Darrow Miller and Friends

Milk Cows Can Change the World

In his remarkable book, Truth and Transformation, native Indian Vishal Mangalwadi writes about visiting a dairy in Holland.

I had never seen such a dairy! It had a hundred cows, there were no staff on site, and it seemed amazingly clean and orderly. In India we had a small dairy of our own, but our dairy had two workers and it was filthy and smelly.

Vishal was introduced to mechanized milking, but something else was a bigger surprise: the honor system of paying for milk.

We walked into the milk room, and no one was there to sell the milk. I expected Jan to ring a bell, but instead he just opened the tap, put his jug under it, and filled the jug.

His host paid for the milk by making change from the open money bowl on the window sill, and the transaction was done!

Vishal was astonished at such a system and observed that it could only work in a culture of trust and honor.

Beyond that, he points out how such virtues build economic growth.

In a different culture, the milk would be diluted—requiring inspectors, and the money bowl would be pilfered—requiring employees. Hiring employees and paying inspectors would increase the price of milk for everyone.

His takeaway: Moral integrity is a huge factor behind the unique socioeconomic/sociopolitical success of the West.

Virtues grounded in biblical values have benefited the world more profoundly, and in more ways, than many people recognize.

– Gary Brumbelow

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Gary is the Disciple Nations Alliance editorial manager. He manages Darrow Miller and Friends and serves as editor and co-writer on various book projects. For eight years Gary served as a cross-cultural church planting missionary among First Nations people of Canada. His career also includes 14 years as executive director of InterAct Ministries, an Oregon-based church-planting organization in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Gary is a graduate of Grace University, earned an MA from Wheaton College and a Graduate Studies Diploma from Western Seminary. He lives near Portland, Oregon with his wife, Valerie. They have two married sons and twelve grandchildren. In addition to his work with the DNA, Gary serves as the pastor of Troutdale Community Church.
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