eat these books

John Perkins hosts Grace And The Table: A Theology of Food, on January 28. Here, he briefly recommends three books that helped shape his own “theology of food.”

For The Life Of The World, Alexander Schmemann
This book, along with Supper of the Lamb, is perhaps one of the most influential books in how I view the world. Simply put, Schmemann argues against any and all distinctions between sacred and secular life. All of creation is to be understood within the context of sacramental living.

Supper Of The Lamb, Robert Farrar Capon
Food For Thought, Robert Farrar Capon
These two books are companion pieces. The first, The Supper Of The Lamb, was written in 1969 and is – even now – amazingly progressive. Capon’s view of food, within the context of christian theology, is profound and provocative. Capon was challenging Christians to think about food seriously 40 years before Michael Pollan ever wrote The Omnivore’s Dilemma or In Defense of Food.