{"id":5582,"date":"2022-06-01T02:09:43","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T02:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/farefwd.com\/?p=5582"},"modified":"2022-07-01T01:23:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T01:23:19","slug":"the-fare-forward-interview-with-betsy-painter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/01\/the-fare-forward-interview-with-betsy-painter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fare Forward Interview with Betsy Painter"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Fare Forward Interview With Betsy Painter<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Author Betsy Painter shares about her journey toward thinking theologically about conservation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Interview conducted by T. Wyatt Reynolds<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Betsy Painter is a creative writer and conservation biologist who is passionate about environmental care and its human dimensions. She is a recent graduate of Yale Divinity School, where she studied the connection between environmental conservation and Christian ministry. She is the author of the recently released A Christian’s Guide to Planet Earth<\/a>, <\/em>which seeks to express her belief that Christians have the reason, the hope, and the resources to make a difference for our planet in the midst of environmental disaster.<\/p>

FF: <\/strong>Near the beginning of your book, you tell a story about your childhood and making homes for grasshoppers and ants. I also happen to know that you studied veterinary medicine as an undergraduate. In a way, it seems like writing this book has been a journey for you going from the particular to the universal. In childhood, you were thinking about particular individual animals and caring for them. And here in A Christian\u2019s Guide to Planet Earth, <\/em>you’re trying to think about the whole planet. Could you talk a little bit about that journey and how you came to write this book?<\/p>

BP: <\/strong>The story you mention is one of my most vivid memories. God was very much in the picture for me as a child, and I have so many memories of being outside, playing, catching grasshoppers, building ant homes while also being prayerful and aware of God’s presence and joy. Very early on I was developing an understanding of ecosystems, like the different elements that are working together in nature. In my mind at the time, I thought, you know, a grasshopper\u2014since it has the word grass in its name\u2014should want to live in a bed of grass, so I would dig a hole and fill it with grass and I’d try to find a grasshopper to put in there. There was something about the particular creatures in my yard that I felt drawn to and enjoyed interacting with. In undergrad I was pre-vet and I was an animal science major. One of my electives was conservation, and I remember how eye-opening it was to learn that conservation work was a field of study. I actually ended up staying an extra year to get a minor in wildlife health and management. I realized there seemed to always be a divide between balancing human needs and animal and plant needs. I had this feeling that it didn\u2019t have to be that way, and this drew me to the idea of a healthy ecosystem and how every species\u2014including humans\u2014rely on health ecosystems.<\/p>

FF: <\/strong>I think it\u2019s really interesting that you kept coming back to the idea of habitat and the idea of home. I\u2019m thinking about your chapter on endangered animals, where you talk about wanting to have a world where there are still tigers running around and where there are still blue whales swimming through the ocean. How do you think the concept of home and thinking about it theologically shaped the way you wrote this book?<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> The idea of home is fundamental in how I think about why God created the earth and what it’s here for. I think of St. Francis calling birds and other species \u201cbrother and sister.\u201d The earth is so full of different creatures, plants, animals, and insects. I also think about our first home in Eden, and that God had us in mind, he planned to create us in his image and he chose to build our home in a beautiful, wonderful natural world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

I want to do credit to how serious the issues are while also not bringing people to alarm, which is unhelpful, and despair, which just paralyzes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

FF:<\/strong> I’m curious about your ideal audience. How did the idea of audience shape the way that you constructed the book, especially the different sections you\u2019ve organized the book into and then the specific ways give advice for how people can get involved in caring about the earth even to the point of activism?<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> The target audience is Christians, although I\u2019m happy for anyone to read it. But I think in particular I was really focused on Christians who value a relationship with Jesus and value scripture and want to understand how creation care is related to those two priorities. I grew up in that kind of world and I wrestled with the question of creation and its care.<\/p>

FF:<\/strong> How does your book help us think about understanding climate change and the broader ecological disaster we’re in the midst of?<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> I try to show that a lot of the issues, like climate change, are aligned other issues like air pollution, clean water, deforestation. I do think climate change is one of the biggest issues of our time and want to push that idea, but I also want to meet people where they are and show them other reasons to get involved in creation care and perhaps activism.<\/p>

