• SOULPRINTS: Connecting Spirituality and Physicality

• YOUR HOLIDAY READ: “Journey to Friendship”

I grew up attending a traditional Baptist church. I learned my body had to behave in clearly defined ways. I must sit and listen, not wiggle and talk. I had to stand for the singing but sit for the offertory instrumental music. If I had some spiritual business to do then I should walk to the front of the sanctuary and talk with the preacher. I had to dress properly and knew that was especially important for the girls to be modest so the guys wouldn’t think lusty thoughts about those pretty bodies.  I knew people in other churches handled their bodies differently, like speaking in tongues, kneeling in the pew, smelling incense, or observing silence. All of those other practices were weird or even unbiblical. My physicality shaped my spirituality as more mental, more passive, and less experiential. But as an adult, is that the best way to encounter God? 

Traditional Christian theology built a high wall between the body and the soul. Jewish and Roman teachings portrayed a celibate person as one who could achieve greater spirituality. Paul carried on the theme, writing, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery,” then lists 10 more as a catalog of evil behavior. In his theology, “flesh” meant the nature of sin within each person, deeper than the physical actions. But in common teaching and subsequent doctrine, the body itself was impure, unholy, and the doorway to evil. Within 200 years of Christ, large numbers of men and women had left the pleasures of the world behind, including bathing, cooked food, comfortable homes, and sex, to live in rigorous spirituality far from the evil world. The teaching of Augustine later made it clear that all sexual activity comes from the sin of Adam, reoccurring in the impure lust of each partner.[1] The truth seemed clear: the body was evil and spirituality needed to subdue and escape it to be close to God.

But is that the full picture of our spirituality? The center of the faith is the incarnation, the body of Jesus becoming the place of God’s revelation. Fasting and feasting were both a part of his ministry.  The Bible does list the sins of the flesh but in the next verses lists the embodied, loving actions of the Spirit, like gentleness, kindness, and self-control. The body can express good apparently. Paul goes on to teach that the human body is the new Temple of faith, supplanting the Jerusalem temple, and is to be treated with extra respect in a sacred way. This Sunday millions of Christians will physically taste the bread and the wine of Communion in a vivid divine encounter. Ruth Haley Barton in her book, Sacred Rhythms, shares “Knowing that God has chosen to make our bodies his dwelling place opens the door to remarkable opportunities for heightening our awareness of God's presence.”[2] The ultimate guidance toward a holistic view is found in another Pauline admonition, “Glorify God in your body.”[3]

Read the full article with the science, theology, and guidance on the links:

Read the full transcript or listen at https://www.buzzsprout.com/907723/episodes/16154929
Watch the Youtube episode at https://youtu.be/llTXNSavC-o

[1] Paula Fredriksen, Ancient Christianities: the first five hundred years. Princeton University Press, 2024. P 168

[2] Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms. IVP Books, 2006. P. 80

[3] 1 Corinthians 6:20

I wrote this short memoir to share the adventures Jan and I had as we began our careers and family. The price is marked down for the holidays! Order your paperback or Kindle ebook today on Amazon.

A novice minister and his wife discover the challenges of church vocation, the intrigues of starting a family, and the joys of building faith in this light-hearted memoir. Set in 1976, America’s tumultuous Bicentennial year, the easy-to-read story follows the young couple growing up in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, embarking on newlywed adventures and launching careers in education and church leadership. The author unfolds a journey of both miles and meaning that spans the Midwestern towns of Joplin (MO), Shawnee (OK), Ft. Worth, (TX), Friendship (WI) and Beaver (OK). His story of self-discovery offers readers an enjoyable retrospective on a special era in America, as well as insight on the work of God through every age.