Sharing Food Christian Practices For Enjoyment   Author: L. Shannon Jung

 
There is one thing that most Americans have in common, we all love to eat. From raiding the fridge at midnight to eating a snickers bar between lunch and dinner and making fast food places a norm in our hectic day to day lives, solidifies our need, desire, and ease with which we obtain the food we love to eat. In fact we love to eat so much that most Americans are considered over weight and several Americans are considered to be Obese. We are in fact the most over weight country in the world. Why? Because we love to eat and eat heartily. On the other side of the world and even in places in the United States, some people aren't as fortunate. In the book Sharing Food: Christian Practice For Enjoyment, L. Shannon Jung details some of the differences in eating habits across the world and some of the problems that we face with not having enough food and in eating an over abundance of food. He makes a good argument that both are equally problematic.

Mr. Jung offers some simple solutions, that originate in the person of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this book is "to identify practices that make for delight and sharing, practices that please God and build community". Mr. Jung looks at the ways we eat (diet and exercise), the sharing of food in community, feasting and fasting (the economics of food), a respect for nature (both human and nonhuman), and food practices in the life of the local church. This entire book can be summed up in four words...Christian Fellowship and Hospitality. Mr. Jung elaborates on such topics as prayer before eating (saying grace), how sharing meals with others promotes bonding and fellowship, how eating can become an important daily event that helps us to develop character, How food can be a source of joy, the importance of hospitality and it's definition, celebratory feasting is central to community, How food preparation can be and should be a community event, the importance of fasting and its nature and purpose, the honoring of our bodies which is God's temple, and the importance and significance of the Lord's supper. But through all that is discussed, the over all theme that is alluded to in each chapter and detailed in the last chapter is dealing with world hunger and how Christians are to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the imprisoned. This very subject strikes a passion in the heart of Mr. Jung who is a professor of Town and Country Ministry, St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri.
 
I found the topic of the book to be unique amongst the many that are dealt with in todays society and I commend Mr. Jung on his creativity and attempt to help solve one of the world's biggest problems often overlooked, that of world hunger. I can relate to his passion. However, I only rate this book a three for several reasons. Although grammatically it is well written, the book was a very hard read and difficult to follow at times. I would rate it at a college level read. Mr. Jung is very articulate and uses a broad vocabulary to convey his message, so much so that one needs to keep a dictionary nearby as they read, a definite turn off for most people. The flow of the book was somewhat repetitious and erratic. He would begin with a topic and almost seemed to get off track a bit and then come back to the original topic, trying to tie it into the original topic. Though this is commendable, it does make it a bit confusing at times and makes it hard to stay focused, as at times I found myself beginning to wander. Mr. Jung apparently understood that this was a tough read, as he himself asks the question on page 13, "Are you with me?" in reference to his writing. Mr. Jung brings out many good points throughout the book. The message that I walked away with was that meals are a great way to promote fellowship between people and can teach us to share. This message of sharing is at the heart of his determination to solve world hunger. Theologically, I thought the book was sound and in fact wished he would have used more scripture to support his thesis. His background is Presbyterian, but you get the sense that he has a strong Roman Catholic influence based on much of his terminology. The only issue I had theologically with the book was that of the discussion of the Lord's Supper. Mr. Jung never tells his belief on transubstantiation of the Eucharist and although this belief really had nothing to do with message and although he acknowledges it to be controversial based upon denominational beliefs, had he been dogmatic in his belief, it would have been helpful in interpreting such phrases as "Jesus in the Eucharist" in knowing exactly what he was talking about. As it stands, we are left to wander.
 
Based upon the readability of the book, I would not recommend this book to anyone to read individually. I would however recommend it as a group study in a church, which may have very well been where Mr. Jung wanted the book to be studied. He provides applicable questions at the end of each chapter for group discussion. I think that a study of this nature would be very beneficial and could help further the fellowship of the local church as well as bring a heightened awareness of world hunger. Primarily I found the last three chapters to be of the most benefit to the reader as there are many practical applications, including personal diet that is very helpful. Overall this book has the potential to stimulate good discussion on personal eating habits, fellowship, and how to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the sharing of food. May the love of the Lord Jesus Christ abound in your hearts and may His love shine through you.
 
Review by John P. Goble, ThB