Touchy about our Temples?

This from an electronic newsletter I get from Preaching Magazine.

"According to a new study by Duke Divinity School (and reported by Religion News Service), 79 percent of male clergy are overweight, although three-quarters of us rate our health as "excellent" or "very good." Fifty-two percent of female clergy are overweight as well.

The same study reports that 60 percent of clergy have never doubted their call to ministry, and 70 percent have never thought about leaving their profession.

The good news is we know God has called us. The bad news is we frequently hear Krispy Kreme calling as well."

I must admit that I don't doubt the stats at all. I actually thought the number would be higher. These numbers are not a good reflection on those of us who preach. Then again, our numbers are nearly identical to those of the American population as a whole.

This is a sensitive subject, but I wonder why we don't view treatment of one's body as a part of discipleship--despite the fact that Paul says our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, I wonder if some of our avoidance of the subject is due to minister's own lack of discipline in this area...similar to money :)

What say you?

(By the way...the picture is of the best steak and shrimp combo I've ever grilled. It was Mother's Day of this year. It makes me hungry...I think I'll go have lunch :)

Comments

[Aaron]

Tim. Great post. I do find this sad we treat our bodies so poorly and we often pass up or are not taught by our clergy that our bodies truely are temples. I would expect the stats to be higher as well.

Glad I went to work out today before I read this.
Have a blesed day

[john alan turner]

Tim,
I think this actually has apologetic ramifications. Our society is so obsessed with how people look that we might actually hinder the effectiveness of our message by being such lousy stewards of our bodies.

I wrote a little about this a couple of years ago: http://blog.faith20.org/?p=291

BTW, it was great seeing you last week at Pepperdine. I look forward to more time together in Louisville next week.

[Charlie Eaton]

Tim, I thought Torrey Ramirez's FB post the other day said a lot, "Have you ever noticed how much our head honcho's talk about eating/food?" (referring to FB posts)-

[Tim Spivey]

I guess one thing I might add to my post is that eating is a blessing. The Kingdom of God is pictured as a feast, etc. However, enjoying food and allowing it to become a gluttonous affair that leads to unhealth can't be a good thing.

[Jeff Christian]

This is one of those ideas that has multiple implications. The bad thing is that most of it is attached to looks. Like it or not, our listeners judge our appearance mercilessly while we preach. If not weight, the way we dress, wear our hair, etc. For me, the real issue here is how we take care of ourselves, both our fitness and our hearts as peaceful, non-anxious places of God's Spirit. In that respect I would actually rather be around a fat guy who lives peacefully than a high-strung skinny guy. I also wonder about the statistic; does it really reflect preachers, or American population in general?

[Tim Spivey]

It's both. The Duke study said 70% of preachers, and the national stat from the Center for Disease Control is "2/3 of all Americans". I agree with what you said. I get a ton of comments on appearance wherever I go. I guess the key is to always keep vanity at a distance, and at the same time, try to take care of ourselves...uhh...not add on any rooms to the temple, so to speak.