece of Cow in My Heart
        • Essay: Acts of God: Are all mutations random?
        • Column: Beyond Science
        • Poem: Psalm 1859
        • Essay: The Tao of Departing
        • Essay: The Tao of Departing p 2
        • Photo Essay: Walking in Winter
        • Essay: A Christian Doctor on Evolution, Faith, and Suffering
        • Opinion: Making Friends with Frankencorn
        • Poem: Chiaroscuro
        • Interview: "Biopsychology and Faith" with Heather Looy
        • Essay: "The Elegance of Antibodies"
        • Artwork: "Helix" by Harold Sikkema
        • Column: Great Gravity! "Dissertations and Revelations"
      • Fall 13: "Environmentalism" >
        • Letter from the Editor: Fall 2013
        • Poem: Time
        • Essay: Is there Hope for the Ocean?
        • Artwork: "Earthly Tent" by Harold Sikkema
        • Essay: What is Responsible Eating?
        • Essay: Are We Too Obsessed with Food?
        • Poem: Conversation on Creation
        • Essay: Creation Care from the Perspective of a Conservation Geneticist
        • Essay: Mobilizing Scientists for Environmental Missions
        • Poem: Paleocene Spring
        • Interview: Dorothy Boorse
        • Column: Beyond Science
        • Essay: New Testament Motivation for Environmental Stewardship
        • Poem: Stone of House
        • Column: Great Gravity! "Running the Data"
      • Summer 13: "Science & Creativity" >
        • Column: Beyond Science
        • Letter from the Editor: Summer 2013
        • Column: Faith on the Field
        • Poem: Trying Not to Be Too Sunny
        • Comic: "Work in Progress"
        • Essay: Do the Heavens Declare the Glory of God?
        • Essay: Science, Faith, and Creativity
        • Essay: One Summer
        • Comic: "Miracle Mechanics"
        • Featured Essay: Poetry for Scientists
        • Artwork: "Confluence" by Harold Sikkema
        • Column: Great Gravity! "The Great Ungainly Journey West"
      • Winter 13 >
        • Letter from the Editor: Winter 2013
        • Column: Faith on the Field
        • Comic: "Apples to Apples"
        • Creative Nonfiction: "One Winter"
        • Column: Clearing the Middle Path
        • Essay: Science and Scientism in Biology
        • Poem: "Angels and RNA"
        • Feature Article: I Sleep A Lot
        • Poem: "Fragile"
        • Column: Beyond Science
        • CiS 2012 Student Essay Contest: Runner Up
        • Essay: Why Awe?
        • CiS 2012 Student Essay Contest: First Place
        • Column: Great Gravity! "A Bit of Perspective"
        • Column: Modern Frontiers, Ancient Faith
        • Column: Time Capsule
      • Fall 12 >
        • Letter from the Editor: Fall 2012
        • The Director's Corner
        • Column: Faith on the Field
        • Comic: "Education"
        • Interview: Greetings from Mars!
        • Column: Clearing the Middle Path
        • Photo Essay: "Conversing with Nature"
        • Comic: "Abe"
        • Essay: Evolution and Imago Dei
        • Poem: "Locus Iste"
        • Levity: Beyond Science
        • Essay: God, Occam, and Science
        • Opinion: Humility and Grace
        • Levity: Great Gravity! "The College Years"
        • Poem: "Q.E.D."
        • Essay: My Overlapping Magisteria
        • Column: Time Capsule
      • Summer 12 >
        • Table of Contents
        • Letter from the Editor: Summer 2012
        • Director's Corner
        • Column: Faith on the Field
        • Column: Modern Frontiers, Ancient Faith
        • Comic: "Seminary"
        • Poem: "Temptation in the Wired Wilderness"
        • Levity: Beyond Science
        • Opinion: "The Breaking Bread"
        • Comic: "Humor"
        • Column: Clearing the Middle Path
        • Poem: "Ziggurat (and Helix)"
        • Levity: Great Gravity! "The Grade School Years"
        • Opinion: "Adam and the Origin of Man"
        • Poem: "Missa Solemnis"
        • Column: Time Capsule
      • Spring 12 >
        • Table of Contents
        • Letter from the Editor: Spring 2012
        • Director's corner
        • Column: Faith on the Field
        • Column: Time Capsule
        • Poem: "From Where do We Come?"
        • Featured Scientist
        • Levity: Beyond Science
        • Essay: "Faith and Science"
        • Fiction: "A Matter of Dust"
        • Levity: Great Gravity! "The Early Years"
        • Opinion: "Phony Environmental Theology"
        • Fiction: "Illumination"
        • Interview: "Process"
        • Column: Modern Frontiers, Ancient Faith
    • Spring 13 >
      • Letter from the Editor: Spring 2013
      • Column: Faith on the Field
      • Faith on the Field, cont.
      • Poem: Scientist's Psalm
      • Essay: A Downcast Spirit Dries Up the Bones: More perspectives on depression
      • Artwork: "Lipo Osteo" by Harold Sikkema
      • Feature: The Bible, Evolution, and Grace
      • Column: Beyond Science
      • Book Review: Prisoners of Hope
      • Column: Great Gravity! "The Grad School Years"
  • Submit/Contact
  • Information
    • Author Guidelines
    • About God & Nature + Search

