Should Pot Luck Suppers Go Organic?

Here in southwest Minneapolis, where locavores and Lutherans proliferate, the suggestion that church pot luck suppers go organic gets greeted with the greenest of relish. What better way to be faithful stewards of creation than to encourage the provision of local sustainable hotdish?

The problem, according to a recent Loyola University study, is that eating organic foods can make people more judgmental–which is the last thing that any Christian needs.

According to The Atlantic, Dr. Kendall Eskine, an associate professor of psychology, those who are primed to think about healthy organic foods like spinach, apples, and tomatoes are more likely to criticize morally questionable activities than those who think about junk food like artichoke dip, cherry pie and various meats in a heavy mushroom cream casserole.

On the one hand, being critical of morally questionable activities might be considered a sign of righteousness and prudence–both laudable spiritual virtues. Unfortunately, the study also showed organic foodies to be unwilling to volunteer their time to help others. Given the chance, locavores offered to volunteer for a mere 13 minutes, as compared with the junk food group’s 24-minute commitment to charity. So much for virtue. To paraphrase the apostle Paul, “without charity, whatever else I might do counts for nothing.”

This being the case, the church’s longtime practice of calorie-laden casseroles with extra dessert in the fellowship hall should be preserved (with preservatives) if only for the sake of the continued nourishment of piety and grace. Pass the hotdish.