Why it’s impossible to practice resurrection

What Wendell Berry gets wrong - and right - about Easter

Wendell Berry falls in the category of authors whose grocery lists I would devour. I adore his poetry, his essays, his novels, nearly everything he writes.

But the last line—and oft-quoted quote—of his famous poem “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” rubs me the wrong way every time, like a pebble in the shoe.

Practice resurrection.

Every Easter it gets quoted on Instagram, memed and beautified in shareable Canva images. I get it: the idea sounds lovely, like a daily spiritual practice of Eastering.

But here’s the problem.