Meat-Eating Capitalism . . . YUCK!

I used to LOVE eating at Outback Steakhouse. The bloomin' onions were fun (if not VERY fattening!). The steaks were delicious. The price was just about right for a nice steak dinner. Therefore, whenever I would want to "treat my father" (who passed away in 2001), it was "off to Outback" for a steak.

Since that time of paternal bonding, however, I have since desired the fineries of cow-flesh much less.

Due to learning about Christian asceticism of the Early and Medieval Church (many of whom were either vegetarians or purposesly restricted meat intake in order to 'cleanse the soul' of impurities found in meat), I would periodically abstain from eating meat "Gandhi-style."

Well, as a true Christian practicioner of the spiritual disciplines (I just taught a course for Grand Canyon University-Online specifically in the Spiritual Disciplines such as fasting . . .), I see nothing wrong with eating meat per se. St. Peter, the first Pope, was told by Jesus in a Vision, that all flesh is capable of being eaten in the New Covenant found in Jesus.

Eating meat is okay.

Now here comes the "catcher."

Although eating meat is fine for Christians, sometimes, just as Jesus Himself fasted in the wilderness for forty days, so also should fasting (sometimes as a prophetic act!) also be incorporated into our growth as Christians.

Here is one example.

Proverbs 23:20-21 states that "Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them with rags."

So, in addition to avoiding drunkeness, also avoid excessively large meat intake.

If not, all of our money will be taken through our lack of self-control.

If you have any doubt, just listen to these numbers . . . 176 million dollars is what Bob Basham, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse just received in a corporate merger. Fellow co-founder of Outback, Chris Sullivan received 101 million dollars for the merger.

Lack of self-control on our parts as Christians leads to the ultra-rich cashing in while we would eventually go hungry as a nation . . .

Practice fasting as a resistance to consumer-driven voracious capitalism!

Love in Jesus,
Rob J King, occasional meat eater :-)