Are We Too Obsessed with Food?

Picture
 by Jay Hollman

Food and what people eat has become obsessional for certain individuals. There have always been mentally disturbed people who would eat strange diets because of a recognized pathologic mental condition, but now seemingly rational people are zealous for certain dietary restrictions; organic, free of preservatives, raw or free-range. Dietary taboos have replaced sexual restrictions as the new morality. Science is left out of some of these discussions and replaced by a strange evangelical zeal. This short essay cannot hope to resolve all of issues regarding food, but hopefully it introduces some science into the discussion.   

Agriculture has changed drastically over the last century. The percentage of Americans employed as farmers fell from 40% in 1900 to less than 2% in 2000. On a family farm in the early 20th century, four to five crops were raised as well as several farm animals. Even though the American farms of the 21st century are vastly larger, these several thousand acre mega-farms raise only one or two crops and no animals. If a farm raises animals, it raises only one type: chickens, pigs, or cattle, and has hundreds or thousands of animals. Farms raising animals do not raise their own feed which is often carefully dictated by the meat packing plant that will buy their animals. 

The economic results of farm industrialization are impressive. "Food productivity is more than doubled, so the real cost is less than half what it was 40 to 50 years ago," according to Julian Alston, an agricultural economist at the University of California at Davis.[i] Although real problems have been created by intensive agriculture, it is undeniably a great achievement, as well. 

There have been a variety of revolts against this type of agriculture. Some conservatives blame farm subsidies for the loss of the small farmer. In fact, it is capitalism; economies of scale are necessary for a farm to turn a profit. Other blame seed companies such as Monsanto and the meat packing plants such as Tyson Foods for changing agriculture from the idyllic, multi-crop, family farm into the large corporate behemoths. Certainly, these have played a role, but market forces and the public desire for inexpensive, convenient foods have created these large integrated operations which deliver cheap, safe, (and often) processed foods. 

Those who revolt against these changes offer alternatives. Ethicist Peter Singer objects to sentient animals being mistreated on the large farms that confine pigs and chickens to tiny pens. Professor Singer would like many adopt a vegetarian life-style or eat only meat from humanely raised animals. Others, such as the sponsors of Food Inc. and popular author Michael Pollan, would try to ‘turn back the clock’ and create smaller farms nearer to cities which would grow multiple crops using organic techniques. The arguments for these counter-modern views often use science to justify their perspective. 

