As an institution we have lost sight of what holiness is. While we vilify drinking and smoking, we actively encourage gluttony and obesity. As a Wesleyan institution, our roots are buried deep in the Holiness Movement. This movement focused on Wesley’s teachings of Christian Perfection, which holds that the heart of the born again believer could attain a state free of voluntary sin. Out of this teaching, the movement adopted practices that have become quintessentially equated with Wesleyans. Two of the more dominant practices are that of not drinking alcoholic beverages and not using tobacco products in any form. A few reasons for the exclusion of these substances are for the purpose of avoiding sin, maintaining purity and avoiding the appearance of evil.
At this point I am not much interested in delving deeper into these teachings—this is not intended to be a theological exploration—rather, I would like to turn my attention towards healthy living, and use the foundations of the Holiness Movement and Wesley’s teachings as a basis for critiquing the current health practices of the majority of Christians, Houghton students, faculty, and western society as a whole.
As Christians we are taught that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the most used arguments by the adversaries of drinking and smoking. We point out the negative effects of smoke on the human lungs. Not only does the tobacco burn the lungs and deposit toxic tar, but it increases risks of heart disease, mouth cancer, and numerous other diseases. Alcohol wreaks havoc on the liver, has ruined countless lives, torn apart families, and destroyed reputations. Numerous children are affected by fetal alcohol syndrome. The fact is that alcohol can be dangerous.
Few are those that would dispute these facts. The proponents of indulging typically appeal to moderation, which is absolutely valid.
Yet as partakers in the holiness movement, I believe we have lost track of what the movement’s original purpose was. We focus on vilifying those that enjoy the substances we’ve qualified as evil; meanwhile, we continue to abuse our bodies by filling them with unhealthy foods. It has been deemed acceptable to attack smokers and drinkers, but it remains taboo to have open discussions about obesity.
Each meal, I wait in line at one of four water dispensers, nestled between 28 soda dispensers waiting to fill my cup with flavored high fructose corn syrup. The healthy food options are hidden amongst an abundance of fried food, sugary food, and sodium-filled food. In Shenawana Hall there are two vending machines but not one water fountain. At 5 Bites locations there are a hundred variations of corn based candy and maybe one organic food option. It is as though Houghton is actively encouraging obesity.
If our body is indeed the “temple of the holy spirit” then what should we make of these consumption habits? We condemn drinking and smoking. What about high fructose corn syrup, fried food, and all the other terrible things we ingest? Why do these fall into a different category?
Why is obesity acceptable? We used to hear talk about “freshmen 15,” now it is increasingly becoming “freshmen 30”. Worse than simply accepting obesity as a norm, we are actually encouraging it and making ourselves feel better about it. Obesity costs us approximately 147 billion dollars per year in medical expenditures. Over two thirds of all Americans are Obese.
Why is this form of self-harm any more acceptable than the other previously mentioned forms?