FF:<\/strong> I wonder if you might talk a bit about hope as a virtue, and as a way of processing and wrestling with everything that’s going on. And also as a way of thinking about why someone would write book like this.<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> Yes, one of the greatest challenges was wanting to do credit to how serious the issues are while also not bringing people to alarm, which is unhelpful, and despair, which just paralyzes. I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, years ago, doing communications for them and writing blogs and articles. I remember writing about the different endangered species projects around the world that they were funding as they attempted to make a difference in the midst of honestly alarming situations. I found in my writing for them that this hope was coming through and it was very much sustained and sourced by my faith in Jesus and in his promise to make all things new.<\/p>

Being in the environmental field and just being in the midst of all of the news and alarming trajectories in addition to the wildfires and floods, I just felt a real need or urgency for hope that could inform our actions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Oftentimes the non-Christians I worked with were so concerned about the planet, so full of desire for it to do well. I believe the family of faith should care just as much.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

FF:<\/strong> Miroslav Volf said once that there’s something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem you’re unwilling to resolve. One of the really powerful things about your book is that at the end of each chapter, you include a long section that details what it might look like to take an active stance. What are some of those resources can you point people toward, and how did you think about what to include and what to leave out?<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> Yes, that was very key to the format of the book. I start by explaining the ecosystem and what is so wonderful about it, and then of course I explain what has gone wrong while trying to articulate a biblical perspective to show how these things matter in and for our faith. I didn’t want to leave people without recommendations for action, so it was important for me to include practical tips for everyday people to begin with. An easy example is giving thought to how long you spend in the shower, or whether you can commute on a bike instead of in a car. The main thing is to start small with daily choices and then build on from there.<\/p>

FF:<\/strong> You’ve mentioned a few ancient and medieval members of the church\u2014St. Ephrem the Syrian and St. Francis of Assisi\u2014and how they thought about nature and creation, but I’m wondering who are some other figures, Christian or non-Christian, who have influenced how you’ve thought about bringing theology and science together as you did in writing this book<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> Julian of Norwich, actually, and her assertion that all manner of things would be well, and her visions [recounted in Revelations of Divine Love<\/em>] are foundational for me. Another is Galileo, who worked to reconcile the church with the ongoing scientific discovery that accelerated during his lifetime. I actually named my bike after Galileo [laughs]. Then the others, I would say, are contemporary scientists. I mentioned earlier that I worked with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and I think a lot about the people I worked with. Some of them are Christians and many of them are not. Oftentimes the ones I was working with who are not Christians were so concerned about the planet, so full of desire for it to do well. I believe the family of faith should care just as much.<\/p>

FF:<\/strong> I think that’s part of what makes the book so interesting. In the years I\u2019ve known you, you\u2019ve moved toward science through theology. I’m curious if you could just talk a little bit about how that’s happened. When you and I were growing up, the thing that everyone was scared about was that young people were going to lose their faith because of science, due to things like evolution and the big bang. That’s less of the case now. What people in our generation are scared of is the church not<\/em> taking climate change seriously. So this move you’re making toward science through theology is really important. How would you describe that movement in your own life, to what extent is that a path other people can follow? How might others make a similar move?<\/p>

BP:<\/strong> I\u2019ll start with my own experience. While I was at Yale, I had the opportunity to study at the divinity school and take theology and history classes. But I was also able to take classes at the School of the Environment. I took classes on coastal ecosystems, wetlands ecosystems & habitats, wetlands conservation, and biological oceanography. Through those classes, I realized that I was just coming alive learning about those different habitats. God created me with that particular interest and it is there for a reason. I think pursuing that interest is a way in which I can serve others and add value to my community.<\/p>

One thing I’ve been thinking about recently in connection with all of this is the Body of Christ. It\u2019s made of many members and particular people have particular skill sets and interests and are going to be drawn to certain fields of interest. With regard to environmental problems, each and every one of us has something to offer, depending on the strengths and interests with which we\u2019ve been created.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Betsy Painter shares about her journey toward thinking theologically about conservation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":5584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-issue-19","entry","has-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Headshot_Betsy-Painter-2-400x400-1.jpeg?fit=400%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5582"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5873,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5582\/revisions\/5873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}