Many have expressed concern about the decline of faith and church attendance. The closing of places of assembly due to the current coronavirus scare has intensified worry about continued decline; some even consider these closures an infringement on our freedom to worship. Why are Christians so panicky as they try to keep their faith?
I have thought about how God’s judgments might factor into modern plagues, especially in light of the plagues in the Old Testament. Is this virus a punishment? A warning of impending doom? Is God trying to teach us a lesson? Some have suggested that we are experiencing an end time epidemic, taken right from the pages of the apocalypse. Is this really true?
I believe in the pursuit of health and the benefit of adopting a plant-based diet. We should continue to eat for strength rather than our gastronomical urges, but we need not go further back than the Old Testament narrative for ecological wisdom.
At a luncheon a number of years ago, I met a college student who was studying theology at a religious institution. Needless to say, my dietary practices became the center of our table discussion when I bypassed the animal flesh offered to guests.
What does eating have to do with death and murder? God allows us to eat animals, so aren’t we entitled to eat meat? The vast majority of society considers meat a normal part of the human diet. Many Christians support the idea that diet is insignificant in matters of faith, but a reexamination of God’s permission to eat animals might lead us to the opposite conclusion.
Things are definitely changing in our world. Vegetarianism has not only become a socially acceptable dietary choice, but due to soaring health crises and increased attention to how animals suffer in factory farms, it’s destined to become an increasingly hot topic.
I was raised a vegetarian from the tender age of seven. I have four other brothers and sisters who were also raised vegetarian. When the five of us filed into a pew at our local church, people would comment on how healthy and vibrant we looked.
Every year, Christians face questions about the appropriateness of celebrating Christmas and putting up Christmas trees. I think it’s inevitable.
Theological InTents 