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2007-09-18 issue:

Healthy bodies and stewardship

We are embodied people; our physicality affects our entire being.

by Doug Hochstetler

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North Americans (in particular, those from the United States) face many obstacles cultivating healthy bodies. Increased technology replaces many forms of manual labor with automation. Our occupations require little movement in order to function. We eat increasingly larger quantities of food and have become what author Eric Schlosser terms a “fast food nation.”

Largely as a result of these trends, obesity rates have skyrocketed during the past 10 years. The Center for Disease Control estimates that two of every three U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, and childhood obesity figures are staggering as well.

We face serious health implications as a church family as a result of these disturbing trends. As Christians, we are called to stewardship in all areas of life, including our overall health and wellness. While lifestyle choices play a significant role in this process, part of our challenge to cultivate healthy bodies stems from a misunderstanding of the Scripture’s view of human nature and the body, which in turn affects our thoughts, language and behavior.

The Christian church has typically conceptualized human nature in dualistic ways. Put simply, this view holds that humans are made up of two distinct parts—one physical (the body) and one spiritual (the soul or mind). At death, one part decays (the body) and one part remains immortal (the soul). In many ways this conceptualization makes sense. We recognize, for example, that our thoughts do not follow the laws of physics like our bodies. Likewise we are unable to quantify our relationship with God, yet we know it exists. We see this composite view of humans in the Bible as well.

Dualistic ways: When we read the New Testament, we find passages replete with terms that describe who we are in dualistic ways. In Matthew, for example, Jesus says, “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” In Galatians, Paul writes: “For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh.” In Mark, when the disciples ask Jesus about the most important commandment, he replies with a verse from Deuteronomy: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

These dualistic terms stem from the influence of Plato and other Greek philosophers, a powerful paradigm that conflicts with the Hebrew, holistic worldview. New Testament writers used these dualistic words in part to communicate their message to the church and broader culture. Unfortunately we have been influenced by the Greek dualistic positions, which affect how we interpret Scripture.

Inevitably, when we view who we are as composites of body, mind and soul, we make judgments accordingly. Things of “the body” are deemed less important than things of “the soul.” Spending time in prayer and worship are of more value than time spent walking or playing sports. Choosing to enter the mission field is viewed as a “more spiritual” vocation than becoming an entrepreneur or artist. On occasion we may even justify our sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating by arguing that at least we are focusing on things eternal.
Our dualistic language and thinking also affects the way we view our physical nature. We often see our bodies as external to the “real” person. Our arms and stomachs and feet are somehow less “us” than our intellect or spirit. We believe that who we are is something hidden and invisible.

This view of the body as something external to us leads to other problems, in ways that impact both our body image and our exercise habits. We look at our stomachs, hips, thighs and decide we should lose fat or gain muscle. When flipping through magazines, we compare our bodies with those of models or athletes. Unfortunately more and more people are frustrated with the way they look and develop poor self-images as a result. In a recent Psychology Today survey, the majority of respondents reported being dissatisfied with the way they looked.

In terms of exercise, viewing the body as somehow external to the real person leads to unhealthy approaches. We often think of toning up, getting in shape or even sculpting the body. Some health clubs even use the name “Body Shop,” similar to a car repair facility. We may wish we could, drop off our legs, hips, stomachs or arms for service, like we do for our automobiles.

Games and sport: Throughout history, the church has remained largely suspicious of bodily pursuits such as play, games and sport. Exercise and sport have been viewed as acceptable but not as important as other, more spiritual pursuits, such as prayer, Bible reading or feeding the poor. While Mennonite schools have gradually accepted and more recently promoted interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic competition, many church members remain skeptical about the ultimate value of sport and exercise and see more worth in activities such as ministry or mission work.

Like many dualisms, viewing who we are as a composite of mind-body-spirit holds a certain truth. It can be helpful to think of ways to be good stewards in all areas of our lives. We need to set aside time for prayer, reflection, small group Bible study—to focus on spiritual things. We need to cultivate our intellectual and physical lives as well. A better approach, however, is a holistic, biblical view of human nature.

This holistic view is predicated on Scripture as understood by the ancient Israelites and most New Testament writers. Rather than using dualistic terms to signify a compartmentalized human nature, Hebrew writings contain terms meant to communicate broader principles. For example, when Jesus said to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength, the point is to do so with our entire being. We should also consider the translation of Hebrew into English. Our conception of the word “soul” has no Hebrew counterpart; the same is true for our modern use of “mind” and “spirit.”

Sinful attitudes: Many Scripture passages are clear that sin is not confined to aspects of “the body.” Reinhold Neibuhr notes, “The Bible knows nothing of a good mind and an evil body.” Jealousy, contempt, greed and hatred are only a few examples of sinful attitudes representative of “the mind” or “the heart.”

Our physical nature is an essential part of who we are as humans. Perhaps the strongest indication that our bodies are important is that God sent Jesus to earth in the flesh. We celebrate Easter because our Lord rose from the grave in bodily form, not as a spirit. Our Creator wants our whole being, including the physical, when we decide to follow Christ. Stewardship is an important part of our Christian walk and includes every aspect of our lives including our embodied nature.

Our lives are more a tapestry than a composite, interwoven in ways difficult to untangle. It is only through reflection that we develop these abstract notions of body, mind and spirit. We approach life as embodied people; this is our place in the world, and our physicality affects our entire being. Walking, for example, affects our thoughts and our approach toward God, ourselves and others. We pray as embodied people; our standing, kneeling or sitting positions affect our prayers. That is part of the beauty of our design as human beings, part of the creative process by which we are blessed.

If our dualistic approach to Scripture is flawed, how might we view our human existence in a healthier, more biblical manner? A first step is to talk about the ways we face life with our entire being. Think about the relationship between the so-called aspects of our lives. For example, how does our prayer life affect our attitudes toward fitness and nutrition? How does our health affect our ability to help others or participate in worship? In what ways do we encounter God while running, playing tennis or walking?

The actual meaning: Besides community dialogue, we can think of our lives in holistic ways. We can adjust our language to reflect this holism, perhaps replacing “Healthy Bodies” classes with ones titled “Wellness through Movement” or “Healthy Living.” When we read Scripture passages with dualistic language we can see beyond the terms to the actual meaning, knowing that God desires our entire being rather than several composite components.

With a richer understanding of our humanity, we can exercise not only for weight control but for strength, fitness, to spend time with friends and family and even for the joy of movement. We might fall in love with a particular activity, such as walking or swimming, and experience the gift of movement as a wonderful vehicle from which to explore our world. Finally, we can stop comparing ourselves and the way we look with others. Rather than focusing on how we look, we can consider what our arms and legs and lungs allow us to do—experience the world from our truly blessed, embodied position.

Doug Hochstetler lives in Alburtis, Pa., and is a member of Plains Mennonite Church, Hatfield, Pa.

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