Good Eating (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) [Paperback]

Stephen H. Webb (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Christian Practice of Everyday Life | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Illustrates how the Bible and Christianity have understood eating practices such as vegetarianism and explores the role of diet as it relates to Christian discipleship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Prism Diet. The Hallelujah Diet. The Weigh Down Diet. These and other Christian diet strategies have been big news in recent years. But even if you despise the genre, don't dismiss Stephen Webb's Good Eating: The Bible, Diet, and the Proper Love of Animals before you've digested it fully. Webb makes cogent comments about American Christians' obsession with food (which he calls, quite rightly, an idol) and proposes a moderate diet of "Christian vegetarianism" to reflect the anticipated, perfect kingdom of God. Arguing that "the unexamined meal is not worth eating," Webb draws on the Bible, the early church fathers and modern theology to demonstrate that Christians should think carefully about the consumption of animal flesh. It is, in all, a superb and meaty argument.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the diet-obsessed U.S., a book beginning with the claim that "the unexamined meal is not worth eating" really should find an audience, especially given the worldwide significance of food-related issues and the fact that Christianity is defined by a meal. Webb proposes a biblical alternative to the animal-rights movement, which he sees as largely anti-Christian. He articulates a biblical understanding of human-animal relationships by, he insists, sharpening the distinction between humans and animals rather than blurring it. He constructs his critique within a theology of diet, thereby taking up a long-neglected tradition that was influential in early Christianity and addressing historic questions about food and animals in relation to John the Baptist, Jesus, and the early church. Food, he notes, is essential in rituals that define us: we are what and how and with whom we eat. Hence, Webb writes near the end of the book, we need animal rites rather than animal rights. Even readers inclined to say that we need both will find the book fascinating. Steven Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587430150
• ISBN-13: 978-1587430152
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen H. Webb writes on a wide range of topics, from the theology of basketball, the stories of John Updike, and the spirituality of pet keeping to Bob Dylan's Christian period, the problem of evolution, and the religious significance of sound. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, he has taught religion and philosophy at Wabash College, Indiana, for over twenty years. His wife, Diane Timmerman, is an actress, director and professor of theatre at Butler University, and they have four children, Charis, Barek, Asher, and Tsehai (as well as two dachshunds). His articles have appeared in Books & Culture, First Things, and Touchstone. Recently received into the Roman Catholic Church, he is currently working on a book on conservative political theology that draws from his experience of being a conservative in higher education.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this--before you take another bite!, May 13, 2002

By 

Joyce Janca Aji (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Eating (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) (Paperback)

Stephen Webbs Good Eating is an immensely important contribution to the discussion of eating and ethics, love of God and care for the world. In his very readable, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable book, Webb takes up the difficult task of reclaiming the discourse and practice of vegetarianism from secular or non-Christian movements such animal rights, health consciousness, New Age or Eastern religions, in order to frame them in an authentic and Biblically-based Christian context. After discussing his own conversion to meatlessness as an integral part of his faith, Webb, a prominent theologian and professor, delves deeply into Biblical narratives and Christian history to examine teachings and practices of consumption. From the creation of animals as helpers in Eden to the dietary laws of Judaism, the Last Supper and the Eucharist to the fasting of the early Church Fathers, the abstention of heretics to the loss of the Biblical ideal of meatlessness, Webb problematizes conventional readings which assume a rationale for the eating flesh as an acceptable Christian practice. In their stead, he proposes a serious, provocative, and convincing theology of a truly compassionate and nonviolent stewardship of all of Gods creatures.
Yet even more compelling than his readings which demonstrate vegetarianism as intrinsic to the Christian tradition is his argument that not eating meat is a practice wholly consistent with living a Christian life and one concrete way for Christians to experience and practice Gods grace (41). In going beyond selfish, personal, or even health reasons for avoiding meat, Christian vegetarianism as a way, gradually and humbly, of looking forward to Gods restoration of creation, the fulfillment of Gods promise to complete history by returning the whole world to Gods original intentions. This diet of hope can be one way of witnessing to the good news ofJesus Christ. (13).
Unlike many books intended for Christian audiences, Webbs does not preach to the choir. His critique of secular or non-Christian vegetarianism is matched by his critique of the complaceny of many contemporary Christians with regard to the suffering of animals and their willingness to conform to the status quo and biddings of the corporate world. His last chapter and appendices, however, provide a range of helpful theological and practical alternatives for consideration, and begin the work of restoring harmony between humans and the rest of creation.
Good Eating should be required reading not only for sincere Christians--but for everyone concerned with the welfare of animals, and a reflective and compassionate way of being in the world. Highest recommendation.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, great stuff man, October 1, 2004

By 

S. Dewart (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Eating (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) (Paperback)

This is a really great book, fun to read, and inspiring as well. There is more information here about the early church and biblical view of animals than in any other book I know of. This is a great read. The chapter on whether there will be animals in heaven is a classic. Definitely a must read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life, the Dinner Plate and Everything, May 29, 2007

By 

Andrew McGlothlen (Lafayette, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Eating (The Christian Practice of Everyday Life) (Paperback)

Members of all religious backgrounds will enjoy this humorous in-depth study of the theology of food. Looking from the Christian perspective, Webb studies a number of subjects ranging from the modern "meat and potatoes" meal to Christian justification for vegetarianism, from whether or not pets go to Heaven to Biblical dietary restrictions in the Old Testament. While it is a bit academic for bedtime reading, it's certainly worth the read for anyone seriously interested in the Christian theology behind a human activity that unites us all - eating.