Seeds of the Kingdom: Utopian Communities in the Americas

199 Pages·2005·1.71 MB·English

by  Anna L. Peterson

Seeds of the Kingdom
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Seeds of the
Kingdom
Utopian Communities in the Americas
anna l. peterson
1
2005
1
OxfordUniversityPress,Inc.,publishesworksthatfurther
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Peterson,AnnaLisa,1963–
Seedsofthekingdom:utopiancommunitiesintheAmericas/AnnaL.
Peterson
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13978-0-19-518333-7
ISBN0-19-518333-9
1. AmishMennonites—UnitedStates—History. 2. Christian
sociology—Mennonites—History. 3. CatholicChurch—El
Salvador—History. 4. Christiansociology—CatholicChurch—History.
I. Title.
BX8129.A5P48 2005
289.7'93—dc22 2005004300
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
For Manuel
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Acknowledgments
Ithasbeenaprivilegeandpleasuretolearnaboutthosecommuni-
tiesandtotalkandvisitwiththepeoplewhoinhabitthem.InKan-
sas,IwashelpedimmeasurablybyHeidiandDavidKreider,John
andReinhildJanzen,theirextendedfamilies,themembersofZion
ElbingChurch,andthestaffoftheMennoniteLibraryandArchives
atBethelCollege.InOhio,DavidKlinetooktimetosharehisknowl-
edgeofAmishlife,farming,theology,andmore.InElSalvador,I
benefited,assoofteninthepast,fromtheinsight,contacts,and
comradeshipofIleanaGo´mez,MiguelCavada,NorysRam´ırez,the
peopleofPRISMA,CORDES,CRIPDES,theShareFoundation,and
especiallytheresidentsofGuarjilaandSanAntoniolosRanchos,
Chalatenango.
Iamgratefultothefriendsandcolleagueswhogenerously
sharedtheirownwork,readpartsofthemanuscript,andtalkedover
issueswithme:ArianedeBremond,DavidHackett,TobyHecht,
SarahLawton,ReedMalcolm,DavidMatthew,BillMcKibben,Bron
Taylor,LesThiele,SharonWelch,andLibbyWood.CynthiaRead
andTheoCalderaraatOxfordUniversityPresshavealsocontributed
greatlytothisproject,asdidtwocarefulandinsightfulanonymous
readersforthepress.BrandtPetersonhasbothsharedhisworkand
readmine,andconversationswithhimaboutElSalvadoranduto-
pia,amongotherthings,havebeeninvaluable.Iamalsogratefulto
himforbringingintothefamilymywonderfulsister-in-law,Casey
Williamson.Asusual,ManuelVa´squezismymostpatientandinci-
sivereader;hehasrepeatedlytakentimefromhisownworktohelp
mewithmine.
viii acknowledgments
TheUniversityofFloridahasbeenanexcellentplacetoconductinterdis-
ciplinaryresearchonsustainablecommunitiesandenvironmentalethics.My
work and my work life are better for the presence of colleagues engaged in
these questions. I have benefited enormously from the presence of our grad-
uate students studyingreligionandnatureandtheAmericas,especiallyfrom
the insights of students in the course I taught in fall 2003, “Ethics, Utopias,
andDystopias.”IammostgratefultoAnneNewmanandJuliaSmithfortheir
logistical help. The University of Florida College ofLiberalArtsand Sciences
supported my research in Ohio in summer 2000 with a Humanities Schol-
arshipEnhancementGrantandaUniversityofFloridaResearchProfessorship
fundedresearchinElSalvadorinJanuary2002.
Mywriting,mythinking,andmysenseofhopehavebenefitedenormously
fromtwoconferencesatMatfieldGreen,Kansas,organizedbytheLandInsti-
tute.At“TowardsaTaxonomyofBoundaries”inJune2002,Ipresentedapaper
that first outlined the themes of this book. I thank the participants of that
meeting,especiallyCharlesBrownfordoingmuchoftheorganizingandClay
Arnoldforhisthoughtfulresponsetomypaper.Iamalsoexceedinglygrateful
to the participants in the June 2004 conference “The Need for anIgnorance-
BasedWorldview.”IamawedbythecollectivewisdomofTeamIgnoranceand
honored to participate in these conversations. Very special thanks are due to
Chairman Wes Jackson, the guiding force behind these and so many other
extraordinaryhappenings.Wesembodiesthespiritofthisbook:aclear-headed
utopianwhoseesandbuildstheworldweneed.
Contents
Acronyms,xi
ResearchMethodsandSources,xv
Introduction:ResidenceonEarth,3
1. Farm,Land,Church:AnabaptistAgriculture
andCommunity,17
2. PromisedLand:ProgressiveCatholicAgrarians
inLatinAmerica,45
3. Nature,77
4. Community,101
5. Utopia,125
Notes,147
Bibliography,165
Index,179
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