Yet they recognize that the world is full of phonies and shysters, and they like to see them put in their place. Likewise, while they are very intolerant of religious falsehoods and fads, they affirm religious liberty. Conversely, they drive hard bargains. But peace with whom all can live is to be sought actively. Many farmers do this very well.
Most rural folk are wonderfully spontaneous, as well, in their expressions and giving of love.
Also, they mix a strong reverence for the general commands of God which they obey faithfully, with an openness to the leading of God's Holy Spirit in a given context. They come to us in dialectical or paradoxical form because either side of any set can easily become a false god. So it is only when affirmed with its opposite that one is safe from idolatry. It is important that those who seek to pastor churches comprised of rural people understand these values and their dialectical relations. Ministers will be more effective when they understand that these values form the perspectives, perceptions and the performances of their people.