Customer Reviews

Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture

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That bread and wine are at the center of most Christian religious services is not news. But taking that seriously -- the centrality of food in worship, in the communal experience of faith -- gives Sack's book a window into the what we want from our churches and how our churches our drawn into the rest of our lives.

Five chapters, each in a somewhat different voice, look at the way food functions in mainline Protestant churches. It reaches back into the 1800's, at the fierce battles by those who argued that Jesus must have been a temperance crusader who never would let alcohol cross His lips. It moves through the details of Atlanta's current church-based efforts to feed the hungry, and the tension between working to feed the hungry and working to end hunger. It stops by the suburbs of Chicago, to churches where professional cafeterias have replaced potluck dinners. Along the way, you get great anecdotes, solid writing, and a lot to think about.

The simple strength of the narrative alone makes the book worth buying. But the insights you pick up along the way are what will fuel your dinner conversations for some time afterwards.

The title of this book led me to think it would be about religion and consumption, and would have some connection to the growing literature on food and society, food history, and the origins of American food traditions. Instead the book is very narrow - it deals mainly with the tradition of Protestant potluck suppers, and reaches the not-very-surprising conclusion that they were important in building social networks and holding congregations together. And that's pretty much it. You have to provide the analysis and wider context yourself.

_Whitebread Protestants_ explores the relationship with food and the culture in mainline Protestantism. Author Daniel Sack begins by looking at historical controversies with the Lord's Supper - including the influences of the temperance movement and the challenge of germ theory. He then covers food as a basis for social gatherings, followed by the soup kitchen movement and mainline responses to global hunger after World War II. He concludes with a history of two healthful living movements.
Good: The book is well-researched and at times is very interesting. The chapter on the history of communion changes was historically enlightening - containing information that most Christians probably aren't aware of. The material on Christian responses to hunger makes for good contemporary apologetics (in an age of heightened church criticism). And the accounts of the maverick diet movements were fascinating.
Bad: Some of the material is tedious, particularly the detailed information on hunger education curriculums from the 1970s. Also, the author's writing style is mildly annoying. He ends each paragraph with a cheezy summary of what he just said. It gets old.
Opinion: In spite of its weaknesses, _Whitebread Protestants_ was a worthwhile read on the whole. The first chapter on the history of American communion controversy was particularly helpful. There are roots to modern-day worship practices that I was unaware of. The book also helped me to see the big picture of some of the food movements in our history.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Best Quote: "A second-grade class was doing a project in comparative religions; each child was asked to say something about his or her faith and bring in a symbol of their belief. On the day of the assignment, the first child stood up and said, 'My name is Joshua. I go to Beth Shalom. I am Jewish, and this is a Star of David.' The second child stood up and said, 'My name is Marguerite. I go to St. Mary's. I am Catholic, and this is a crucifix.' The third child stood up and said, 'My name is Fred. I go to Grace Church. I am Protestant, and this is a casserole.'"