Born-Again Dirt: Farming to the Glory of God

I read this book once and then again as part of a group discussion. The book is very thought provoking and would easily get a 5 star rating. However, the author promotes his organic practices too much and often strays too far from scripture for me to give the book a high rating. I'm a grazing dairy farmer and I'm around many organic dairymen and even conservative Amish farmers. I'm okay if someone wants to farm organically and I don't mind learning from them or hearing their reasons for doing being organic. But at the end of the book I was just tired of reading it and was glad I was done.Almost all organic versus conventional/GMO research is debatable and rebutted by the other side. It's basically a pick your side type of argument which the author promotes it as fact even though some of his references have arguments against them.The other problem I have is the hypocritical view of conventional versus organic. 1. The author says early in the book that we shouldn't trust university/extension educators because they may not be Christians. However, one of his references is from Jeffery Smith who is active with a Hindu group and therefore not even close to Christian. 2. The author often disapproves of industrial agriculture and makes his displeasure known via fertilization. He says that industrial agriculture isn't God based because it focuses on feeding the plant and not the soil. I agree that it does feed the plant, not the soil. However, on the next page he says that hydroponics is okay because it's interesting to him. Hydroponics doesn't even use soil. It also is done in a green house or some type building which he disapproves of on the next page when he talks about growing out of season. 3. The author disapproves of GMO's because they may use two different kinds. He says they may use fish genes in a tomato. He quotes an old testament verse about combining two different kinds which supports his views. The verse also mentions that we shouldn't combine two different types of material in our clothes or plant two different types of seeds together. Meanwhile he mentions we should be diverse in what we plant in our fields and pastures. He doesn't notice the clothes reference instead focusing on what he believes is a GMO reference.The author often mentions that each person might have different ideas and that we shouldn't be legalistic about farming for God. But at the end I realized that all my small group talked about was the authors view that organic is better than conventional. We quickly passed over the good parts of the book about idolization, greed, stewardship, and focusing on our hearts. We also didn't remember the great reference from Habakkuk which in a nutshell says that when all is lost and you have nothing, 'so shall I rejoice in the Lord'. Instead we focused on the legalism of farming for God.If we all wrote a book on farming for God we would promote our ideas. So, I can't be too critical of the author. I would conditionally recommend this book to someone that farms organically or close to it. The condition would be that they would focus on the heart and not the legalism when reading. I would not recommend this book to a 'conventional' farmer. You'll just get sucked into the organic argument and you'll loose sight of the real reasons for farming for God.

It's a great book. I don't think it so ground breaking as said in the foreword. Come on, most of the things are self-evident for an experienced christian. I was searching the bible for everything to do with: soil, field, vegetables, fertility etc....and then I thought: someone has probably done this before and so I found this book.The great thing is that Noah has compiled this (at least a lot of it) into one volume. For me its a great inspiration and a joy to read. My only mild criticism is that the writing style is in my eyes to pious, to kingdomofgodly, if you know what I mean.Let me explain: Here in Europe there are many people interested in gardening and farming but heavily influenced from the esotheric side. All that macro-biotic, antroposophical, biodynamic....stuff with roots deep in rosicrucianism, hermeticism and so on. I feel these people are very open for the supernatural and they seek to please the powers and spirits of nature to improve their crops. What they did not grasp is that Jesus, the gardener of the hearts (Sporl, 2001) is the head of all those Kol 2.9ff: ..... and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.......So the writing style is in my opinion not attractive to these people. It is maybe not the goal of this book to reach them, but I feel it is somehow a bit of a lost opportunity. But that doesn't matter, it is moreover the chance for another book......Nevertheless, this book lays down a good foundation. I will use it as a reference and handbook for my own gardening enterprises.

The commitment to viewing every aspect of not only the garden/farm, but "ever good work" we do, through the lens of God's revealed word and a desire to be as faithful to God as we possibly can, permeates every paragraph in this book. This book is a must read for any Christian with even a passing interest in gardening/agriculture. Even if they don't there is still a huge amount of Christian wisdom and principles that can be applied to every aspect of our lives.I will be recommending this to everyone.

I loved reading the book. The author has a very humble attitude and has some great thoughts for challenging the way we think about being a steward of the land we are blessed to have. He poses a medium between nature worship and science factory farming. Like many things in life people tend to go too far in one direction, but when you look to the bible and see how God wants us to view the world you find that medium. I feel this perspective is not one commonly written about so I was really excited to read the book. Thanks for the time and effort put into this book! I feel challenged to become a better farmer for the glory of God!

Whether intended or not, the author shares a ton of wisdom on God’s nature and kingdom. This book’s teachings are transferable to so many fields. I loved reading it, am blessed by having done so, and recommend it highly to friends.

If you believe in God and want to know what His plan is for our food and His earth, then you must read this book.Adam lays out the biblical basis for growing organic food, the way it was done for centuries before chemicals became the norm in use on this earth. We have inadvertently allowed science to provide for us and it is not benefitting us.Organic farming is not just for the environmentalist and this book explains why we need to return to the original principles of the Bible for growing food. God wants us to be responsible for His earth and that includes our food and to grow it in a way that honors what He designed. Read this book even if you don't plan on gardening because the biblical basis for what God wants is not taught in churches or schools anymore and yet it is part of His grand design.

Noah really appears to write from a humble perspective. This book really challenged me in the way I interact with God's Creation.

I loved this book and was so captivated by it I almost read it in one sitting. I know nothing about farming but my sister has been involved in permaculture for over 20 years. I find her lifestyle and her knowledge fascinating and inspiring but have struggled to connect it to faith in Jesus and the bible. This book has bridged the gap and I am excited to talk to my sister about it now and also to go on a walk in my garden with God to find out how He wants me to bring glory to Him through it. In fact, I think I need to take a walk through my home with God too and become much more aware that all I have is God's not mine. I am so thankful to Noah for writing this book and ministering to my life at this time through it. Very timely!

Ideas about food production are dominated by secular bottom line thinking or, if not, have been dominated by those who appreciate the living world but do not know its Maker. This book encourages us to learn how to grow from a biblical perspective, and brings to light more teaching about our relationship with the soil, our God given responsibility towards it than I knew was there. Noah has aimed to 'hear and do' what the Bible teaches on his farm, and shares his insights with advice for those who grow food and those who don't. An encouraging and inspiring book for those concerned about the environment and for Christians, and those who are both.

Very happy with it

This is an excellent book I would recommend this book to everyone. A reminder of a lifestyle that many of us have long forgotten.

It's actually by Noah Sanders with a forward by Joel Salatin but it's still a really good book