Over at Psychology Today, Dr. Loren Soeiro has a really helpful primer this week on the concept of “orthorexia,” which is a preoccupation with “clean” or “right” eating that can frequently lead to various, dangerous eating disorders.
As an example: Let’s say, in a bid for “wellness,” you start focusing on what might seem a healthy thing — ditching excessive amounts of refined sugar.
According to just about everything online, ditching excessive refined sugar is a healthy thing (excess amounts can lead to a number of chronic medical conditions).
So you start replacing that refined sugar with increasingly healthy alternatives. No harm, no foul, right?
Then you increase the fiber thing. Again, no harm, no foul.
Fiber improves satiety, might make you crave fewer of those refined Reese’s peanut butter cups, and helps digestive health.
Point is you start increasing the “good things” and decreasing the “bad things.” All of this might seem good. Until the “Increase” thing becomes The Only Thing That Matters.
The “cutting out” thing becomes the “cutting off from” thing. The cure becomes worse than the disease.
And as with any kind of “healthy” behavior, we can quickly let it consume us so that it crosses a line and becomes orthorexia, at the least, (an excessive emphasis on a clean diet) while blooming into a chronic eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating etc) that is far more dangerous than the thing we were trying to fix.
In the vast gulf between eating a few Reese’s peanut butters cups vs. the nightmare of an eating disorder, I can assure you that nearly every doctor in his or her right mind, would say “Eat the peanut butter cup!”
I don’t say that with empiric evidence (a survey of doctors) or medical training, but if you’re curious, just ask your primary care whether it’s more dangerous to your health to have a few peanut butter cups or develop an eating disorder, based on your rejection of that delicious cup in the name of health.
The path to this eating disorder might not be body image, but it might present itself as something good, while being very bad (a deceptive “angel of light” phenomenon).
Orthorexia often occurs with OCD, and so in our preoccupation with doing the things we’re told are healthy, we can go disastrously wrong.
Now… you know this blog primarily deals with all the various forms of anxiety, depression, OCD, with attempting to open up the conversation in the church surrounding how dangerous, physically, it is to deny those are real conditions, how theologically misguided it is to judge them, and to urge the church to wake up and look at all the carnage its approach has unwittingly brought and continues to bring.
Christians are just as likely to experience mental health disorders (and as physical diseases why wouldn’t we?), but we’re just much less likely to talk about them.
Same with eating disorders.
And the tragedy is that I suspect some Christian cultures (particularly the white, American evangelical kind) unwittingly promote eating disorders due to a toxic mix of Scriptural misinterpretation and cultural biases.
To my shame, I don’t write about this much, because I’ve experienced so much lifelong depression and anxiety that it’s just a space I’m more familiar with.
But this is a deadly serious issue, partially because it is so deadly (anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and sudden cardiac death from it is its most lethal and common means of mortality; not suicide).
Orthorexia can often lead to its more pernicious relative, anorexia, so it’s important to look at some of the ways this toxic brew of “healthy eating” can infect church culture and, much as Satan does himself, present itself as an angel of light.
Let’s look at a few contributors.
THE SIN OF GLUTTONY: Christians have grossly misinterpreted the sin of “gluttony.”
Up until relatively recently, “gluttony” was considered a spiritual condition and not in, any way, a term to describe eating tons of pasta and dessert every night.
You’ll find the word “gluttony” throughout Scripture and, to simplify, both ancient Hebraic and Christian interpretation is that gluttony was indulgence in the presence of poverty and, as Ligonier Ministries notes, the attempt to find nourishment for the soul through purely physical means.
In other words, it wasn’t about calories or body size.
It was about the stereotypical king or rich man who feasts while others starve to death. It was about the attempt to replace the living water of Christ with a soul-sucking pursuit of a consumption that can’t ultimately satisfy us.
It’s the kind of thing that led to revolutions (French), it’s the kind of thing that Sodom and Gomorrah were rebuked for (note that the consequence of the cities’ sin was, as Ezekial said, “the poor and needy suffering outside” the city’s door), it’s the kind of thing that reflects a rather obvious Christian principle — to whom much is given, much is required.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man wasn’t indicted for his wealth or caloric intake.
Instead, it was how he used that wealth (on living selfishly) and how he feasted (in wanton disregard for the widespread poverty and starvation around him).
Gluttony was always about the spiritual concepts of pride, selfishness, and contempt for the poor.
Shocker, huh? That the Bible’s interpretation of a sin reflects our heart and disposition towards others vs. something as mundane as eating “too much refined sugar.”
Somewhere along the way, as humans do, the sin of “gluttony” morphed into a rule that served as a kind of spiritual bondage, and thus — by the time Jesus came along — he was accused of being “a glutton and winebibber” (Matthew 11:19), because he enjoyed a good meal and wine.
The definition of “gluttony” had turned into exactly the kind of heavy yoke that Jesus promised redemption from.
If you don’t believe me on this gluttony business, do a bit of research yourself, and if I’m wrong, let me know.
But isn’t it like God to care more about wealth and indulgence in relation to how we treat others (selfishness) than something as simple as “lots of eating?”
