Righteous Harvest: How Faith and Farming Can Help Us Live the American Dream

Originally published by Fox Digital

In America’s farm country, there is a steady heartbeat that pulses throughout the fields—the faith community. It’s not confined to Sunday sermons or midweek Bible studies. It’s in the calloused hands that till the land, in families who pray over the crops, and in pastors who bless the harvest. As a small farmer from Georgia, rooted in faith, family, and the rich soil of the American South, I know how powerfully faith and farming walk hand in hand.

The Word of God tells us in James 2:26, "Faith without works is dead." On American soil, those works take the form of plowing fields, planting seeds, harvesting crops, and stewarding the land. As we look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we must pause to reflect on the role that faith and agriculture played in building our great nation. From the Revolution to Reconstruction, from the Dust Bowl to the Civil Rights Movement, farmers of faith haven’t grown just crops—they have grown courage, resilience, and community.

Historically, the bond between farmers and churches has been more than symbolic—it is practical. In colonial times, the church was often the first public institution built in rural communities, meeting spiritual needs and serving as a hub for news, markets, and mutual aid. Black churches, in particular, were bedrocks of resilience, preaching the Gospel while helping families survive through farming and food programs during Jim Crow and beyond.

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