As with any human enterprise, there are strengths as weakness in the arguments against industrial agriculture. Before discussing its weakness, I should consider what I think to be good about the counter-culture food movement. First, as industrial agriculture decreases the price of meat, meat consumption increases. Average annual U.S. per capita meat consumption in 1970 was 194 lbs. and the average American spent 4.2% of their income on red meat or poultry. By 2005, per capita meat consumption increased by 14% to 221 lbs., but the average percentage of income required is now only 2.1% of total annual income. [ii] High consumption of meat, especially red meat, is harmful to the consumer’s health and the environment.[iii] For reasons beyond the scope of this short essay, it would be good for Americans to reduce their consumption of meat, especially red meat. Although the  counter-culture food movement is not monolithic, the scrupulous adherents in the various factions will have a higher cost of meat since they insist on animal rights and eating only humanly raised meats,  or eating only grass fed beef, or eating only organically grown meats, or eating only free range poultry.  If increased costs decreases consumption then there is likely some health benefit.      

A second emphasis of those opposed to modern agriculture is an increased interest in gardening and farmer’s markets. Community gardens are dotting the landscape of many cities, creating opportunities for neighborly interactions and for city dwellers to appreciate the joy of growing food. Individuals who produce their own vegetables are more likely to consume more vegetables. The ideal diet for Americans would have 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day; a standard met by only a small fraction of the public. The utilization of gardens and farmer’s markets help consumers to connect to the production of food. When vegetables and fruits from farmer’s markets displace consumption of processed foods, there is probably a net improvement in the health of the consumer. 

Another positive to the anti-modern agriculture movement is the development of organic techniques which use crop rotation and recycle animal waste as fertilizer. These practices are certainly also used by conventional agriculture, but they are essential to organic farming, where synthetic fertilizers are not allowed. While the usefulness of organic methods in the developed world is problematic, its application in developing world is clear and positive. Poor farmers who are unable to afford special seeds and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can increase yields by more than 180% by adopting organic methods.[iv] In regions with intermediate inputs, i.e., areas where synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are available but not to the level of the U.S., crop yields would be neutral and probably economically favorable. Labor costs are low in the developing world, so the more labor intensive organic methods are more financially feasible. While the widespread application of organic agriculture to the U.S. is not economical, its use in the developing world could increase the income of the subsistence farmer, reduce erosion and improve food security for the poor of the world. Non-profits such as Care of Creation[v] and Farming God’s Way[vi] are taking research regarding crop rotation, no-till agriculture and re-forestation to low income farmers in Africa. In the developed world, greater employment in agriculture could give meaningful work to the unemployed or under-employed. Organic methods are less efficient and require more manual labor to produce products. 

But those who oppose conventional agriculture have also missed the mark in several areas. One should always be somewhat suspicious when those arguing against conventional agriculture have an intrinsic conflict of interest. Many who pitch alternatives are also selling books or are producing alternative food products. Because of increased labor costs and lower yields of organically grown products, a 20% to 140% price premium is necessary to maintain profitability.[vii] This price premium means higher prices to consumers (or government subsidies to organic farmers). To justify the higher cost of organically produced foods and meats, advocates often resort to demonizing industrial agriculture and the processed food industry. Arguments touting the superiority of organic foods for health and the environment often quote scientific papers out of context and fail to quote papers presenting contrary evidence. But more frequently, pejorative language is used with such statements as, “I do not going to eat meat pumped full of antibiotics and hormones.” Or, “I do not want my children exposed to the pesticides and preservatives of processed foods.”  The obvious response to such statements is to agree that processed foods are harmful compared to organic foods. 

In the limited space of this essay, all the spurious arguments against processed food and industrial agriculture cannot be addressed. I should like to deal with three issues comparing organic and conventional agriculture: health issues, environmental impact and whether organic products are worth the difference in price. But before addressing these issues, a brief primer on “What exactly is organic farming?” would be useful. 

Organic Farming

Conventional agriculture uses scientific methods to maximize production and produce food products at the lowest possible costs. It uses pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified organisms as needed. As discussed above, these farms are large and produce usually just one product: a crop such as corn or an animal as in a hog farm. By contrast, organic farms produce multiple crops using more labor intensive methods.  To be certified as organic, farmers must not use items on the National List of Prohibited Substances which includes artificial fertilizer, certain pesticides, antibiotics for animal growth stimulation, and certain food additives. In addition, organic farmers are not allowed to use genetically modified organisms, irradiation to sterilize their products, or to use human sewerage sludge as fertilizer. The farmland must be free of these banned substances for three years before crops grown on this land can be certified. Farmers growing certified organic products (plants or animals) must keep detailed records and submit to periodic inspections.   

