Welcome to Regents Theological College as a CreatureKind Partner

by David Clough

CreatureKind is delighted to welcome Regents Theological College as our latest partner institution. Regents campus is on the western slopes of the Malvern hills in England. Regents is among the foremost Pentecostal Bible Colleges in Europe and one of the largest in the UK. It is also the national training centre for the Elim Pentecostal Churches.

Regents kindly invited me to give their annual Wesley Gilpin lecture in March 2018. I offered a number of possible lecture titles and was delighted they opted for ‘Eating More Peaceably: Christianity and Veganism’. A good number of staff, students, and external visitors attended and the response was encouraging: the audience was engaged and there were no shortage of questions to follow. I took the opportunity to meet with the college’s catering manager in advance of the lecture and was delighted to hear that for a long time he had been strongly committed to the idea that the college’s catering policy should reflect its Christian values.

Since then, CreatureKind has been in conversation with Regents about the possibility of their becoming a CreatureKind partner institution. CreatureKind partners typically commit to:

• an audit to review trends in their consumption of animal products and report on where the animal products are currently sourced from;

• an action plan to reduce consumption of animal products and move to higher welfare sources of animal products they continue to serve;

• continued reflection on further ways to attend to the implications of a Christian understanding of animals for their institutional life.

It’s been great to see Regents’ commitment to embark on this process and to raise the issue within the Elim Pentecostal Church nationally. In the partnership agreement, Regents affirm that they are ‘committed to living into the promise of a reconciled creation by learning more about animals as a faith concern and by taking action to improve the lives of farmed animals’. CreatureKind looks forward to continuing to work with Regents as they continue along this path.

“Regents affirm that they are ‘committed to living into the promise of a reconciled creation by learning more about animals as a faith concern and by taking action to improve the lives of farmed animals’.”

It’s a particular pleasure for me to welcome the first Pentecostal CreatureKind partner. Pentecostal churches share my own Methodist Church roots in the Wesleyan Holiness movement. As I’ve explored in another video lecture, ‘Early Methodists and Other Animals: Animal Welfare as an Evangelical Issue’, both John Wesley and the early Methodist movements were known for their concern about cruelty towards animals. Wesley wrote an essay on the souls of animals as an undergraduate at Oxford, and he preached against animal cruelty (most famously in his 1781 sermon ‘The General Deliverance’ on Romans 8). He copied letters he received concerning cruelty to animals into his journal and published books on animal theology. Neither modern Methodists nor modern Pentecostals are often aware of this legacy, but I’m excited that institutions such as Regents are helping to recover this distinctive legacy.

If you know of an organization that might be interested in making connections between its Christian values and concern for animals, do get in touch. CreatureKind’s partner programme can support theological colleges, seminaries, churches, and Christian schools, universities, and other organizations in finding the right first steps for practical action in their particular contexts. We’d love to hear from you.

Reflections on COVID-19: Suffering from Exile

by Ashley Lewis

Throughout scripture, human and non-human animals are bound up in each other’s lives. In the Garden of Eden, animals and humans shared the experiences of creation and vocation. Aside from immediate family, Noah’s only companions on the ark were animal-kind. From Abraham to Joseph, sheep and goats are a constant. Wherever the family traveled, so went the livestock. When Moses led a revolution against Pharaoh, the Israelites and their animals caravanned out of Egypt together by God’s saving action. When Moses translated the law from God to Israel, the law did not only hold humans accountable, but non-humans as well. When God spared Nineveh, much to the prophet Jonah’s dismay, it was out of concern for an entire city of 120,000 people, and “also many animals.” When the Old Testament Prophets called for justice and deliverance, their message extended to all living members of the community and often to the occupants of the nearby wilderness as well. The Wisdom books, the Psalms, and even the New Testament are filled with lessons about the shared lives of humans and non-humans. All of this, plus my own instinctual sense of wonder and attraction to the other-than-human world, tells me that God’s expectation for humans and animals is to be in community together. 

If we were to take seriously the types of community modeled in the biblical narrative, we would find ourselves connected with animals in our day-to-day realities more than most of us currently are.

The average U.S. citizen is several steps removed from all other kinds of animals, aside from pets and companion animals. We will muse at them when they are domesticated by a zoo, or are displayed for entertainment at theme parks, or are part of a cultural excursion, regardless of whether or not the habitat is natural for them. We may come close to encountering creatures considered “wild” outside our homes, on hikes, or in parks, but when these animals cross the line into our neighborhoods, they’re considered pests or threats to society and must be kept at bay through trapping, baiting, or shooting. Animals outside our homes are barely tolerable.

