A lot of people think I’m Mennonite, perhaps because I have had a study series on Simply in Season and Living More with Less on my blog (both published by the Mennonite Central Committee). While I love the Mennonites, I have to confess that I’m Christian Reformed (a branch of Presbyterianism). So I was glad when Renee DeGroot contacted me to review her book, Health for Godly Generations: A Reformational Perspective.
If you did not grow up learning Reformed theology as I did, you may find the exegesis a bit intimidating and you’ll have to slog your way through the first eight chapters, designed to give a biblical basis for why we should be concerned about health and the earth in the first place. You might be tempted, especially if you have no idea what the word “exegesis” means, to skip them–but I encourage you to persevere. I’m a bit more crunchy than most Christian folk, so I don’t need convincing, but you would be surprised at how many conservative Christians think that care for the earth and eating organically is New Age (which DeGroot addresses). It’s nice to have some themes on which to fall back.
Chapters include:
1. God Created All Things
2. God Restores the World
3. Wise Physical Stewardship
4. Laws for the Israelites
5. For Pleasure and Sustenance
6. God’s Sovereignty over Health
7. Humanism Addressed
8. Biblical Principles Applied
In these chapters, DeGroot uses Bible passages and the writings of Reformers such as Calvin and VanTil to explore how those themes impact how we think about food, health, and our food systems. She then uses those principles to evaluate the research that she has done in the area of health and diet, which is synthesized in the next part of the book. Drawing from the likes of Sally Fallon, Jordan Rubin, and Joel Salatin, she does an excellent job of pulling together a lot of “real food” thought.
Chapters in this section include:
9. A Culture of Endurance
10. Toward Multiple Generations
11. Meals for Family Culture
12. Some European Trends
13. Our Natural Environment
14. Surrounded by Pollution
15. The Plague of Regulations
16. Buying What We Believe
17. Definitions for Agriculture
18. Categories of American Diet
19. Macro-and Micronutrients
20. Battle for the Balance
21. Charts for Comparison (this was an especially helpful chapter)
22. Health-Conscious Shopping
23. Actions Beyond Food
24. Putting It into Practice
25. Questions to Ponder
26. Resources for Further Study
Appendix A: Creation versus Evolution
Appendix B: Resources for Further Study
Overall, this is an excellent resource for thinking through biblical implications of why we should eat a more natural diet. Even better news? Renee has agreed to send one of my readers a copy of their own!
Giveaway
To enter, simply comment below saying why you’d like to win this book. Winner will be chosen at random. Limited to the U.S. only. Entries must be received by Thursday, June 30, midnight EST. Good luck!
This sounds like an awesome book – I’ve not heard of it. Jordan Rubin’s Maker’s Diet gave my DH and I some good fodder for discussions on OT law, but this book is coming from the same perspective as what we hold. I’m a reformed presbyterian as well – glad to find you! Did you not get any entries for this book?
Oh wait – it’s not June 30 yet! Doh!
This looks great, Wendy! I am all about incorporating our view of God into all areas of our lives. My husband and I would love this book!
This is the first book of it’s kind that I’ve seen written from this perspective. I’d be interested in seeing how the author fits everything together.
I’m a follower of Joel Salatin and believe that I should be a responsible steward of the earth so I’m on board with this book. I have followed the Mennonite studies you mention and loved them.
Between a bad car accident in 1997 (drunk driver) and breast cancer that I found in 1998 and the doctors found in 1999 we have been searching for answers from our food and God’s Word. We have discovered that He has a lot to say. One of them is goat milk. Being a reformed Christians ourselves would love to have this read to learn more about our stewardship for food and His creation.
My husband and I were just talking about being good stewards of what God has given us including how we eat and the way we treat our bodies. I would love to add this to my cookbook collection…we are newlyweds so I only have about 6-8 cookbooks lol thanks!
Interesting chapter titles. I grew up Christian Reformed but very little was emphasized on God in ALL aspects of our lives, including food. I would love to read this book!
My DH and I have been on a quest this year to live simply, eat locally in season, and be thankful for the abundance God has given us. This book sounds as if it is a perfect fit for the changes we are making in our lives. BTW, your review is very informative; we like books that lay a solid foundation first and then go on to develop their topics.
I would love to use this book in my battle with changing many years of bad eating habits. I am determined with God’s help to do so after He has gotten me through a battle with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, chemo therapy (which brought on neuropathy in both legs), bi-lateral masectomy, radiation, lymphedema and cellulitis. Now diagnosed with diabetes, I am determined to make serious life style changes. I know God has a better plan and I must do my part to find it. Thank you for considering my entry.
blessings,
le
I can agree with just about every comment here! This book sounds fabulous! I’m trying to overcome adrenal fatigue and have a tendancy to forget God’s desing for me and how HE plans to heal me.
I was born and raised CRC, and intentional healthy eating and living was never part of my upbringing (at least not that I was aware of. We did have a big garden, but that was for economical purposes, not nessisarily health). Now dh and I are trying to live more intentionally. We were part of TH CSA for 2 years, and now we have our own large garden. I’d love a resource like this that comes at it from a reformed perspective. This is the first I’ve heard of this book, and it sounds great! Thanks for making us aware of it!