Eating can be a source of fellowship—but in a fallen and allergy-ridden world, it can also present challenges.
“I can’t eat that,” a friend said, passing by the staple of our church’s monthly potluck: the perfectly crafted homemade macaroni and cheese from the kitchen of a church matriarch. Eating Emma’s macaroni was a ritual in our church; to not eat it might signal to the longtime churchgoer that you really weren’t one of us. But this young woman wasn’t being either ignorant or pretentious. In fact, she had a rare stomach disorder that would not allow her to eat dairy products. Had she eaten Emma’s signature dish, she would have become violently sick.
For most of us, eating is a joyful opportunity for Christian fellowship. For people like my friend, however, it can be a source of division and isolation. I (Dan) was a young pastor when this incident occurred, and it helped me realize how complicated church feasts— which serve as a visible symbol of Christian unity and identity—can be in a fallen world. Feasting together is good, but it can also get complicated. If we want to love our brothers and sisters in Christ well, then it’s worth our time to think deeply about food sensitivity and its relationship to Christian hospitality and self-sacrifice.
Food Allergies’ Upsurge and the Christian Feasting Tradition
Food allergies are growing more and more common. Over the last two decades, the CDC has tracked a steady increase in food allergies, with some estimates showing as much as a 50 percent rise. Many of us know this to be true, if only anecdotally. We know friends and family members who have food allergies. Maybe we have them ourselves. Given the reach of social media, we also hear the stories of children and teenagers who have gone into anaphylactic shock after ...
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