Religious folks tend to create burdensome laws.
Jesus always went to the heart of what was the face of these things, and revealed that our attitude towards others, the less fortunate, and our empathy is what he really cares about.
THE BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: My, how this argument regarding a Christian’s relationship with food has been abused.
In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul famously says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit of God, living inside us.
What does that mean? Read the passage.
The particular sin he warns against is having sex with prostitutes. Not about neglecting to give a member of the Trinity a ripped bod to indwell.
The Holy Spirit can work just as strongly in an “overweight” person as a “fit” person with a great figure.
Further, note the ending of the verse in question (emphasis added): “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.”
From the beginning, Satan’s lie was that humans can be their own god. We weren’t created for God, to follow him by tending to the earth and others.
Instead, we were created for ourselves, to please ourselves, at the expense of others.
It’s the oldest sin, and yet it manifests itself in one of the newest misinterpretations: That your body, as the temple of the Holy Spirit, has to look great.
For whom? You? Or God?
God has always used the despised, the despicable, the ones the world looks down on in order to bring change to the world, or as one author has noted, “heaven to earth.”
Moses stuttered, David was the least physically impressive of his clan, and Paul wasn’t noted for being particularly impressive at oratory.
Yet how have we come to interpret Paul’s message that we’re the temple of the Holy Spirit to somehow incorporate any part of our physical appearance?
No, Paul says the Spirit is within us, and so we are to live our lives in a way that reflects that.
Therefore, when the Spirit convicts us that we’re living selfishly or callously towards others and God, then we should listen.
In fact, Paul repeatedly warns us about the dangers of flaunting our looks, flashing our wealth, and says bodily exercise profits little because it says nothing about the “promise of the life that is now is and of that which is to come.”
Now, I don’t mean to say you should just stop exercising and start eating more junk food.
But that’s between you and your doctor. Your doctor and you should decide that. And remember, research is increasingly showing that that dieting itself (not just eating disorders) can be dangerous, as well, and some doctors might be stuck in old ways based on an anachronistic BMI chart and the incorrect assumption that less is best.
But for our purposes and based on the misinterpreted verse regarding our bodies and the Holy Spirit, remember that it is reprehensible for the church to shame someone for looking a certain way, or apply grossly incorrect hermeneutics to reach doctrine.
So please!
If someone at church comes hawking a wellness supplement and couples it with a “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” don’t feel any kind of moral pressure.
And speaking of wellness supplements.
AN INHERENT DISTRUST OF ANYTHING SECULAR: Over the past century, the church has become a breeding ground for mistrust of psychology and, often, science itself (even though the pursuit of science has often been led by Christians).
As secular sources have noted, “Historically, Christianity has been and still is a patron of the sciences. It has been prolific in the foundation of schools, universities, and hospitals and many Christian clergy have made significant contributions to the development of science. Historians of science such as Pierre Duhem credit medieval Catholic mathematicians such as John Buridan, Nicole Oresme, and Roger Bacon as the founders of modern science.”
Somewhere along the way, we lost our way.
How we got here is too long to explain, but the result is that evangelical culture is often rife with chatter about the danger of psychotherapy, processed foods, often vaccines, and many things of “worldly, scientific origin.”
All while we have no problems logging into our computers, powered by chips from “worldly” companies, and chatting on apps created by Silicon Valley to discuss Deep State, corporatist conspirator theories. We might even be sitting on a chair while we do this, which is ergonomically-designed to lessen back tension. Somehow that’s not evil, even though Hobby Lobby isn’t the only place to buy such chairs (btw, I love Hobby Lobby and know it doesn’t sell chairs – I’m just making a point. We selectively pick “secular villains”).
There’s this perpetual theme that pharmaceutical companies and food companies only want to make money off you (no company, btw, could survive unless they made money), and that those selling wellness supplements just want to help you.
Well, have you ever checked out the price of these wellness supplements? I suspect the profit margins on these things are pretty robust.
Now, I’m not saying there aren’t shameful abuses in the pharmaceutical system (because there are plenty), or that wellness supplements aren’t helpful. I’ve used plenty for my conditions, and some have provided remarkable relief.
But it’s flat-out wrong to hawk the message that drug companies just want to make money and wellness supplements are an act of charity and benevolence.
Both categories can be useful, both can make a lot of money off you. Those things can co-exist.
But churches make for a perfect environment to sell these products: mix a skeptical view of pharmaceuticals as worldly, money-making schemes + some notion that anything natural is preferable (again, if so, why are we sitting on chairs and not rocks?) + a distrust of science + relative wealth in the white evangelical church + a trust in the church community as a superior means of improvement = blooming soil for a robust, supplement wellness culture.
None of those aspects of church has anything to do with anything that Christ or Paul says about what the church is intended for.
It’s a place of worship, of discipleship, where we go to become more Christ-like, inwardly, so we can manifest that to the world as image-bearers of Christ’s love.
THE DANGER OF PERFECTIONISM IN THE CHURCH: This temptation applies to a lot of areas of Christian living and was prevalent in Christ’s time, as well.
