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Cardio kickboxing, diets are among ways religions tend to flock
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
Published on Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008
Now they're engaged in a weekly cardio kickboxing class that is helping them with physical conditioning and toning.
''The idea was to just get moving — to start a workout that would hopefully lead to better physical health,'' said Hubbard, the church's advocate for community outreach. ''Our denomination has a ministry of health and healing. That ministry is not just about the physical. It is about the whole person, mind, body and spirit.''
Ministries that focus on the body as well as the soul have found a firm footing in congregations across the country.
The Cleveland-based United Church of Christ, for instance, adopted its ''Mission Statement on Health and Welfare'' in 1985 and recognizes health and parish nursing as a specialized ministry.
Ten years ago, a Purdue University study published by sociology professor Kenneth Ferraro showed that obesity was associated with higher levels of religious participation.
That finding led many churches to place a renewed emphasis on religious weight loss and exercise programs.
Ferraro published a subsequent study in 2006 that examined the link between religion and obesity. That research concluded that the church can play a positive role in helping people with health concerns, including obesity.
''America has a public health problem, and the church is just riding along with it in many respects,'' Ferraro said. ''The church has contributed in how it models high-fat foods.
''How many times have we been at the junior Bible quiz, the senior Bible quiz or the pastor's reception where we put little hot dogs that are swimming in some kind of sauce on a paper plate with chips and go sit down and talk to people?
''I think it's a refreshing approach to have a health ministry that looks at positive approaches to dealing with health issues. The church is an ideal place to help people with these issues in a nonthreatening, nonjudgmental way. There is no moral failure in being overweight.''
Thriving programs
According to research by R. Marie Griffith, an associate professor of religion at Princeton University, American Christianity has had diet groups and concepts since 1950. Her work shows that the initial boom of Christian diet literature occurred in the 1970s and continues to thrive.
One of those diet programs, the Light Weigh, has been used at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Cuyahoga Falls since 2004. The 12-week Catholic Bible study and video series is designed to help people overcome temptation with food and lose weight by applying the teachings of Jesus.
Mary Ann D'Andrea, who coordinates the program at Immaculate Heart, said she has stuck with the program because it ''gives me my spiritual food and teaches me how to lose weight.
''God created a hole in everybody's heart to fill with him, but sometimes we fill it with different things,'' she said. ''One of those things could be food. The program teaches us through our faith how Jesus was tempted and how we can follow him by not yielding to our own temptations.''
D'Andrea said she has experienced some weight loss but regained the pounds that she is currently trying to shed.
The cost of the program is $135, which covers written materials on healthy eating, doctrinal issues of the Catholic faith, lifestyle examples from the lives of the saints, Scripture references for each session and a set of audiotapes for personal use.
Many options
There are other diet programs like Light Weigh, which are tailored for specific faith groups. These include the Freedom Weight Loss Program, founded by a Seventh-day Adventist, and First Place, which originated in a Southern Baptist congregation.
Still other programs are marketed as Bible-based or Christian-oriented, including the Weigh Down Diet, which has been criticized for describing extra weight as a sign of sin and weakness and its dismissal of the Holy Trinity; Thin Within; Body Revival; and the Christian Weight Loss Program.
''Religion often has an expression in a culture that makes it distinctive,'' Ferraro said. ''It's a good thing to have the differentiation that is customized to a unique culture. Weight loss is not something that you can do with a one-size-fits-all program. It is so much better if you can fit it into a particular culture.
''A good example of that is what we see in Utah. You don't see Coke machines, but you do see Sprite machines. That's because the (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) wants its kids to stay away from caffeine. America has a public health problem and the church can help address it.''
Some religious institutions are addressing the health issue by offering their congregations gyms, weight rooms and workout rooms, where people are encouraged to participate in physical activity.
First Grace has had a weight room for many years. Historically, it had been used mostly by student athletes. But Hubbard said it is undergoing a resurgence as more people are using its treadmill, weights and elliptical equipment.
Participants in the cardio kickboxing class, which is attracting about 20 people each week, are among those using the equipment more. The class meets at 6:30 p.m. each Tuesday at the church, 350 S. Portage Path.
''Hopefully, the cardio kickboxing class is just the beginning,'' Hubbard said. ''We really want to step up our health ministry here. It is important to us, and that is reflected in our denomination's health initiative and our pastor's encouragement to take care of ourselves.''
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
Get the full article here.
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