Barefoot Vegan Mag Jan_Feb 2017
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Humans were said to<br />
be created in God’s<br />
image. Restoring<br />
humanity to that<br />
holy image involves<br />
no longer deviating<br />
from God’s will and<br />
plan for the earth, which means going<br />
back to eating fruits and vegetation<br />
and living in harmony with all of<br />
God’s creatures.<br />
over the animals just as Jesus has authority over the<br />
church. Jesus lovingly watches over his flock and would<br />
never harm even the least of his sheep. The idea is that it is<br />
good for ambassadors of Christ to likewise follow his<br />
example of compassionate leadership in how we treat the<br />
animals we’ve been entrusted with. It’s a rather simple idea<br />
really.<br />
Given that vegans exist in all types of churches, there is<br />
no universal set of creeds agreed upon or unanimous<br />
interpretation of the scriptures among Christian vegans.<br />
The one common thread is having a heart for God and a<br />
heart for animals. Given that the message of the New<br />
Testament is one of love and mercy, it should come as no<br />
surprise that more and more Christians are adopting a<br />
compassionate attitude toward animals or that vegans are<br />
finding a new hope in a nearly three thousand year old<br />
promise of a world where the lion and the lamb live<br />
peacefully together alongside us on the earth (Isaiah 11).<br />
If you are Christian but not vegan, you may want to<br />
prayerfully consider extending your love and your mercy to<br />
all of God’s creatures. If you are vegan but not Christian, it<br />
may be wise to keep an open mind about God and about<br />
the Bible. Like the Ethiopian in Acts 8, perhaps you simply<br />
haven’t come across the right person to help you<br />
understand what you are reading. I think we can all at least<br />
agree on one point: the world could use a bit more hope<br />
and compassion right about now.<br />
Craig Wescoe graduated with an M.A. in<br />
philosophy from the University of Toledo in<br />
2007. He taught undergraduate courses in<br />
Logic and Critical Thinking before taking a<br />
job in business in 2010. He is a longtime<br />
animal-loving vegan and servant of God. You<br />
can follow his blog here. He is also a member<br />
of the Christian <strong>Vegan</strong>s, <strong>Vegan</strong> Christian<br />
Community Facebook groups and co-creator<br />
of the New <strong>Vegan</strong> Support Facebook group.<br />
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