The religious leaders demanded a kind of perfectionism in every area of life, and Jesus cut through everything to show that the only things that mattered were that we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves.
None of that matters and yet the church implicitly says it matters so much. Almost to the point of being a defining virtue.
We’re not immune from the ancient and great American sin of success as a virtue, in and of itself. Wealth, health, looking a certain way – which often comes with both things.
Some churches preach this message explicitly (the prosperity gospel), while others do so implicitly, (prosperity image).
We are, indeed, led by our culture on so many things, and that includes the American preoccupation with image.
And when someone sees us, happy and smiling, with nice clothes in a nice car, a perfect family, and a great body — then “wow, that person must be living right and blessed by the Lord.”
Yet didn’t Jesus warn us of looking great on the outside, while harboring deep and ugly sin, on the inside? (Matthew 23:27).
Again, there’s nothing wrong with being happy, or having nice things, but they say nothing about what really matters — a heart bent on Christ and concern for others.
Remember that David writes in the Psalms that God is not impressed with the strength of horses or human might, but only a heart that longs for him.
We can’t see a person’s heart; therefore, it’s blasphemy to judge it, because we’re putting ourselves in the position of God, who alone can see and render his verdict, as the one who sees our hearts perfectly and gave his life for them. That’s the point of Matthew 7:1-3.
And yet, we can’t help ourselves. I can’t help myself! I’m prone to all the temptations anyone is when rendering judgment. In fact, this post itself is a kind of judgment, isn’t it?
We’re humans and we like to judge others — for many reasons — including, as Tim Keller once pointed out, our attempt to justify ourselves. If someone is worse than us, that must mean we’re better. And humans have always tried to justify ourselves, outside of Christ’s redemption, so we get caught in a cycle of judging others’ issues in order to avoid dealing with our own issues.
We try to save ourselves by saying, “My boat is sinking less quickly than yours! I built a better boat than you did!”
Yeah, but it’s still just a fishing boat in a hurricane, and everyone needs a savior equally.
Now… all those misinterpretations and cultural factors leading to eating disorders are just some of the reasons why I think the church can, potentially, serve as a breeding ground for promoting and even celebrating behaviors that lead to eating disorders.
We’d never openly praise anorexia or bulimia.
But spend long enough at a white evangelical church and I’m guessing you might find a fairly robust scene that promotes “right eating,” and while not necessarily a wrong impulse, that a) has no business being a doctrinal point and b) can unwittingly promote devastating harm.
And the sad fact is this.
We’ve gotten to a place where gluttony is crassly simplified to caloric intake.
Where our outward appearance is more important than our heart.
Where we distrust the very sciences that have promoted so much bodily healing.
How did we get here?
Sin. That’s it.
The law. That’s it.
The human inclination to judge, to make up a religious system that Jesus sought to destroy.
We are as prone to this as we were at any point in history — and maybe even more disposed to it because of the speed with which these toxic messages are disseminated.
Finally, I want to add a caveat and a personal note.
Caveat: I know, indeed, the secular world is just as rife with the dangers of “wellness” eating. In fact, that’s one of my points. That the church is being sucked into this dark hole that can lead to and promote eating disorders by an American success story that has bred as much selfishness as wealth, unhealthiness as apparent success.
This sin isn’t specific to the Christian church. It’s just that the church dresses it up in ways that have an “appearance of light” while still leading others to the dark.
And on a personal note, as many regular readers know, I had a stomach perforation from a chronic medical condition about six months ago which has led to sparse posting.
The path to healing for my colon was, indeed, a very specific diet.
However, in the process, I lost an extraordinary amount of weight (and was already skinny) and thus have now experienced some of the hell that I think those with eating disorders experience, on a physical level.
Believe me – it’s horrific. Being malnourished. It is dangerous.
And I can’t imagine if this was based on actual body dysmorphia.
There’s a reason why eating disorders are the most dangerous of all mental health conditions. It doesn’t just affect your mind, but your body — systemically.
Now that I’ve felt just how crushing it is to be malnourished and some of the trauma that entails, my heart is broken for all of those who are currently in that place, or who’ve emerged from it, and especially for those whose struggles have occurred within the context of the church.
Because we don’t talk about this stuff enough.
Well, no more. I’m going to start blogging about it more. Sometimes we go through things and, though we’re broken, learn something that hopefully can help heal others.
To start with — some resources.
The National Institute of Mental Health on eating disorders, including signs, symptoms, risk factors, treatments and help.
A 24/7 hotline for those struggling with eating disorders or any other mental health disorder.
Six Common Types of Eating Disorders.
And find an eating disorder therapist near you.
Finally, just remember this one thought. Do you really think Jesus was a calorie counter? Did any of his puzzling parables end up in the rich insight that we ought to count calories? Those conclusions are almost so ridiculous that they’re funny, but it’s tragic how many in the church have implied that to be a Christian, you’ve got to eat a certain way, look a certain way, and that the Temple of the Holy Spirit wants a great-looking bod to dwell in, because he needs the right microbiome and abs to change the world.
[Painting: Still Life With Apples and Peaches, Cezanne].