Historically, organic farming is a relatively recent movement in agriculture, dating to J.I. Rodale and his 1942 publication Organic Farming and Gardening. The movement gained momentum with the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962, which increased the national awareness of the potential hazards of pesticides and led to the banning of the pesticide DDT and the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Certification of organic products is done at the state and local level; however, certifying agencies must meet national standards that are set by the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is responsible to for reviewing and credentialing the local agencies that do the organic certification.

Organic farms are mostly small. The average farm size is 49 acres compared to the thousands of acres for conventional farmers. As of the 2007 farm census, organic farms represented only about 1% of more than 2.2 million farms in the United States. The average organic farmer is slightly younger than the average conventional farmer; although 75% of organic farmers would list their primary vocation as farming, more than 80% have at least part-time work off of the farm. 

Not all organic farms are small, however. The 2007 census of agriculture counted 886 organic farms with 500 acres or more. These larger farms are the usual source of organic produce in the grocery chains such as Wal-Mart and Whole Foods. Not all products in the local farmer’s markets are organic. Even the products there labeled as organic are not necessarily certified organic. Farmers selling less than $5,000 worth of products may market their products as organic provided they follow the organic guidelines. Products labeled as USDA certified Organic have been inspected and passed by a local agency.   

Health and Environmental Impacts 

Advocates for organic foods argue that ingestion of organic will result in better health and less chronic disease. This argument is of course difficult to prove since any study of habitual consumption would involve years of follow up. Free-living populations tend to change their diets over the years, so repeating surveys would be required. Trying to do retrospective analysis using case control methods is difficult since it relies on individuals accurately recalling dietary details.   

The obvious trump card when advocates of organic agriculture pitch their cause is the case of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Rachel Carson’s own biological research while working with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries demonstrated that spraying of DDT for the control of spruce budworm resulted in a decline in salmon populations by killing aquatic insects on which the salmon were dependent for food.[viii] Other studies demonstrated harm to bird populations. Much of the danger of DDT relates to its effectiveness and its persistence in the environment. Because of its negative effect on the environment, DDT has been banded for use in all countries but India. 

Currently used artificial pesticides, though not perfect, should not be considered in the same class as the organophosphates. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide Roundup® is toxic only to growing plants and degrades in the environment relatively rapidly (half-life of about 47 days). It does not accumulate in animal species and no definite environmental hazards have been identified despite over 40 years of use.  This herbicide replaced more toxic agents like DDT. While it is not perfect and if applied improperly can still be potentially toxic to amphibians and fish, it is not in the same class as DDT.  

While artificial pesticides are banned from use by organic methods, certain ‘natural substances’ are used by organic farmers for pest control. Sulfur and copper salts are used for fungal disease. Rotenone (an insecticide that occurs naturally in the stems of many plants) and natural pyrethrins (organic compounds derived from crysanthemums) are used for insect control. When used in effective concentrations, these compounds may have a negative impact on the environment. Rotenone has been shown to cause death in fish and induce a Parkinson’s-like disease in rats.[ix] Sulfur and copper level are higher in organic soil and organic farm products. The significance of this change in mineral content long-term is unclear. But even from these examples, it is clear that ‘natural compounds’ used in organic agriculture are not necessarily more benign compared to some of the more currently used artificial pesticides used in conventional agriculture.

Other aspects of organic farming, more aggressive crop rotation, use of cover crops, and using animal waste for fertilizing do have favorable effects on the environment and reduce greenhouse gas release.[x] While such changes appear to be good for the environment and animals, converting all U.S. farms from conventional to organic farming would require much more land be devoted to agriculture. The source for much of the increased agricultural land would likely be forests; this would be a negative for the environment.    