The vast majority of land animals on our planet are livestock, and these are animals we almost never see, unless we seek them out. Each year around the world, 70 billion land animals are killed for food. Aquatic animal lives used for food cannot even be counted, though the weight is around 160 billion pounds per year. (1) Animals that are used for food far out-number any other group of animals in the world, even humans, and yet the industrial operations responsible for these animals remain entirely out of sight. The average consumer need never consider what sort of life these creatures lived, and in fact, the success of the food industry requires exactly that – a lack of consideration, a veil of isolation. 

Societal distance from animals has become the norm in the global West and in many other nations that take part in industrialized treatment of animals. The more I think about it, the more this separation feels like exile – a forced outing of one group by a more powerful entity, which often involves relocating the less powerful group under harsh conditions without consideration for that population’s preferred ways of being. In biblical terms, exile could mean leaving a place once thought of as home, being separated from family and friends, living in lands that are harsh and unfruitful, suffering loss of relationships – or all of these. Walter Brueggemann says, “Exile is understood as a consequence of imperial policy designed to establish new political and economic order in a subjugated realm.” (2) Animal-kind has been continually relocated against their will because of imperial policy. Our contemporary ways of life require that animals be exiled from our human communities, almost always out of the public’s view.

Exile is common in the biblical narrative for both humans and non-humans; but the key difference between the exile of scripture and the exile experienced today is that people and animals are exiled together in the Bible. As they wait expectantly for reconciliation with God and with their homeland, all creature-kind experience the hardship of exile as one community – undergoing transitions and adapting to a new life while bearing the burdens, stresses, and sorrow that come from isolation and separation. They do what they can to live fruitful lives during ambiguous times, relying on one another to survive. 

Exile is something over which God laments. Living in a state of perpetual discomfort and fear of the unknown prevents creatures from worshipping their Creator in the way they were meant to. Until reconciliation occurs and a restoration of abundant communal life can take place, God provides; but a feeling of longing is to be expected for those in exile. We know that humans are not unique in this. Animals who are lonely, separated from loved ones, or who must be relocated to a new environment demonstrate that they feel stress and depression. They also show joy when they’re reunited with what they’ve missed. 

As I remain home for the twelfth day of isolation, exile seems accurate to describe how I feel. In exile, we suffer from loss of community, grieve experiences we will never have, and we may be forced to ride out the wave of uncertainty in a place we do not call home. Rather than attending seminary classes on campus with friends, classmates, and professors, I must complete all schoolwork alone, from a computer. Rather than physically stepping into shared spaces of work, leisure, worship, and community, I try to connect with others through video-conferencing and social media. Rather than having predictable income, my husband and I realize that eventually our money will run out. I’m grateful that I have a level of comfort and cushion during this time – including more-than-adequate shelter, food, entertainment, health, and companionship. I recognize many do not have access to these privileges. God’s people and creatures throughout history, and even still today, have been violently and traumatically thrown into chaos in a way that I have never known. My social isolation is merely an entry point through which I can imagine how oppressive communal displacement may feel. 

The irony of this exile is that it may have been caused by society’s desire to exile animals by sending them to hidden and unnatural places. COVID-19, like many other bacteria and viruses that sicken people around the world every day, most likely developed in an environment of mass animal confinement. The virus is thought to have evolved in an exotic animal market where animals of all kinds are kept in crowded, stressful, and unsanitary conditions by handlers and hunters who experience their own financial exile in an imperialistic world and must engage in this trade to provide for their families. (3) The human desire to keep animals in places where they do not belong – whether in plain sight in a market or zoo, or hidden far away from the public in a factory farm or testing laboratory – has not only placed the burden of exile on the animals, but has brought on the exile of social distancing and isolation in which we find ourselves today.

In a way, our human systems have exiled us into this; and while isolation may be necessary for a time, exile only generates more exile. In this ambiguous time, I find a challenge: to practice the kind of hope that the biblical Prophets had when they too faced unending exile. I return to the words of Walter Brueggemann:

The remarkable act of hope that permeates the Old Testament lies in the fact that the promises Israel heard and remembered link together the character and intent of YHWH, the creator of heaven and earth, with the concrete material reality of the world. YHWH’s promises characteristically do not concern escape from the world but transformation within it…. [The prophetic promises] are not predictions but are rather acts of faithful imagination that dare to anticipate new futures on the bases of what YHWH has done in the past. (4)

I dare to imagine healthy, holistic communities, where no person or animal is sent away because of speciesism, classism, racism, or any other category of belonging. This creature-kind community means every creature engages in the fullness of relationship to God and their neighbors, while contributing to the project of ushering in the New Creation. The example of Jesus – who lived and died as an earthly creature so that we earthlings could be forever united with the Triune God – allows me to commit an irresponsible act of faithful imagination, to dream of a time when exile will no longer impoverish the lives of our fellow earthly creatures and when illness will not take the lives of the ones we love. During this time of isolation, I invite you to join me in hoping for an end to exile – for all creaturekind – so that our lives may be bound up beautifully in each other, in a community redeemed by the grace of God and emboldened by Christ’s love.

