Rick Warren: "I can't ask you to get healthy if I won't"

“Rick Warren pledges to lose 90 pounds during a 52-week church fitness plan, developed by Dr. Oz and two other medical experts, that will launch on Saturday at Saddleback Church.”

Discussion

i’m not trying to criticize warren for losing weight or starting a health program in his church. i think those are all fine. but the explanation of the diet name seemed misleading about the true theological implications:
The Daniel Plan, based on the prophet Daniel who chose healthy eating instead of the king’s rich foods…
daniel’s food choices had nothing to do with daniel wanting to eat healthier to lose weight or be more fit. the problem was spiritual defilement with food offered to idols. God blessed their commitment and miraculously made them better than any of their peers after 10 days. i’m not convinced that the royal vegetables were low-calorie.

Yes, some exegetical fishiness going on there.

I also thought Warren’s observation that God wants us to be as healthy in body as we are in spirit was interestingly health&wealthish. Of course, there is a verse where a NT writer wishes physical health “even as your soul prospers” on his readers. But I’m not sure “take care to be as healthy as you can be” is the point there.
Other passages would be better.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

At a large Christian men’s conference, I heard an evangelist preach on dieting from the book of Daniel and how it was more spiritual to eat like this. He stated he lost 80+ pounds himself and challenged others to eat the same way. It would be vegetarian, only water, etc.
It would almost certainly be a drop in calories.

[Steve Newman] At a large Christian men’s conference, I heard an evangelist preach on dieting from the book of Daniel and how it was more spiritual to eat like this. He stated he lost 80+ pounds himself and challenged others to eat the same way. It would be vegetarian, only water, etc.
It would almost certainly be a drop in calories.

If it is more ‘spiritual’ to eat vegetarian, what do we do with all those poor backslidden Israelites eating all that lamb?

That kind of message is not what Paul meant when he used the term “the foolishness of preaching”. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php] http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused002.gif

I think RW’s diet plan is just a marketing gimmick. He’s channeling Dr. Phil.

Sigh….

So now are all the “purpose driven” churches going to go on an all out “Daniel plan”?

Will we see “Join us for 8 months of The Daniel Plan” on their signs as we drive all over the USA?

Does anyone else expect, in about a year “The Purpose Driven Diet” to be published?

I forecast a media blitz will come. A conferencewill be broad cast to host churches in all of the major markets. For only $59.95 you can see a less than jumbo Rick Warren on a jumbo tron telling about how he did it. But wait! There is more! You will also get a free “30 Days to Find Your Purpose Driven Diet” work book.

If you act now you an also get a free Ginsu Knife to “put to your throat” on those days your craving for potato chips is too great.

A smooth operator is standing by waiting for your call.

[Steve Newman] It would almost certainly be a drop in calories.
is there anything in the text of daniel that would eliminate fried vegetables? i don’t think you’d lose any weight on a diet of fried okra and eggplant.

There are a number of possibilities as to why Daniel rejected the king’s food…. but losing weight is not one of them. These were probably skinny teenagers burning calories like crazy just by the act of sitting and growing. They would have had to eat plenty of calories (veggies or not) just to avoid looking sickly and thin next to the rest.

This may well have been a weight gain diet, though I’ll admit it’s hard to see how they could manage that on veggies… maybe ChrisC is right that they piled on sauce, butter, etc., or dipped them in batter and deep fried them in fat.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

I’d be happy to lose 10. (If only there was a way to do it without eating anything different or exercising more!)

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.