There is one prohibition of the organic movement that is particularly troublesome: the prohibition of genetically modified organisms or GMOs. In the U.S. 80-90% of corn, soybeans and cotton are produced from GMO. Since these crops contain their own resistance to pests through genetic modification, applied pesticides are reduced. Crops which are modified to be resistant to glyphosate, the total herbicide use is reduced and more toxic products are not required. GMO has done more to reduce pesticide use in the developed world than any other agricultural development in the past 60 years. 

While the commercial development of GMOs is occurring in the U.S., non-profit groups such the Rockefeller Foundation and the Gates Foundation are funding the development GMO for the subsistence farmers of the developing world. One of the products, ‘Golden Rice’ which incorporates vitamin A into its genome, has the potential to reduce the deficiency of this vitamin in the developing world. It is estimated that 6,000 young mothers and children die daily from vitamin A deficiency-related illnesses.[xi] Other developments in progress include drought resistant corn and crops that require less nitrogen extraction from the soil (and hence less applied fertilizer) for maximum production. Europe’s resistance to GMOs and the political power of the anti-conventional agriculture movement keeps these valuable new crops from being grown in the developing world where agriculture has a more major role in employment and exports. 

Costs and smugness

Because organically grown grains, vegetables, and fruits lower yields per acre, the cost of organic products must be higher. These differences are amplified when applied to organically raised meats since these animals must consume organically raised grains and have access to grazing. While this brief overview is not intended to be by any means comprehensive (I am a doctor, not an agriculture researcher) I do have to answer questions regarding food consumption for my patients. Some in the anti-conventional agriculture movement appear to be self-righteous, priding themselves their shopping only at Whole Foods and purchasing only organic products and eating eggs from free ranged chickens. There is no scientifically proven nutritional advantage to such a consumption pattern. The costs of these products is greater and the environmental benefits are mixed. By switching to conventional eggs, a free-range egg consuming household buying two dozen eggs per week could support a World Vision child in the developing world from the savings. The environmental consequences of shifting all of the approximately 330 million caged laying hens in this country to free range would be enormous. The land area requirements for raising free range laying hens would be larger than the state of Rhode Island. 

Obsessing about foods is not productive nor is it scientifically justified. It is true that the American diet and sedentary life style contribute heavily to the chronic disease burden in this country but the key to prevention of these chronic diseases is to be more physically active and consume a diet richer in fruits and vegetables with a lower consumption of meats, especially red meats. Avoiding the high salt and refined sugars present in many manufactured foods is also of value. But these are guidelines and not absolutes. With all the ambiguity in the science regarding conventional and alternative agriculture, there is much more room for humility in these debates. 

Picture

[i] National Public Radio transcribes: Is U.S. farm policy feeding the obesity epidemic? Accessed August 2011 at http://www.npr.org/2011/08/10/139390696/is-u-s-farm-policy-feeding-the-obesity-epidemic#commentBlock

[ii] Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production: Putting meat on the table: industrial farm animal production in America 2009 accessed August 2011 at http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PCIFAPFin.pdf

[iii] Michal R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D: Red and processed meat consumption and the risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes mellitus Circulation 2010;121:2271-83

[iv] Badgley C, Moghtader J, Quintero E. et al: Organic Agriculture and the Global Food Supply. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. June 2007.

[v] Care of Creation at http://www.careofcreation.net/.

[vi] Farming God’s Way at http://www.farming-gods-way.org/.

[vii] Pimentel D, Hepperly P Hanson J, Douds D, Seidel R:  Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems BioScience 2005;55:573-82

[viii] Pimentel D: Silent Spring, the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s book BMC Ecology 2012;12:20

[ix] Betarbet R, Sherer TB, MacKenzie G et al: Chronic systemic pesticide exposure reproduces features of Parkinson’s disease Nat Neursci 2000;3:1301-6

[x] Pimentel D, Hepperly P Hanson J, Douds D, Seidel R:  Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems BioScience 2005;55:573-82

[xi] Potrykus, I., Regulation must be revolutionized. Nature 2010;466: 561.
Picture
Picture
Tweets by @ASA3org
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
God & Nature magazine is a publication of the American Scientific Affiliation, an international network of Christians in science: www.asa3.org