Re-Conceiving the Concept of Stewardship: Coal Production and the Importance of a New Christian Context for Appalachia

Abstract

Abstract In his essay, "The Unsettling of America," Wendell Berry suggests that instead of understanding our current ecological predicaments in terms of "conquerors and victims," we shift our language to "exploiters and nurturers." Berry argues that this subtle but important shift allows us to understand the current ideological divide, not only in terms of a division among people, but also in terms of a division of a person. A critical point of critique for our essay is how the fragmentation of Appalachia results in a fragmented citizenry that is divorced from sustaining ideas of stewardship, once held central to the ideals of Christianity-- at both the individual and communal levels. Our paper asks what would it mean for churches, and other religious organizations generally, to return to a revitalized concept of stewardship by utilizing Berry’s terminology--terminology that is laden with deeply theological meaning--in order to navigate the crisis generated by the coal industry in Appalachia. In particular, we examine the current rhetoric utilized by proponents of coal mining to contrive a context in which coal mining is environmentally, economically, and morally justifiable. This is especially pertinent in exposing "Friends of Coal," a public advocacy group that has been the primary organization driving the rhetorical context of Appalachian lives as more and more people outside Appalachia seek alternatives to coal for our country’s energy needs. By applying Berry’s terminology to this crisis, we contend that instead of understanding the crisis of coal production in terms of efficiency, numbers, quantities, and data, this crisis is better understood in terms of care, character, condition, quality, and kind.