As discussed in the post introducing Christianity’s food practices, there are not many Christians who follow dietary restrictions related to their faith, while traditions are far more common. To explore what these practices are like for some students at the University of Vermont, I heard from senior Isaiah Cory, sophomore Kendra Mazza and junior Sam Chevalier, three UVM students and members of UVM’s Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship.
Describe your religious background: what is your history with your faith?
Isaiah: I grew up in a community of Christian faith as the son of a protestant pastor in the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination. I love God and I love the Bible, which was read to me when I was younger and which I have read on my own since junior high.
Kendra: I am a non-denominational Christian. I was raised Catholic but during my freshman year of high school I went to a non-denominational Christian church with a friend, accepted Jesus as my Savior, and never went back to the Catholic church.
Sam: I grew up in a home with two parents who had both attended Bible school (Elim Bible School in my mom’s case, and Beacon Theological Seminary for my dad). Both of my parents grew up in Catholic homes but switched to the Protestant tradition. Denomination-ally, I would describe our family as Evangelical and Charismatic. Today, my dad is a bi-vocational assistant pastor at Daybreak Community Church in Colchester, Vermont (loosely affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention of New England). I attend this church, and I am involved with several student ministries at UVM.
What is your religious involvement like in Burlington?
Isaiah: I attend church in Burlington with my family as well as fellowship and minister within a Christian campus group, Chi Alpha. I currently help lead worship at church and a small group Bible study on campus.
Kendra: At UVM, I go to church on Sundays and I am also a part of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship on campus. We have weekly meetings and also small group bible studies.
Sam: I lead a Bible Study for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, and I am actively involved with many on campus activities (track team, engineering groups, RA last year…)
Are there any food restrictions you follow that come from Christianity?
Isaiah: I choose to fast on Good Friday (a decision I made a couple years ago as a matter of personal devotion; it is not mandated) and during a couple other instances. I may fast when I’m seeking God’s presence and feel as though He is far from me. I may also fast in order to seek His wisdom on a particularly tough matter I’m dealing with.
Sam: At different times in my life, I have fasted (gone without food) for a meal, a day, or a weekend in order to draw closer to God and/or feel what hunger really feels like. I don’t do this vary often though, partially because I am a varsity track athlete, plus I am constantly playing other sports or training.
What types of dietary choices and food traditions do you practice related to your faith?
Isaiah: I eat all foods without discrimination. The principle of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15, the declaration from God to Peter in Acts 10, various statements in the Pauline epistles, and a study of systematic theology all cause me to think that the Jewish purity laws concerning clean and unclean foods do not apply to believers today the same way they did to 1st century Jews (for this I do not observe any restrictions). When I lived in Mexico for a semester, I was with a Catholic family and we did not eat any meat beside fish on Fridays during the season of Lent. During holidays, our family does not eat any particular food with religious significance.
During church, generally once a month, we take communion with one another: we take a piece of bread (leavened at our current church, though always unleavened growing up) and a small cup of grape juice. A method of communion our church does on occasion is called ‘tincture’, where the bread is dipped into the grape juice. Communion is a practice for all Christians that Jesus instituted at the Passover meal with his disciples the night before he was crucified (Matthew 26, Mark 26, Luke 22).
Kendra: I am a vegetarian, however the decision is not totally biblical. I do not like that animals are tortured in the process of killing and although God does not direct us as followers to be vegetarians, He does tell us to take care of the land and the animals and that they were made in His image.
Although it is not necessarily tied to religion, on Christmas Eve it is always tradition to have ham; bacon, tomato, and noodle casserole (a creation of my dad’s); cranberry crisp and pineapple sponge cake.
Sam: My faith is the most essential aspect of my life, but I do not observe any particular religious dietary restrictions. My campus pastor and his family do not eat fast food hamburgers on principle, because of the harmful environmental/fair trade effects associated with the preparation process. After watching how it affected my extended family and my older siblings, I have chosen not to drink alcohol until I’m 21, and even then, I’ll drink very lightly.
When my extended family gathers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, we always eat Turkey, Ham, and Turkey (respectively). One of my aunt’s cooked a roast beef for Thanksgiving once, and there was a negative reaction overall.
A special thank you to Isaiah, Kendra and Sam for their correspondence! Information about Chi Alpha can be found on their website and Facebook.
foodiefaith.wordpress.com 
Hi Corrie. This was such an amazing read! I thought have three different perspectives was not only incredibly informative, but also gave a variety that I think the interviews really benefited from. I thought this interview flowed really well and the interplay between the three individuals answers was very interesting. My only suggestion is that there is quite a large chunk of space between the beginning of each new interview question. Maybe if this space was cut down slightly, it wouldn’t feel like such a jump from one question to the next. Otherwise, I thought this was an incredible post and it was a pleasure to read!