Christian Vegetarian Association
Encyclopedia
The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) is an international, non-denominational Christian
ministry that promotes responsible stewardship of God
's creation through plant-based eating. The CVA advocates vegetarianism
from a biblically based, Christian perspective and sees diet
ary choice as a valid way to bear witness to Christ
's ministry of love, peace, mercy, and compassion
.
According to the CVA website and literature, the CVA is "an international, non-denominational ministry of believers dedicated to respectfully promoting healthy, Christ-centered and God-honoring living among Christians."
The CVA advocate nutritious plant-based diets in the global Christian community. Through publications, websites, and related public information campaigns, the CVA educates people about what they feel are the distinct health, environmental, and animal-related advantages of plant-based eating, including "respectfully address[ing] humans' relationship with animals from a comprehensive biblical perspective." The CVA also "attempt[s] therefore to actively participate in the "reconciliation of Creation" that promises to result in the "Peaceable Kingdom" foreshadowed by the Bible.
Braun organized a board of respected professors, theologians, and activists representing a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. Evidently resonating with many Christians who see their vegetarian diets as reflections of their faith, the organization quickly grew.
In 2000, the CVA produced its first edition of What Would Jesus Eat . . . Today? This well-received booklet has an annual distribution rate of approximately 250,000 and has undergone several revisions and translations. The 2003 color edition is one of the most widely translated vegetarian materials and is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Bulgarian, and many other languages. It includes recipes, nutritional information, and a list of resources.
In 2002, CVA founder Nathan Braun and co-chairman Stephen R. Kaufman
, M.D., published the first edition of Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism as Christian Stewardship (2002: Vegetarian Advocates Press; 2004: Lantern Books
). By 2003, the CVA planned to expand its ministry through several means, including wider distribution of "What Would Jesus Eat . . . Today?" at churches and Christian events on an international level, increased visibility of dietary issues through church education programs ("Is Your Church Veg-Friendly?"), and develop a wider recognition of Christian vegetarians through bumper sticker
s, tee shirts, caps and other display items. The "What Would Jesus Eat...?" campaign is also known as "Honoring God's Creation," and is widely available online and in print.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ministry that promotes responsible stewardship of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's creation through plant-based eating. The CVA advocates vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
from a biblically based, Christian perspective and sees diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
ary choice as a valid way to bear witness to Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
's ministry of love, peace, mercy, and compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
.
Overview
The CVA encourages Christians to reduce or eliminate animal products as part of their Christian calling to be good stewards of God's Creation. The CVA provides information and resources about vegetarianism through publications, campaigns, and the Internet. Highlighting the connections between animal-based diets and world hunger, ecological damage, animal mistreatment, and human disease, the CVA educates people about the social, ecological, ethical, and health benefits of plant-based diets. Ultimately, the CVA hopes that when Christians think about making informed, responsible, faithful decisions about dietary choices, the vast majority of them will choose to substantially reduce or eliminate animal products from their diets. At present, the CVA has more than 2,000 members.According to the CVA website and literature, the CVA is "an international, non-denominational ministry of believers dedicated to respectfully promoting healthy, Christ-centered and God-honoring living among Christians."
The CVA advocate nutritious plant-based diets in the global Christian community. Through publications, websites, and related public information campaigns, the CVA educates people about what they feel are the distinct health, environmental, and animal-related advantages of plant-based eating, including "respectfully address[ing] humans' relationship with animals from a comprehensive biblical perspective." The CVA also "attempt[s] therefore to actively participate in the "reconciliation of Creation" that promises to result in the "Peaceable Kingdom" foreshadowed by the Bible.
History
The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) was founded in 1999 by Nathan Braun and Stephen H. Webb, Professor of Religion at Wabash College.Braun organized a board of respected professors, theologians, and activists representing a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. Evidently resonating with many Christians who see their vegetarian diets as reflections of their faith, the organization quickly grew.
In 2000, the CVA produced its first edition of What Would Jesus Eat . . . Today? This well-received booklet has an annual distribution rate of approximately 250,000 and has undergone several revisions and translations. The 2003 color edition is one of the most widely translated vegetarian materials and is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Bulgarian, and many other languages. It includes recipes, nutritional information, and a list of resources.
In 2002, CVA founder Nathan Braun and co-chairman Stephen R. Kaufman
Stephen R. Kaufman
Stephen R. Kaufman is an ophthalmologist specializing in retinal disease and a clinical assistant professor at both Case Western Reserve University and Northeastern Ohio University's College of Medicine...
, M.D., published the first edition of Good News for All Creation: Vegetarianism as Christian Stewardship (2002: Vegetarian Advocates Press; 2004: Lantern Books
Lantern Books
Lantern Books is an American book publisher since 1998, first located in Union Square , and now with offices in Brooklyn. It "publishes books for all wanting to live with greater spiritual depth and commitment to the preservation of the natural world." The subject areas that Lantern Books covers...
). By 2003, the CVA planned to expand its ministry through several means, including wider distribution of "What Would Jesus Eat . . . Today?" at churches and Christian events on an international level, increased visibility of dietary issues through church education programs ("Is Your Church Veg-Friendly?"), and develop a wider recognition of Christian vegetarians through bumper sticker
Bumper sticker
A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles - although they are often stuck onto other objects...
s, tee shirts, caps and other display items. The "What Would Jesus Eat...?" campaign is also known as "Honoring God's Creation," and is widely available online and in print.
Mission statement
- To support and encourage Christian vegetarians around the world
- To share with non-vegetarian Christians how a vegetarian diet can add meaning to one's faith, aid in one's spirituality, and enhance one's moral life
- To show the world that plant-based diets represent good, responsible Christian stewardship for all God’s Creation.
See also
- Animal rightsAnimal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
- Christian anarchismChristian anarchismChristian anarchism is a movement in political theology that combines anarchism and Christianity. It is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus...
- Christian vegetarianismChristian vegetarianismChristian vegetarianism is a minority Christian belief based on effecting the compassionate teachings of Jesus, the twelve apostles and the early church to all living beings through vegetarianism or, ideally, veganism...
- EnvironmentalismEnvironmentalismEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, Ethical consumerismEthical consumerismEthical consumerism is the intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment... - Bruce FriedrichBruce FriedrichBruce Friedrich is Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives at Farm Sanctuary.Friedrich serves on the governing board of the Catholic Vegetarian Society, the advisory board of the Christian Vegetarian Association, and is a founding member of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians...
, PETAPetaPeta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model... - Andrew LinzeyAndrew LinzeyAndrew Linzey is an Anglican priest, theologian, author, and prominent figure in the Christian vegetarian movement. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford and held the world’s first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare — the Bede Jarret Senior Research...
, Tom ReganTom ReganTom Regan is an American philosopher who specializes in animal rights theory. He is professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, where he taught from 1967 until his retirement in 2001....
, Peter SingerPeter SingerPeter Albert David Singer is an Australian philosopher who is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne...