Citing Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3, Pastor Mark Driscoll, who leads Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, recently addressed whether obesity should disqualify pastors from ministry
The question was supposed to be light and funny, but in a recent episode of his eponymous podcast, when asked, “Are obese pastors disqualified?,” Driscoll suggested that obesity among pastors — which he claimed was especially endemic among some Baptist pastors — is the result of a tolerated vice
“The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3 [and] Titus 1 that a pastor must be self-controlled. And it says he should not be addicted to much wine, which is talking in general about living a life of self-control and not being one with addictions. The Bible talks a lot about gluttony, <a href="https://healthylife7.com/a-focus-on-more-than-fitness-axon-performance-opens-its-doors/" title="A Focus on More than Fitness: Axon Performance opens its doors”>more than most pastors,” Driscoll said, suggesting obesity is due to a lack of self-control
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is a complex chronic disease caused by a combination of individual behaviors, environment, genetics, health conditions and stress. It is described as “a chronic condition that increases the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.”
Between August 2021 and August 2023, the prevalence of obesity in American adults was 40.3%, with no significant differences between men and women, the agency notes. The prevalence was found to be higher in adults ages 40–59 than in ages 20–39 and 60 and older
Duke University researchers also previously found that black men who attend church services frequently are nearly twice as likely to be obese than those who never attend services
In his assessment of pastors, Driscoll pointed to Apostle Paul’s warnings against vices such as drunkenness and gluttony and to how different Christian traditions tolerate them
“Paul says for some people, quote, ‘Their god is their stomach.’ It’s a line, and somebody’s like, ‘That’s a big god,’” Driscoll said before recalling how he once got in trouble for informally airing his concern about obese pastors at an unnamed Baptist seminary
“So I got in trouble. I won’t name the Baptist seminary that I preached at once a long time ago. … They brought me in once. I’ve not had a second invitation, but I thought it was funny. Apparently, it wasn’t. I got up at chapel and I said, ‘You know, I heard you guys are the Baptists, and you guys don’t drink wine.’ I said, ‘What’s killing the Baptists is drinking gravy,” Driscoll quipped
“Because most Baptist pastors, they’re big boys. I don’t know what it is. Like, they put on the khaki Dockers, they tuck their shirt in, they get a[n] adjustable waistband, and they’re going to get their money’s worth out of that elastic.”
Driscoll noted that while he isn’t the fittest person to be discussing the problem, if a pastor drops his Bible and “can’t see it” beyond their stomach, they most likely should be taking steps to improve their health
“I’m not saying, you know, that I am Mr. Universe, but it’s like, if you drop your Bible and you can’t see it, you probably need to work on it,” he said
“There are different traditions within Christianity. … Different things are forbidden and other things are tolerated. So, like, if you’re in a Pentecostal circle, often times they’re fit, but they won’t touch alcohol,” he added while noting anecdotally that fundamentalist Baptist pastors abstain but are unhealthy
“If you’re a Presbyterian, you drink beer and alcohol and smoke a pipe. And so different traditions, their pastors kind of have; it’s like a choose-your-own-adventure for your vices.”
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