food

Interview

Food and Drink

Q&A with Elizabeth Groppe

by John Shorb

This article was featured in the Summer 2011: Food and Faith print issue. Click here to see the complete table of contents.

Written by John Shorb on June 15, 2011

John Shorb

John Shorb is the founder of Church Health Reader and served as editor from 2008-2011. He is a visual artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Visit him online at johnshorb.com.

See all articles by John Shorb.

Theologian Elizabeth Groppe examines Christian practices around food and drink in her book Eating and Drinking published by the Fortress Compass series. In this interview, she gives a glimpse into the biblical depth of her work on these essential practices.

John Shorb: What do you see as the general Christian approach toward food and drink?

Elizabeth Groppe: One of the striking things about Christianity is the centrality of the act of eating and drinking in the life of the church community. Christians gather together because Jesus Christ broke bread with his apostles prior to his death and resurrection. According to the Gospel of Luke (22:19), he said “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through word and example, Christ also taught his followers to feed those who are hungry, which you can see many churches practicing today.

When it comes to eating, what are some helpful Christian traditions?

Although different denominations understand the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper in distinct ways, most can affirm the World Council of Churches statement in the ecumenical Faith and Order Paper Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry that “In the Eucharistic meal, in the eating and drinking of the bread and wine, Christ grants communion with himself.” Eating and drinking become acts of communion in the body of Christ.

This experience is such a compelling alternative to how most of us live. At a fast-food restaurant, I once saw the words “FEED YOUR CRAVINGS” flashing across a computerized screen. Powerful influences in our culture are telling us to approach food primarily as something to be advertised and consumed, and this is a factor in the serious health crisis we face in our nation today. The common American diet of highly processed foods, refined flours and sugars, and large portions of meat has contributed to both environmental degradation and our high rates of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diet-related cancers.

The tremendous popularity of diet books and programs indicates that many people are actively searching for alternatives. Christianity invites us to examine our culture of eating through the prism of the Eucharistic sacrament of communion. Are our practices of eating little more than acts of consumption in which we exhaust the earth’s fertile soils and even our own health? Or are our daily meals sacramental practices that foster communion and right relationship with the triune God, other persons, and all creation? We need to receive our food as Christ did: with thanksgiving (Mark 6:41; Luke 22:19), a radical action that acknowledges God as the ultimate source of our daily bread.

Many people practice fasting today. What are the roots of fasting?

Fasting has biblical roots. It is a discipline undertaken for multiple reasons, including repentance from sin such as in Deut. 9:15-18 and 1 Sam. 7:6 and in times of mourning such as in 1 Sam. 31:13 and Nem. 1:4. Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert strengthening himself against temptation, and there are accounts of first-century Christians who fasted for their persecutors. In the Christian tradition, fasting is also closely related to almsgiving. Although fasting is sometimes associated with dualistic spiritualities, Thomas Ryan emphasizes in Fasting Rediscovered that we are embodied spirits and that fasting can strengthen and cleanse our bodies as well as cultivate virtue in our souls.

How can churches integrate these practices into their congregational life today?

When churches celebrate the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper with beauty and reverence, they give us a vision of eating as an act of communion in the body of Christ. This simple act can transform the way we approach the daily practice of eating and drinking. Churches can also carefully consider the kind of foods that are served at their dinners and the foods distributed in ministries to the hungry. Where did these foods come from? Were they grown or produced in a manner that fosters communion and right-relationship between human persons, God, animals and the earth? Are these foods that will nurture the health of both our bodies and our souls? God invites us in Christ to a joyous feast of communion that truly satisfies our deepest bodily and spiritual desires.

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