What in God's Name Are You Eating?

How you eat affects the planet--and everyone else on it. What you eat might literally cost the earth. But it has implications for your health, the grower or producer, and the way you think about the world. What in God's Name Are You Eating? is full of questions and information to help you and those you live and work with reflect on major issues about food and lifestyle.
Andrew Francis is a community theologian who grows vegetables and fruit in his backyard, bakes bread, and cooks for family, friends, coworkers, and his students. He is an artist and poet who puts his hands in the earth, who has traveled widely and has eaten with many and is still learning from different races, faiths, and cultures.
What in God's Name Are You Eating? is about how we live now so that the world's peoples might have life and a long future. While the reflection is rooted in radical Mennonite Christianity, the challenge is to those of faith (and of none). This book invites you to "choose life."


"Francis sets out to tackle what is undoubtedly one of the most important issues we are facing today: our diets. What we put on our plates, and how it found its way there, has political, economic, and steep environmental repercussions. What in God's Name Are You Eating? can have a direct and immediate impact on our lives, the lives of others, and the planet. Put down whatever else you're reading and read this book. It's that important."
--Tripp York, co-editor of The Peaceable Kingdom Series

"Jesus enjoyed eating: and so should we, but not on the basis of ignorance. So argues Andrew Francis as he leads us on a tour of some big challenges for living faithfully, in a world where the food system is placing unsustainable pressure on our shared and finite planet."
--David Nussbaum, Chief Executive, WWF, UK

"Having read this compelling book I can only conclude that it is a book that has been a long time in coming and it should be read by every living person, young and old, who cares about the impact of human activity on our world."
--Allan Armstrong, author of Notes on Meditation

"With comprehensive research and British wit, Andrew helps the reader digest the seriousness of what we eat and its impact on us, others, and our ecosystem. Committed to godly stewardship and provision for all humanity, he makes practical suggestions for making a crucial difference. Andrew practices what he preaches and challenges us to take steps toward that vision. We have dined at Andrew's table and we join him on this journey."
--Darrell & Barbara Jantz, hosts, London Mennonite Centre & Mennonite Trust, 2010-2013, Hesston, KS

"Andrew Francis wisely recognizes that the way we eat is an act of faith, and that discussions of our food choices belong in our churches, temples, and synagogues. Most importantly for this time of uncertainty, he includes an extensive list of positive steps that can be taken by any reader. Francis reminds us that growing our awareness of the global food system can be a joyful journey of faith."
--Melissa Hochstetler, CSA farmer, Minneapolis, MN


Andrew Francis is a writer, community theologian, and former executive vice-chair of the UK Mennonite Trust. His doctorate (Princeton Theological Seminary) examined how religious communities use food and eat together. He is a published poet, and author of Hospitality and Community After Christendom (2012).