Little Theology of Exercise
Starting a new type of post where I’ll review books. I recently read A Little Theology of Exercise: Enjoying Christ in Body and Soul by David Mathis. The beginning part of the book is available for free here. The audio book (~2 hours) is also free on Spotify if you’re a premium subscriber.
Table of Contents
- Preface (p. ix)
- Introduction — Joy Set Before Us (p. 1)
- Part 1: Move the Body (p. 15)
- 1 His Word — What God Says About Our Bodies (p. 19)
- 2 Our Prayers — How We Ask for Help (p. 39)
- Part 2: Condition the Soul (p. 45)
- 3 For Our God — Glorify Him in the Body (p. 51)
- 4 For the Mind — Build and Condition the Brain (p. 57)
- 5 For the Will — Learn to Lean into the Hill (p. 67)
- 6 For Joy — Seek Satisfaction in Jesus (p. 77)
- 7 For Love’s Sake — Get Fit for Good Works (p. 83)
- Conclusion — Move the Needle (p. 93)
This is a book I wish I read when I started running in early 2024. I had never heard of an author connecting theology and exercise. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read.
In the preface, Mathis opens by quoting C.S. Lewis who argued that man has three views of the body:
- Pagans - prison or tomb of the soul. It is a “sack of dung”
- Neo-Pagans - the body is glorious
- St. Francis - his body is “Brother Ass” - aka “Brother donkey.” He says “It is useful, sturdy, lazy, obstinate, patient, lovable, and infuriating beast; deserving now a stick and now a carrot; both pathetically and absurdly beautiful. So the body.” (pg. x)
As a Christian, I shouldn’t have too low of a view of the body. I also shouldn’t have too high of bodies and make it an idol. But what does it look like to have a right view? I think it means to view the body as a vehicle God has given me to love and glorify Him. Mathis goes on to explain why he wrote the book:
Why would a pastor, of all people, write a book about exercise? In short, I want to help people know and enjoy Jesus more and, so, make much of him in the world as he deserves. As a pastor, that often means that I’m speaking and writing about Jesus himself, or teaching portions of the Bible, or commending various spiritual disciplines (which I call “Habits of Grace”). And God made us embodied creatures. The physical body has a vital part to play in our spiritual and holistic health and God-honoring joy. In my adult life, especially in the last decade, I’ve found that physical exercise serves my soul, and I’m eager to commend that to you to serve your growth “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). To be clear, my appreciation for exercise and “bodily training” (1 Tim. 4:8) is not as an end in itself. One of the reasons I take exercise seriously, rather than neglecting it, is precisely because of how it serves the joy, strength, and stability of my soul.
He goes on to argue that the main motivations to exercise are:
- For God
- For our minds
- For our will
- For joy
- For loving others
I found the chapters on our minds and our wills to be the most interesting as I’ve actually experienced the impact of both. Mathis quotes from John Ratey’s book Spark extensively in this chapter:
We all know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it’s because we’re burning off stress or reducing muscle tension or boosting endorphins, and we leave it at that. But the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important—and fascinating—than what it does for the body. Building muscles and conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially side effects. I often tell my patients that the point of exercise is to build and condition the brain. (p. 58)
I didn’t really know there was such a close connection between exercise and the brain’s health. As a Christian who is commanded to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37), exercise is one way I can develop my mind in order to love God better. My original motivation for running was forward looking but at its core still physical. I wanted to be healthier so I could play with my grandkids one day. I realized if I was a normal person who ate the typical American diet I probably wouldn’t be able to do normal activities in my 70s and 80s. Learning that exercise trains not just the body but more importantly the mind was such a motivating truth.
The chapter on exercise training our wills was also good.
Exercise can train us to press through mild resistance in any difficult task and not quit—which is a priceless instinct to develop not just for life and work but also for the soul. After getting in shape as a runner, I learned to push myself in various ways, such as “leaning into the hill.” (p.69-70)
But in Christ, we have cause to move in another direction—to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our minds]” (Rom. 12:2) through the renewal of our bodies—to present them as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). When in doubt, we don’t want to default to what’s easiest. We want to pursue what’s most important, knowing that such things are typically the most mentally, emotionally, and physically demanding. (p.72-73)
Through running, I have developed greater will power to do uncomfortable things. There were many runs I didn’t want to wake up early for. There were many runs that looked too difficult before I started (looking at you Race Practice Long Run). There were many runs that felt too difficult during like the 4th 800m repeat or the middle-third of a 5k time trial. Through pushing past my physical and mental limits I had placed on myself, I’ve learned my body and my mind can be trained. It can be trained to do ever harder things. Honestly, I’ve also seen this discipline and willingness to “push through” translate to other areas of my life like in work, at home or writing ACBC essays.
When the author of Hebrews exhorts us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1), he also shows us how: “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith”—who leaned in, looking to the reward—“who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). (p.75)
Yet such pain and shame didn’t send Jesus retreating. Rather, he looked through the obstacle, horrific as it was, and saw the reward on the other side of the shame. Even as such barriers were set immediately before his face, he looked to the joy on the far side: being seated at the right hand of his Father. And so he leaned into the hill. (p.75-76)
Overall, I found this book quite helpful in framing the proper heart I should whenever I exercise. It’s not to get faster and set PRs. It’s not to run races and experience the temporary high of race day. It’s not to be merely physically healthy so I can wrestle with my grandkids one day. Rather exercise is for training the body and mind, disciplining both so that I can love God and his people better. May I continue to exercise and run for his glory. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)