Book Review & Giveaway: Fat and Faithful

I was given this book, no money was exchanged, for my honest opinion and the providers of this book are probably not going to like me for it; but I’ve always promised to be honest and transparent with you guys and that’s what you’re going to get.

“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.”

I am very serious about who is allowed to sow into my life and, by extension, I am very serious about who I endorse on this blog.

My bells and whistles went off when I read a line on the fortress press webpage for this book that says…

“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.”

from Ms. Morgan’s Instagram

I am not of the mind that any sexual orientation other than that which has been assigned to you by God is an expression of the body of Christ. I am not of that mind because the Bible is very clear about homosexuality and what is considered abomination and blasphemy.

There are a lot of things in the Bible that I don’t like. There are a lot of conclusions about Heaven that confuse me. However, I am a Christian that believes that you do not get to recalibrate the Bible like you would a weight scale or a compass; because the Bible never needs calibration. The Bible is the living word of God and therefore it must be taken in its entirety– even the parts I don’t like.

Now let me be clear here: I love everyone and the Bible says that all are called and that Christ died for the whole world. In my life, I have loved and do love people of other sexual orientations. That does not mean that I agree with their way of life. Further, they know that I disagree with their way of life. However…

Ms. Morgan says some good things such as…

As a woman who has had her ups and downs – quite literally – with weight, I take this subject very seriously. As a matter of fact, due to an emotional upheaval, an unexpected radical hysterectomy, and recovery… I am overweight right now.

I believe that there is a great need in the body of Christ to have issues such as this faced and addressed but I believe that they need to be addressed from a fully Biblical and selfless perspective – perspective that is not skewed by opinion or someone’s own “pick and choose” version of the Bible. Based on Ms. Morgan’s social media posts and the publisher’s webpage, I would say that Ms. Morgan is of the “pick and choose” crowd.

Here she has quoted Micah 6:8

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So, my question to her would be: How do you call others to “walk justly” (justice is based on truth) and truth appears to be subjective in your walk of life?

Further, Ms. Morgan is a self proclaimed feminist. Many of you know how I feel about that term.

To put it as simply as possible, I feel that there is a lot to be said for the fact that Eve was created from the side of Adam. The Bible says that we are to be their help mates. And while it is not the Bible, I further prescribe to the quote from My Big Fat Greek Wedding…

Now before I say why I like that quote, I’d like to point out that I very clearly said what the Bible says and then what I like in addition to the Bible. I follow my life according to the word of God. I like the quote. See the difference?

I believe that God built women to be strong. What is the strongest part of your body if not the bones? That is what holds us together. He took us from the side – we are to be by the side of our man, him always knowing that we are right there when he needs us. I couple that with the quote from the movie because your neck has to be strong to hold up your head. You sleep just wrong and you are in so much pain the next day at work that it’s barely tolerable! That means that we as women have got to focus on being that strong woman of God in order that our husbands be the man that they are supposed to be! Talk about pressure!

Now, I am required by a previous agreement that I would share with my followers about this book and I would also share with you the following giveaway. If you so choose to do so, that is solely up to you. Again, I’m simply stating that I do not endorse Ms. Morgan as someone that I want to teach myself or my family based on her value system and her interpretation of the Bible.

As always…

“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:20-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I will be following up this blog with a biblical perspective my own personal account of how God took me through seeing myself through his eyes.