Sources:

1) Yinon M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo, “The biomass distribution on Earth,” PNAS June 19, 2018 115 (25) 6506-6511. Edited by Paul G. Falkowski, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, first published May 21, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711842115. Cows, pigs, goats, and sheep used for food make up 60% of all mammal biomass on the planet. Poultry birds like chickens and turkeys equal 70% of the planet’s bird biomass.

2) Walter Brueggemann, Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 70.

3) Holly Secon, Aylin Woodward, and Dave Mosher, “A comprehensive timeline of the new coronavirus pandemic from China’s first COVID-19 case to the present.” in Business Insider Updated March 24, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-pandemic-timeline-history-major-events-2020-3#december-31-2019-chinese-health-officials-informed-the-world-health-organization-about-a-cluster-of-41-patients-with-a-mysterious-pneumonia-most-were-connected-to-the-huanan-seafood-wholesale-market-a-wet-market-in-the-city-of-wuhan-1

4) Brueggemann, 101.

Resources for Lent 2020

by Sarah Withrow King

The season of Lent was not a strong part of my Christian formation. To me it was, at most, a time to stop eating some food I liked, to be “spiritual.” In high school, following the lead of a cute camp counsellor, I gave up meat for Lent…a commitment I abandoned after approximately two days when I ordered a turkey sandwich because I forgot that I had become a vegetarian.

It wasn’t until I became a parent, and I started looking for ways to help expand my son’s sense of Christian community, that I started paying closer attention to the rhythms of the Church calendar, and to Lent.

Whether you are a Lenten new-comer, like me, or have been marking this period for as long as you can remember, we hope these resources connecting Christian faith with animals will be a welcome addition to your Lent practice.

Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing

“Attention to the amazingness of our arkmates routes us directly to the heart of Lent. The season means to rouse us from our self-absorption. Absorbed instead in the beauty of other creatures, we see how they value their lives, lives woven together across species in beautifully complex webs. The nine-ounce red knot flies from the southern tip of the world to meet the horseshoe crab at precisely the week she crawls from the waters of Delaware Bay to lay her eggs. Once alive to the exquisite web holding all creatures, we also see the holes slashed through it. By us. We’re enraptured by the animals’ beauty, and we’re horrified by the suffering we inflict on that beauty. With Saint Paul we can hear all creation groaning, including ourselves.” Gayle Boss, from the introduction to Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing.

With a reading for each day of Lent, and Easter Sunday, Wild Hope connects our human stories with the stories of individual animals in creation. A simultaneously beautiful, heart breaking, and hope-filled work. Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing. Text Copyright © 2020 Gayle Boss. Illustrations Copyright © 2020 David G. Klein. Available from Paraclete Press.

CreatureKind Small Group Study

 “I was really glad to be able to consider a lot of areas of scripture that I hadn't thought about before. I found learning about the environmental cost and the way animals are treated on these farms to be very persuasive, in combination of a better understanding of how Christians should think about caring for other creatures and the earth,” said one participant. Post-course surveys show that in addition to thinking differently about animals, participants commit to changing their daily dietary choices, as well.

You can lead a church or community discussion using CreatureKind's free course! Our six-week small group study:

• helps Christian communities think about what their faith means for animals, 

• is designed especially for small groups to use over a six-week period (like Lent), 

• provides a gentle introduction to animal welfare and the church,

• and guides communities to explore how to care for animals more faithfully. 

Through videos, short readings, and lots of dialogue, the CreatureKind Course for Churches encourages Christians to consider what we believe about God’s creatures and how we might move toward living out those beliefs as members of the body of Christ. We provide all the course materials, and a guide for leaders. You don't need to have any specialist knowledge, just the motivation to help people think and discuss together. Download the course today! 

Honorable Mention: We Are The Weather

“The chief threat to human life—the overlapping emergencies of ever-stronger superstorms and rising seas, more severe droughts and declining water supplies, increasingly large ocean dead zones, massive noxious-insect outbreaks, and the daily disappearance of forests and species—is, for most people, not a good story. When the planetary crisis matters to us at all, it has the quality of a war being fought over there. We are aware of the existential stakes and the urgency, but even when we know that a war for our survival is raging, we don’t feel immersed in it. That distance between awareness and feeling can make it very difficult for even thoughtful and politically engaged people—people who want to act—to act.” Jonathan Safran Foer. We Are the Weather

Safran Foer applies the art and science of storytelling to help deeply connect readers to the realities of the climate crisis. While the book doesn’t connect Christian faith with animals, Safran Foer explores spiritual themes familiar to Christians. This may be a good resource to use for a group open to spiritual seekers, as well as Christians. Written in five parts, the book can be studied on your own or in a group. We Are the Weather. Text Copyright © 2019 by Jonathan Safran Foer. Available from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

What Does Christianity Have to Do With Animals (Book Excerpt)

From Genesis to Revelation, and from the early church to the present day, there are vivid examples of God's—and the church's—love of, care for, and delight in animal creatures.

