Rick Warren, a mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life, latest weight loss ministry has raised questions about the purpose of a church. Warren has lost 60 pounds under a new ministry called “The Daniel Plan“. The Daniel Plan is based on the story of Daniel only eatting vegetables. The weight loss lifestyle ministry employs healthy eating, regular exercise, stress reduction, prayer and small groups meeting in church member’s homes. Apparently, the ministry is effective. The church claims to have lost over 250,000 pounds among its 30,000 members.
What sparked this ministry? Warren explains his revelation to CNN:
On that particular day, I was baptizing 858 people… That took me literally four hours. As I’m baptizing 858 people, along around 500, I thought this … ‘We’re all fat. But I thought, I’m fat,” he said. “I’m a terrible model of this. I can’t expect our people to get in shape unless I do.
This weight loss ministry for Warren’s Saddleback Church is catching on. Dr. Oz is now partnering with the church and is providing a fitness and diet plan.
Is Rick Warren’s latest announcement a gimmick for weight loss or is there something deeper going on?
Obesity is a big problem for America and no seems to be doing much about it. Yes, we post information about the food on packaging and at McDonald’s, but it is not enough. Christians talk about self-control when it comes to things like sex or other sins, but there is almost no conversation about how fat our churches have become. There is a dangerous connection lurking between obesity and Christians. Perhaps the most damning evidence of obesity among American protestants is found in the book Thieves in the Temple by G. Jeffrey MacDonald:
An epidemic of overeating among Christians highlights a basic lack of self-control. Obesity has become rampant among American Protestants. Nearly one in five Methodists is obese, according to a 2006 Purdue University study. Among Baptists, it’s more than one in four. Meanwhile, fewer than one in 100 American Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists are obese. Even when allowing for geographical considerations, the research found Protestants to be fatter than people of other religious backgrounds.
Another study from Northwestern University found that, “Young adults who frequently attend religious activities are 50 percent more likely to become obese by middle age as young adults with no religious involvement.” In 1998, researchers at Purdue found that the percentage of obesity highest in states where religious affiliation was more prevalent: Michigan, Mississippi and Indiana were among the states with the highest percentage of overweight persons. There is a correlation.
Church and church life revolve around food. We Christians talk about self-control, but never self-control with food. I was discussing this very issue with a fellow pastor, William Shiell on twitter. He quipped,
https://twitter.com/#!/williamshiell/statuses/166673994123190273
But, is this really just a religious weight watchers that waters down what Christianity is supposed to be?
No and Yes. No, we are not supposed to be a religious weight watchers that catches on to the latest trends or fads. However, based on the statistics above, how can we preach a message of self-control when we can’t even control how we over stuff our faces? Obesity kills and it drives up the cost of health care. It’s preventable and leads to other life threatening conditions. Think how people could live longer and healthier lives!
Clearly, when God created us he created us to be good stewards of everything… even our bodies. If churches will not lead the charge on holistic health (mind, soul, and body), who will? For those of us who need a purpose driven life, we may also need a purpose driven diet and exercise program.
4 Comments
Alan, did you see this?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16939718
It seems that the some people want to have their cake and eat it, too.
BTW, I agree with you.
Bet, wow I didn’t see that. interesting. A few months ago I wrote about a church down south that had a band on fried chicken in their fellowship hall! Thanks for the link.
I read this story in the NY Times last week about “mindful eating.” Found it very interesting — especially since I’m trying to drop a few pounds, myself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?pagewanted=all
, I disagree with most of what Warren does and says. I just don’t see the beoogy man there that they seem to see. I see most of what he does a matter of preferences and not absolutes. If someone came to me asked me what I thought of Rick Warren, I would point them towards a more “conservative” preacher. One without the trappings and the hoopla that seems to follow him. I think it all distracts from the Mark 16:15 call.I think it’s too easy to allow others to do our thinking for us. In that I mean, in this case, I read a LOT of Warrens works and see a lot of “out of context” being used against him and so, as often happens, the dreaded straw man arguments against him. There’s no winning against these type of arguments.I read his writings only because I heard all the clamor against him. I think he’s wrong on a lot things. But then, who can say they’re perfect, like you said. I think establishing a ministry based on critique others and often waiting for a slip of a tongue or a shaking of a wrong hand to pounce is for the wrong reasons. And there are many out there, that if it weren’t for the internet and being watchers, would have no ministry at all. Most of what I have seen on the internet aren’t worthy of tying a Walter Martin’s shoes…..but hey that’s just my opinion. “ but I agree with your statement about Calvinism. I see that Lighthouse does not seem to discern Lordship salvation authors. I had a long email discussion with Lighthouse Editor Dombrowski about that — and she denied any sympathy with the false teaching yet I disagreed with her on a point or two.”I’m glad you brought that up. It’s so often I see” the enemy of my enemy is my friend” run rampant among these folks.“and she denied any sympathy with the false teaching yet I disagreed with her on a point or two.” And that makes my point. I have seen nothing on Lighthouse that about “Lordship Salvation”. Personally, I find that much more abhorrent that most of what Warren teaches.