EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

[Gary Farley - cont.]

century, the Social Gospel movement emerged, to condemn the
injustices that came with urbanization and industrialization and call for
applying the Golden Rule.

The vision of the Country Life movement that emerged in 1908
was peaceful, productive communities every six miles across the land,
with trained agriculturists, nurses, tradesmen.... CooperativeZofficial
relationships formed between rural churches and agricultural colleges,
USDA, and later the National Association of Conservation Districts.

These three visions underlay everything from the concept of Mani-
fest Destiny and Jefferson’s agrarian dream to the Homestead Act and
the creation of land grant colleges. The latter was seen, for example, as
supporting a calling—of expressing commitment by excelling in a
VOCATION...a vision that persists among pastors and educators alike.

Implicit throughout was that religion should be a full partner in
policy—not a dominator or a doormat. It can help provide the vision
that drives movements.

But our VALUES cannot be cited without reference to an agreed-
upon vision. If we divorce values from an over-arching vision, we can
set the stage for tragedy—the kind of tragedy that started with Adam
and Eve...and continues today when people use such values as need,
freedom, and righting past wrongs as excuses for doing terrible things.

In the farm bill debate, interest groups wrap their proposals in
values. Although that’s no tragedy and we might agree individually
with many of their proposals, we still can’t do every one. We must
consider the needs, interests and goals of all players and of the whole.

Then, completing the circle, values can correct this larger vision.

In particular, without the values of justice, love and hope, people
come to the table incomplete in comprehending what’s needed.

The Puritans, for example, focused on justice alone and became
unloving. Revivalists focused on the love of God to the point they
became unjust. Hope drove the millennialists and Social Gospelers,
but some became “so heavenly minded they were no earthly good.”

Now we have no common vision giving direction to public policy.
So, policies often counteract each other or even work at cross-purposes.

Of course, our former vision of rural America is no longer viable.
Improvements in transportation, communications and the industriali-
zation of agriculture have made six-mile communities obsolete.

In the South and Midwest, we’re actually seeing a new center of
rural life—a larger town that’s often the county seat and contains the
franchises, health center and consolidated school. Old towns are
becoming like neighborhoods of the larger town.

We can mourn this change, but hope a larger sense of group—a
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY—will embrace these more diverse areas.
And, as many as 200,000 congregations can help make that happen.