By Sarah Withrow King

From Genesis to Revelation, and from the early church to the present day, there are vivid examples of God's—and the church's—love of, care for, and delight in animal creatures. William Wilberforce and other leaders of the British antislavery and anti–child labor movements were also early founders of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and worked to pass legislation protecting animals from various forms of cruelty.

Many accounts from the lives of saints include moving tales of meaningful friendships between saints and animals, such as the story of St. Macarius, who healed a blind hyena pup: the pup's mother tried to repay Macarius's kindness by bringing him a sheep's skin. As the story goes, Macarius took the skin, but only after insisting that if the hyena was hungry, she was not to kill another creature, but should come to him for food, which she did.

Today, many churches include food for companion animals in their food pantry programs. Others take special care to protect and provide for wildlife who wish to make a home on church grounds. Christian college students take internships at animal welfare organizations and ask their campus dining halls to provide vegan and vegetarian food options. Some pastors publicly support legislation that promotes better animal welfare, preside over pet funerals, or preach on topics that include concern for animals. Church animal welfare groups hold film screenings, book discussions, and small group studies to promote dialogue about Christianity and animal welfare in their congregations. There are many ways to care for animals, and Jesus followers are often moved to do so not in spite of their faith, but because of it. Of course, human beings are a kind of animal creature, different from sibling species by a matter of physiological and genetic degrees. But for our purposes, I refer to human beings as "humans" and nonhuman beings as "animals."

There are many ways to care for animals, and Jesus followers are often moved to do so not in spite of their faith, but because of it.

A reading of the Scripture that is attentive to animals shows that humans and animals are both created by God, worship God, and are provided for by God; humans are made in the image of God and given a particular role in that image; the whole (broken) world is in the process of being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ; and the vision of the promised kingdom is marked by peace between and flourishing of all species.

Humans are made in the image of God.

While the creation narrative in Genesis 2 portrays animals as potential partners to humans, in Genesis 1, God says, "Let us make mankind in our image, in likeness" (Gen 1:26). In English translations, Christ is also referred to as the image of God: "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth" (Col 1:15‑16).  Humans have not always lived up to the image endowed by the Creator in us. Eleazar S. Fernandez posits one possible source of this failure:

We have learned to develop our identities as human beings through disconnection, rather than through connectedness and interdependence. Our way of relating to fellow human beings parallels our way of relating to other beings in the cosmos. We seek to disconnect ourselves because we want to establish our difference from other forms of life. But the difference that we seek through our acts of disconnection is an adjunct to claim our superiority. We establish our difference through disconnection because we believe deep in our hearts that it is only in disconnecting ourselves that we can claim superiority. Rather than seeing our difference and uniqueness as a reminder of our interdependence, we confuse our difference and uniqueness with superiority.

When we downplay the kinship between animals and humans portrayed in Genesis 2 and center ourselves in the story of the creation and redemption of the world (anthropocentrism), there are far-reaching consequences not only for our relationship with animals and the environment, but for our relationships with other humans as well.

When we downplay the kinship between animals and humans portrayed in Genesis 2 and center ourselves in the story of the creation and redemption of the world (anthropocentrism), there are far-reaching consequences not only for our relationship with animals and the environment, but for our relationships with other humans as well. Liberation ethicist and pastor Christopher Carter asks us to consider whether humans are "living up to their potential as beings created in the image of God? Are they capable of re-imagining their divinely appointed role in Creation to care for nonhuman animals in a way that conforms to this image?"

Humans are given a particular role in that image.

Immediately after creating and blessing humans, God tells these beings made in the image of their Creator that they are to "rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the earth" (Gen 1:28). And right away, God points to the lush landscape and says, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food" (Gen 1:29). Our first responsibility was to cultivate the plants of the land so that all God's creatures could eat. Even as the Scriptures describe sin and its consequences, including the reality of food from animal and human death, God placed limits on human use and consumption of animals, outlined in the Law. Working animals were to be given weekly rest (Ex 23:12); fields were to lie fallow, in part to allow wild animals the opportunity to eat (Ex 23:10); and it was a sin to kill an animal without giving appropriate thanks to God (Lev 17:3‑7).

When humans fail to obey God, the whole world suffers (Gen 7–8); when humans fail to keep God at the center of their lives, the whole world suffers (Jer 7:16‑20; 12:4).

This piece appears in Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice, edited by Mae Elise Cannon and Andrea Smith and appears here with permission. Copyright (c) 2019 by Mae Elise Cannon and Andrea Smith. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL.

VIDEO: An Expert Explains...The Ethics of Farming Animals

Check out this video that the University of Chester produced of CreatureKind co-founder David Clough talking through the basic ethical issues of using animals for food!

