Thanks so much for publishing the Wendell Berry interview ("Heaven in Henry County," by Rose Berger, July 2004), and for including more of it on the Web site. Berry truly amazes in his ability to balance the global, the local, and the interpersonal aspects of faith and ethics. I only wish his critique was less abstract and more actionable. Berry readily acknowledges that visible successes in rebuilding our concept of a fair economy are few and far between. Certainly, the stand he takes is inspiring. But it’s hard to escape the feeling that we’ve already passed the "tipping point" as a nation—that most of the responsible individual and communal choices we make will be drops in the bucket compared to the might of Wal-World and the pull of complacency.
Personally, I’ll pay attention to where and how I shop. But how can we move toward changing mainstream North American behavior? Let’s hope that Berry, Sojourners, and our pastors, publishers, and nonprofits can also suggest other practical ways to strengthen the "jubilee revolution network.
Mark Nielsen
Skokie, Illinois
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