Theology of the Body

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink...Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

-- 1 Cor 12:13,27

I take the title of this post from a series of lectures given by Pope John Paul II, exploring the theological implications of the human self. I have not yet gotten a chance to read this series of lectures (which have since been compiled into a book), though I look forward to the occasion. I am writing this post because a thought crossed my mind as I was at the gym this evening, after about 19 minutes of running, and though the thought is not completely developed, I felt it was important to share.

The gym fascinates me, because it is a room filled with people who are so focused on their workout that they do not seem to communicate with anyone around them. In fact, it seems to me that it is considered somewhat rude to look at other people while they are exercising, perhaps because of the delicate nature of exercise: most people exercise to improve their own bodies, due to the perception that one's own body is imperfect in some way.

I wonder about the negative reinforcement that is at work in the gym. I personally have struggled with workout routines in the past because of my self-consciousness. I am terrified that everyone is looking at me while I run on the elliptical or lift weights. I am prone to sweating profusely, and I am not in the best shape physically. This self-consciousness sharply contrasts with how I feel about my own body while I am exercising. The process of burning calories and working up a sweat improves my self-esteem like nothing else. Even though I often look terrible and feel sticky after a good workout, I feel at my best physically and mentally, like I could take on the world.

So what would it mean for me if someone else at the gym looked over and smiled? Would such an experience affirm my own self esteem and body image in a way that smiles in any other context do not? I am also a proponent of physical contact, usually in the form of hugs. What would it mean for me if someone hugged me while I was at my sweatiest, without seeming disgusted by it?

My question comes from the nature of the human body, as laid out by the Bible and Christian thought. There are two main ways to think of the human person. The first way considers the person to be made up of two completely separate parts: a holy, perfect, immortal soul, and a fleshly, imperfect, mortal body. The second manner of framing the person is to consider that the body and soul function as one unit, neither more perfect than the other. The first viewpoint implicates the fleshly body as something that is unholy and should be denied; the second viewpoint glorifies the fleshly body and celebrates it.

My own personal theology rejoices in the beauty of the human body, whatever form it comes in. I am ashamed of the self-consciousness I feel in my every day life. In what ways can I affirm the glory and sanctity of the body in my daily world?

Figs

I had a fig for the first time the other day. I was shopping a class called Family and Society in Ancient Israel, which is a subject I'm passionate about, and the teacher handed out dried figs for us to eat, hoping to get us into the mindset for considering everyday life in Ancient Israel. As it turns out, I didn't like the fig very much, although I'm sure that has everything to do with the fact that I don't like dried fruit generally. I'm hoping to get the chance to try a fresh fig someday. I've never been able to find one when I wanted it.

I ended up not registering for the class, not because I didn't like it, but because I can only take 4 classes at a time, not all 17 or so that I actually wanted to take. Picking classes for this semester was a challenge because most of the classes I really wanted to take were scheduled at the same time, or involved extra paperwork because they are downtown classes. And although the subject matter of this course is my passion, the class required more general knowledge of the historical context of the Bible than I currently possess. So instead, I switched to a Hebrew class on the book of Esther (I really wanted to title this entry with a pun about this being a new sem-Esther, but even I groaned at the terribleness of it, so I decided not to share). I think being in two separate Hebrew classes will be good for me, although it means I spend most of my time translating Hebrew -- again, probably good for me. And Tony, Jennifer, Brett and I are going to meet every Sunday night and work through the books of Samuel to improve our literacy/fluency.

My other two classes for the semester are probably going to be more relaxing. One is on sexuality, theology, and ethics, which I find to be a fascinating subject. The other class is a music class, focused on improving music comprehension for future pastors. I'm really looking forward to this class because I feel music is vital and perhaps one of the purest forms that worship can take.