An Advent Reflection: Instruments of Peace for All Creatures

by Tim Mascara

On December 4, 1959, Soviet artist Evgeny Vuchetich presented a bronze statue to the United Nations, titled Let Us Beat Our Swords into Plowshares. The sculpture is an image of a man beating a sword into a plowshare, meant to symbolize humankind's desire to end war—the desire to take the tools of violence and war and turn them into tools for peace, tools to benefit humankind rather than harm it. The statue still stands, now green from tarnish, in the northern gardens of the UN headquarters.

This transformational image of turning swords into plowshares is a recurrent theme in Scripture.

"He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." -Isaiah 2:4

"He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." -Micah 4:3

"You will laugh at violence and famine, and need not fear the wild animals. For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. -Job 5:22-23

These are prophecies of something to come. A peace that is distant, far off, not yet realized. It is a peace for which this "weary world rejoices." In light of Isaiah's prophecy, we are called to confess how we have not been peaceful in various aspects of our lives. We take the time to confess because we need to acknowledge violence was never a part of God's ideal for the world, and yet it plagues us.

…we are called to confess how we have not been peaceful in various aspects of our lives. We take the time to confess because we need to acknowledge violence was never a part of God's ideal for the world, and yet it plagues us.

Isaiah uses other metaphors to illustrate just how foreign violence and death should be to our world. In Isaiah 11, he prophecies of the wolf living with the lamb, lions with calves, leopards with goats, and lions eating straw like the ox. Even the tools that animals used for violence, claws and sharp fangs, seem to be no longer used in this way. Isaiah prophesies of a child leading these predatory animals, feeding bears and playing near cobra dens. Of course, right now, trying this might not be the best idea. But what a thought! Not only will peace reign in human affairs, but across the entirety of creation and including all God's creatures.

I cannot help but wonder what the relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom will look like. If there are no more swords, no more violence, no more death, could there be no more killing between species, too?

Some may argue peace won't reign in the animal kingdom, that predators will always be predators. I understand how faithful Christians differ on these issues, yet I struggle to see how there could have been predation before the Fall if Genesis 1:30 really means what I think it means.

"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." -Genesis 1:29-30

The reign of peace and flourishing across all creation—what Hebrews call "shalom"—seems to have been God's original intention for the created order. And Christ entered into this world to begin bringing that heavenly kingdom to bear on our broken, violent, sword-wielding and war-torn world. I believe this peace will affect humans and animals alike.

I see this in other places in Scripture that point to a future peace as well. Over and over again, Scripture underscores how deeply God cares for creation:

"In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety." -Hosea 2:18

"And should I not have great concern for the city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" -Jonah 4:11

We know that Christ has ushered in the new kingdom now, but not yet fully. This is the tension in which we now live. We celebrate Christ's first coming, yet we hope for Christ's second coming to bring the fullness of joy, love, and peace.

So where am I going with this? Even though we live in this tension, I believe we can still put into practice some of the aspects of the Kingdom of God. Even as we pray the Lord's prayer, we can remember that even now, we can begin living and acting in ways that cause small breakthroughs of peace into our world.

To pray, "…Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," is to pray that God's peaceable Kingdom will now begin to be partially realized in our world. I believe it is beginning to not only ask that Christ's peace will one day reign, but that we may become agents of Christ's peace today. If we are praying these words regularly, we must begin pondering how we are to see this in our own lives.

I think a valuable way of assessing this question is looking to Isaiah, and to symbolic ways we can live in peace rather than in violence. One suggestion might be eating a greener, more plant-based diet as a small, specific way we can practice peace today. Even as I ponder how we have not been instruments of peace, I wonder if this small act could begin, at least in part, beating our swords into plowshares.

I find it hard to believe that the images we see in Isaiah, at creation, and in the covenant God makes between man and animal are merely analogies. Could they not be glimpses of reality as it once was, and what it will one day be again? Could my choice to eat less meat be a small act of the coming peaceable kingdom?

Have you pondered how small actions and small practices can influence much larger events? Christ encourages this way of thinking by declaring that someone who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much. This principle can be applied in many ways, one of which I believe is that small acts have the power to influence much greater acts. Perhaps choosing something different on your plate could be a small and subtle way to influence your interaction with someone else in your life. Perhaps choosing compassion for one of God's creatures could be a tool for the Holy Spirit to soften your heart toward a difficult or stressful family member. What if choosing to practice peace at the table could begin to train our hearts toward the coming peace, when the Kingdom is finally and fully realized?

What if choosing to practice peace at the table could begin to train our hearts toward the coming peace, when the Kingdom is finally and fully realized?

