Faith, Forests, and Stewardship: A Conversation with Bart Vanderkamp

Erik sits down with Bart van derkamp—a longtime member of Ladner Christian Reformed Church and former UBC forestry professor—to reflect on a life shaped by faith, forests, and faithful stewardship. Bart shares stories from his 30 years as a church elder, his academic work teaching students to value forests beyond profit, and his hands-on approach to gardening and caring for the land. Together they explore the challenges of consumerism, the complexity of forest ecosystems in British Columbia, and why loving creation may be just as important as managing it. The conversation closes with Bart’s thoughtful reflections on theology. Bart’s reflections can be summed up like this: “Just as when walking through the forest you see the things you know and you have to look hard to see something new, whether a plant or  a new interpretation, so it is when reading scripture, you only see what you already believe. In that ways, Bart finds the common exhortation “Scripture is absolutely true and trustworthy”  without adding “but we can be blind to what it actually says”  misleading.