Wilderness and Christianity - Jonas Miller 02/23

Spending time immersed in nature, essentially the wilderness, is quintessential to who I am. Throughout my childhood to now, I would become rather cranky if I was unable to spend time outside. My dad, a pastor in the Church of the Brethren, would always encourage this nature-seeking behavior in me. He would describe wilderness as God's creation, explaining to me that it is part of our purpose as good Christians to tend to God's creation and ensure its health and vitality. Imagine my confusion then, when reading Changes in the Land by William Cronon, I learned that the early American colonists (particularly the Puritans) believed that it was their God-fearing responsibility to "tame" the wilderness, subjecting it to the scythe and plow. 

Within the bible itself, the wilderness is often used as a tool to communicate a test for the people of God. For example, as described during the book of Numbers, Moses had to lead the Israelites through wilderness for 40 years to make it to the promised land. This time was a period of trials and tribulations for God's people, featuring droughts and wild beasts. Christ was also tested in the wilderness, where the devil was said to have tempted him to abandon the word of God for 40 days. In almost every instance, the wilderness was a metaphor for the dangerous elements of the world. 

When the Puritans arrived in North America, they found a country cloaked in wilderness. This definition of wilderness includes the places occupied by Native Americans. Many of the marks left by Native Americans on their landscape were not obvious to the Europeans, such as agricultural plots unmarked by fences or walls and semi-permanent settlements that were only occupied by the season. On the other hand, Europeans had a very prominent impact on the wilderness. This God-given mandate to care for the land was interpreted in a pastoral sense, where large forests were stripped for their timber and replaced by pastures for livestock or rigid plots for agriculture. The Puritans embraced this perspective, evidenced by their unwillingness to let a forest regrow. In 2026, there are more forests in Virginia than could be found in the 19th century. The wilderness was tamed in the name of God, a sentiment that is becoming extinguished today. 

The meaning of wilderness has changed a great deal since the time of Puritans. Many religious leaders, similar to my father, encourage the act of finding God in natural places. We feel comforted in natural places, which lends itself to religious or spiritual moments. While this philosophy is far more sustainable, it must be noted that our wilderness today features far less bear, jaguar, and mountain lions than could be found in early America. Our comparatively less dangerous wildernesses and religious freedoms give us the opportunity to embrace the combination of religion and nature; perhaps one of the greatest privileges of the American lifestyle. 

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