I understand that Christians differ on these issues, and even on their views of peace regarding the animal kingdom. I personally believe that the Garden was, and the coming Kingdom will be, a place without violence or death for all who have lifeblood. I believe that the images we see in Isaiah are glimpses of the large arc from creation through the fall and to final redemption. This affects my interpretation on how the coming kingdom is played out in my day to day life. Places like factory farms do not only harbor darkness, despair, and pain for animals, but also for fellow humans who have to work in those environments and for God's good earth. 

Finally, while I am writing that the act of eating a plant-based diet can be an act of peace, the goal for all of us who follow Christ is to ask how we might begin practicing God's Kingdom now. Whether it concerns the choices we make on our plates, our politics, how we relate to our family, or any number of the myriad decisions we make over the course of our lifetimes, the question is still: How can I be an instrument of peace?

Tim Mascara is an Associate Pastor at StoneBridge Church Community. He lives in Davidson, NC with his wife and two young boys. This article was originally published by Evangelicals for Social Action and is reprinted here with permission.

An Update from Sarah Herring, CreatureKind Climate Fellow at Eastern University

by Sarah Herring

As the finals week and thesis deadlines loom closely on the horizon, I am struck by how much has already been accomplished on Eastern University’s campus.

This semester, I undertook a project to increase awareness surrounding a vegan lifestyle on my campus. I started the year by making an important connection with a fellow undergraduate. Claire, although not vegan, shares a passion with me for sustainability and environmental protection. Together, we were able to start a new club at Eastern this semester called “Student Association for Sustainability” (S.A.S. for short…cute right?).

As Claire and I worked together, we had extensive dialogue about the vegan diet and its advantages when trying to live both an environmentally sustainable and ethically Christian lifestyle. We decided that advocating for a vegan lifestyle should be a big part of our club’s platform as it fully encapsulates the ethics of compassion, love, and stewardship that we want to embody as Christians. Claire also decided to transition to a fully vegan lifestyle, so now our club will be led by two powerful, vegan women!

Another big change that is in the works is shifting the menu in Eastern’s dining commons. The university has a contract with Sodexo. As a company, Sodexo has a lot of great resources for plant-based eating, including a menu containing 50% vegan meals. However, much to the dismay of students at Eastern, our dining commons has not implemented this menu. Instead, we are served meals lacking nutrient dense, plant-based options. Through Sarah and CreatureKind, I was able to contact Kate at Forward Food, who has come alongside our community to persuade our dining services to implement the already available Sodexo menu. We have both been in contact with Eastern’s executive chef and the regional Sodexo representative and we are hopeful that we will start to see changes as soon as the beginning of next semester!

Overall, I have been so encouraged by the interest and dedication of students at Eastern—so many individuals are making the choice to live a vegan lifestyle even with the difficulties that come with eating on campus. Seeing so many people make the connection between the way we treat animals and our calling as Christians to love all beings has ministered to me and fueled me to continue to work for even greater change in the Spring semester!

Why Talking about Christianity and Animals Requires Talking about Race

by David Clough

Aphro-ism by Aph Ko and Syl Ko is essential reading for all animal advocates.

When I started writing about Christianity and animals I confess that I didn’t see the connection with race and white privilege. I was sympathetic to the idea that some theologians and Christian ethicists should be working on race, but I thought I could let them get on with that while I pursued my own research on animals. I’m now convinced that view was not only wrong, but dangerous, and that my resistance as a white, male, British theologian to attending to race in my own work was part of a long destructive pattern in the academy and beyond that perpetuates racism and white supremacy. So it seems to me worth outlining why I now think Christian theologians and ethicists who write on animals — along with others — need to engage the connection with race, and why CreatureKind is committed to taking that intersection seriously.

I’m now convinced that view was not only wrong, but dangerous, and that my resistance as a white, male, British theologian to attending to race in my own work was part of a long destructive pattern in the academy and beyond that perpetuates racism and white supremacy.

First, those who work on Christianity and animals share a general obligation with those working in other fields to avoid reproducing academic debates that have ignored the voices of black and brown theologians. Since my own academic formation inducted me into an overwhelmingly white theological discourse, if I don’t attend seriously to which theological voices I’m listening to, I will inevitably be playing my part in ensuring that the status quo continues and only white voices are centred in the canons of my discipline. That will ensure the interests of students of colour continue to be excluded from the curricula for which I’m responsible and the work I publish, which contributes powerfully to ensuring that whiteness will continue to be privileged in the future academy. This isn’t only socially unjust, but is also clearly defective academically in the partial and selective account that results. Race is a crucial component of the academic malformation I and others similarly situated need to work to overcome, but is obviously not the only one. We could start the list of additional intersections with gender, sexuality, disability, socio-economic status, class, global location, and so on, though it is important to note that people of colour suffer disproportionately within each of these categories, too.

