"You are already good enough, and you are not too much. J. Nicole Morgan grew up fat and loving Jesus. But she was forever burdened by what she saw as her biggest spiritual flaw: her weight. In Fat and Faithful, she shares her journey from body shame to fat acceptance and shows us how to care for the image of God found in every body--including our own. When the world tells us that our bodies are too much, J. Nicole Morgan reminds us that all people--no matter their size or ability--are beloved of God. Bodies of all sizes, shapes, colors, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities are expressions of the body of Christ. When our first prayer isn't about changing our bodies, we create space to care for our neighbors and to celebrate the unique ways we are equipped to serve our communities in the bodies we have. Fat and Faithful shows us that the world is wider than the size of our waistline."
J. Nicole Morgan is a sought-after speaker on the topic of fat positivity. She is the cohost of the podcast Fat and Faithful: fat women talk faith, politics, and culture. She blogs at jnicolemorgan.com, and her writing has been featured in Christianity Today and Sojourners. Nicole earned her master of theological studies from Palmer Seminary of Eastern University.
Introduction 1. Made in the Image of God 2. The Body of Christ 3. Thinness Is Not Next to Godliness 4. Comparing Fatness and Gluttony 5. Honoring the Temple 6. But What about Your Health? 7. Diet Devotionals 8. Fat Girls and Righteous Foxes 9.The Church That Eats Together Stays Together 10. Live a Fat-Positive Life 11. Be a Fat-Positive Community Epilogue: A Prayer of Blessing for Fat Rolls and Thunder Thighs Appendix: Resources for a Fat-Positive Life Acknowledgments
"Fat and Faithful is a gift to the church and anyone interested in thinking theologically about the intersections of community, body image, privilege, and food. It should be required reading for every Christian who has a body--no matter its shape or size." --Lisa Ann Cockrel, director of the Festival of Faith & Writing "Morgan's book is both challenging and provocative, while also deeply moving. I would encourage anyone who desires to live out an embodied faith to read this book in order to learn more about loving not only our neighbors but also ourselves." --Mae Elise Cannon, author of Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World "Everyone--fat or thin or in-between--should read this book. Morgan deconstructs the toxic theology that has plagued the church and offers a compelling vision of what's possible when we truly embrace one another as made in the image of God." --Sarah Withrow King, deputy director of Evangelicals for Social Action "This book is authentic, personal, and moving. It bears the capacity to create a cultural shift in which boys and girls, men and women, old and young, learn to re-author and realign their understanding of beauty. Morgan reminds us all, in God, 'we are enough...and not too much.'" --Barrett Owen, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Virginia "The way Morgan delineates the difference between gluttony and fatness, the power with which she speaks against anti-fat bias, and the unswerving courage with which she confronts the weightiest matter--that how we handle our bodies affects how we love our neighbors and make Jesus known--make Fat and Faithful a must-read for Christians of conscience." --Amanda Martinez Beck, author of Lovely: How I Learned to Embrace the Body God Gave Me
