In case you are wondering, my decision to follow a plant-based diet comes down to how I treat God’s creation—animals, humans, and the earth. I am a plant based vegetarian because of my belief in the Bible.
Given the traditions of my Jewish and Hindu friends and the sensitivity of my vegan friends who demand compassion for all creatures, they would be highly offended if I consumed factory-farmed pigs and cows while advocating and otherwise adhering to Biblical principles of love, mercy, and compassion.
Every day, we vote for the world we want to live in through the choices we make. Picking up the fragments and living within our means are good choices.
The tree, with it leaves mediating “healing to the nations,” is our mission (Revelation 22:2). It helps us choose how we orient our hearts and live our lives here and now.
I long for a theology of divine compassion and love in this world. God cares for us deeply, but His compassion isn’t for us alone.
“Do no harm. Do all the good you can. Stay in love with God.” — John Wesley
As Wendell Berry says, “Healing is impossible in loneliness; it is the opposite of loneliness. Conviviality is healing. To be healed we must come with all the other creatures to the feast of Creation” (The Body and the Earth, p. 99).
Jesus tells us that if a sheep falls into a pit, it should be rescued (Matthew 12:11). But what about a pig falling over a cliff? How can I understand a Jesus who drove 2,000 pigs to their deaths?
Jesus was not a vegetarian while He was here on earth, but might we consider Him one now?
“Because God created nature, it demands our reverence” C.S. Lewis If I care about the planet and its animals and maintain a plant-based diet, am I…
Theological InTents 