Second, there is a particular offensiveness in white people showing compassion towards non-human animals while ignoring the suffering of black and brown people. At a panel on the intersection between race, gender, theology and animals at the American Academy of Religion in 2018, Jeania Ree Moore, United Methodist Church Director for Civil and Human Rights, described the reaction among African Americans to how white people responded to the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe in 2015 by an American recreational big-game hunter. Black commentators complained of white news anchors shedding tears on air for Cecil when they hadn’t been similarly moved by the killing of black people by the same weapon. Roxane Gay tweeted: “I'm personally going to start wearing a lion costume when I leave my house so if I get shot, people will care.” Addressing the plight of non-human animals without showing awareness of how white supremacy functions to subject people of colour disproportionately to violence, injustice, and poverty risks making concern for animals part of the distraction tactics that persuade white people they don’t need to think about race.

Third, it turns out that there is a strong connection between the construction of human supremacy over non-human others, and the construction of white supremacy over non-white others. This is most acutely set out in Aph Ko and Syl Ko’s book Aphro-Ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism From Two Sisters. The Ko sisters argue persuasively that whiteness functions as the norm for humanity, and blackness is characterised by distance from this norm. This is clearly exemplified in the long history of racist abuse that identifies black people with non-human animals such as gorillas or monkeys. Peter Fryer’s Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain documents the long history of this trope in British racism, the continued currency of which is seen in a Tottenham fan throwing a banana at Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during a football game in 2018. Analyses of the intersection of theology and race by J. Kameron Carter and Willie Jennings support the case that universalized accounts of humanity frequently make whiteness definitive of the human, and render non-whiteness sub-human. Engaging the human/animal binary without attending to its relationship with the white/black binary misses the crucial connection between racism and abuse of non-human animals.

Fourth, unjust treatment of black and brown peoples and other-than-human animals intersects practically. Examples here are unending, but we could start with the repeated pattern of indigenous people growing arable crops being displaced by colonial domesticated animals; the environmental racism of situating polluting industrial animal agricultural sites disproportionately in places where black and brown people live (such as pig farms in North Carolina); the demography of workers in slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants, who are disproportionately black, brown, migrant, undocumented, and female; the urban contexts where the unhealthy animal products of subsidized industrial animal agriculture are the only affordable options for poor inhabitants who are disproportionately black and brown. The frequent association between the exploitation of non-human animals and racial injustice means that addressing animal welfare in isolation often neglects racial oppression.

For all these reasons it seems to me crucial that Christian theologians and ethicists working on animals are attentive to the way the issue intersects with issues of race and white supremacy. This is a road I’m committed to walking, but I am late setting out on it and haven’t yet progressed far. On Animals Volume 1 doesn’t show much evidence of attention to the issue. Volume 2 does pay attention to the intersection but could usefully have done more. CreatureKind is also on this journey. We’ve had helpful feedback that the course material in the current version of our course on Christianity and Animals for church small groups draws only on white voices from within the tradition and doesn’t make connections with racial justice. We should have recognised that when we put the course together four years ago, and we’re committed to a second edition of the course that addresses these concerns. As we build the organization we’re committed to ensuring that people of colour are part of the leadership of CreatureKind and our board. We've produced an intersectional resource list of academic resources addressing the intersection between animal issues and other issues, including race. There’s more we can do and more we will do, and we hope to learn well and quickly from the mistakes we will inevitably make.

There's a risk that white advocates for animals and other good causes feel that they have an excuse for not engaging with race or other intersectional issues because their cause is all-important. Carol Adams called this attitude out in relation to gender in her acute lecture at Harvard Law School on #MeToo and the animals movement. There's no free pass here: thinking, writing, and advocating well in the Christianity and animals space requires talking about race in order to avoid being part of the problem.

CreatureKind Summer Round-Up

It’s been a busy summer at CreatureKind and we want to share some of the highlights with you.

CreatureKind Ministry Intern

CreatureKind has graduated its very first Ministry Intern. Ashley Lewis is a student at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. She is seeking her Master of Divinity. Her ministry focus is how today's Church can make food choices informed by faith – to help relieve animal suffering, reverse food related injustice, and restore Earth as a harmonious dwelling place for God and all creation. She left behind a career in hospitality sales and holds degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales University-Miami. In addition to her studies, Ashley enjoys coaching and teaching in schools, churches, and workplaces. At home, she is a cat mom to Tesla and Westinghouse and the beloved wife of her childhood sweetheart, Ryan.

Meet Aline, Our New Staff Member

The CreatureKind team is growing, and we have hired a new Director of Community Development. Aline Silva (Ah-LEE-nee) is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Aline has served as a local parish pastor in rural and farming populations for the last 10 years. Aline shares herself as a queer, multiracial, Brazilian immigrant to the US, who chooses not to eat non-human animals, who are her fellow-worshippers of God. Aline is pastoral, an excellent preacher, and a life coach. You can most often find her laughing out loud, dancing, and sharing her life with her emotional support pup and main squeeze, Paçoca (pah-SAW-kah). You can learn about Aline and her work by following her on Twitter and Instagram, @essalinesilva.

