The Tables of Plenty project is an inquiry into the historic role of food in the spiritual formation of Christians, and a call for the creative recovery of these basic practices in the North American church. It is sparked by the recognition that spiritual food practices are prominent in the Biblical story and for most of the history of the church, but are largely absent from current expressions of church life. This project also motivated by the passionate food conversations going on in culture at large.

Along with reading and more academic inquiry, the project includes our family with young children following different food traditions and learning from first-hand experiences. This includes fasting with the Greek Orthodox for Lent and Advent, going vegetarian for a month with the Seventh-Day Adventists, following kosher food laws for a month, and joining our Muslim neighbors in observing a Ramadan fast. We will immerse ourselves in up to ten different traditions.

The project research will result in a book with the tentative title, "Tables of Plenty." The book will be part biblical and historical research, part contemporary reporting on personal experiences with historic practices, and partly a challenge to the Church to embrace food as a powerful means of spiritual formation. It will build on the work of my previous book, "Year of Plenty."