CreatureKind at Greenbelt

At the invitation of festival organizers, David and Ashley (supported by CreatureKind volunteers) took a CreatureKind stand to the UK Greenbelt Festival: a four-day gathering of approximately 8,000 progressive Christians. David also gave an invited talk called, “Should People of Faith Eat Animals?”. The festival was a significant landmark for the profile of CreatureKind in the UK. Traffic to our booth was steady. Through an interactive part of our exhibit, 150 people made commitments to plant-forward eating during the festival; 100 attended David's talk and gave him an enthusiastic reception; and a number of new contacts were made with other exhibiting organizations.

CreatureKind and Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

Sarah Withrow King, spent a week with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action at their annual cohort retreat. There she was inspired by college students whose energy passion, and wisdom are invested in working on behalf of all God's creation on their campuses and in their church communities. Stay tuned for an introduction to the CreatureKind Climate Fellow and learn more about her plans for the coming year!

CreatureKind Responds to Amazon Fires

Aline wrote “A CreatureKind Statement on the Illegal Burning of the Amazon.” There she encourages us to take righteous action alongside our siblings in Brazil. Picture taken from BBC.com, Latin American Website and story, “The Amazon in Brazil is on fire - How bad is it?”

Evangelicalism and Animal Liberation

Sarah has a chapter titled, “The Groaning Creation: Animal Liberation and Evangelical Theology” in the forthcoming book Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice, edited by Mae Elise Cannon and Andrea Smith. In the chapter, Sarah writes, "The verdant planet God created is now home to well over seven billion human beings. And though we humans share the planet with 18 billion chickens, 3 million great whales, half a million elephants, and countless more nonhuman animals, euro-american evangelical theologies are rarely attentive to God’s other creatures. The consequences—to animals, to the environment, and to our fellow human beings—are disastrous."

In Case You Missed It

Here are a few additional blog and resources we posted over the summer.

• Sarah met former Vice President of the U.S., Al Gore, and talked about food and faith at a ministerial conference in Ohio! Read more.

• Ashley wrote about her experience with other Christian leaders at the Sojourner’s Summit in DC.

• Our partner Farm Forward released a video highlighting the importance of CreatureKind’s work with Christian communities.

• Farm Forward is also hosting a series of virtual visits with David Clough! Sign up now.

• CreatureKind published a resource list on the intersection of animal welfare with gender, sexuality, race, economic, ability, class, and more.

That’s the end of the summer highlights!

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The Illegal Burning of the Brazilian Amazon (and How You Can Help)

by Aline Sliva

This week, the world has reacted in shock as they became aware of a reality that local Brazilians have been dealing with for weeks: the Amazon rainforest is burning because a few rich farmers want Amazonian land to be used for agribusinesses. 

The Amazon rainforest has been named the lungs of the earth. But the last 18 days have drastically depleted its ability to breathe. According to Brazil’s National Space Institute, the deforestation rate in the rainforest is 88% higher this summer than last summer, and most of us know that the deforestation rate in the Amazon was already astonishingly high. 

In addition to displacing and endangering hundreds of thousands, almost a million, of Brazil’s indigenous peoples, this illegal burning is killing many non-human animals, greenery, and water flows—called invisible rivers—which are responsible for bringing rain to most of South America. 

As followers of Jesus, we are charged with caring for and protecting one another and the world’s vulnerable. We share a call to care for the whole earth, to anticipate the peaceable Kingdom of God, to share the peace of Christ with all of God’s beloved creation, and to love our neighbors well. But this year, we learned that we have just twelve years to reverse the effects of consumerism on our planet. We were told that if we don’t change our ways, the damage will be irreparable after twelve years. The burning rainforest is a shocking reminder that we have much work to do to peacefully co-exist in a world where all can flourish as creatures of God. 

Today, in many cities throughout the world, including Brazil, the people are gathering to demand justice for all.  Here is how you can help: 

• First, remember this is a systemic and political issue. Those in power are not reflecting the interest of the people and of the Amazon. Brazil’s President Bolsonaro has continually said, “it’s simply burning season in the Amazon.” 

• Do not simply pray. Please also take righteous action in solidarity with our siblings in Brazil.

• Protect indigenous communities. Follow @AmazonWatch and become a regular supporter of the Rainforest Alliance’s Community forestry initiatives. 

• Stay informed of developments and keep sharing.

• Be a conscious consumer, taking care to support companies committed to responsible supply chains. Much of the forest is being burned to make way for grazing cattle, or crops to feed grazing cattle. Eating beef contributes to this demand.   

• Use Ecosia, a search engine that uses 80% of their profits to plant trees. They have pledged to plant 1 million trees in Brazil. 

• Vote for leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold actions, including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.