The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) is an international, non-denominational
Christian vegetarian organization that promotes responsible stewardship of
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
's creation through plant-based eating. The CVA advocates
vegetarianism from a biblically-based, Christian perspective and sees dietary choice as a valid way to bear witness to
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
's ministry of love, peace, mercy and compassion, and prepare for the
Peaceable Kingdom as foretold in the Bible.
Overview
The CVA encourages Christians to reduce or eliminate
animal product
An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet.
Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or m ...
s as part of their Christian calling to be good stewards of God's Creation. According to their website, 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 promotes the ethical, environmental and health benefits of
plant-based diets.
They assert that there is a connection between animal-based diets and world hunger, ecological damage, animal mistreatment and human disease.
The CVA's stated mission is:
#To support and encourage Christian vegetarians around the world.
#To share with non-vegetarian Christians how a vegetarian diet can be a powerful and faith-strengthening witness to Christ's love, compassion, and peace.
#To show the world that plant-based diets represent good, responsible Christian stewardship for all God's Creation.
According to Samantha Jane Calvert, organizations such as the CVA serve to address
animal welfare and vegetarian concerns among Christians who find that "mainstream Christian Churches have little to say on the subject of vegetarianism."
As of 2012, the CVA had approximately 6,000 members. The CVA's growth is a manifestation of increasing concern for animal well-being among Christians.
History
The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) was founded in 1999 by Nathan Braun and
Stephen H. Webb, Professor of Religion at
Wabash College
Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cu ...
.
Braun organized a board of respected professors,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
s, 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?'' which has an annual distribution rate of approximately 250,000 and been translated into several languages.
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) and a revised, second version two years later (2004: Vegetarian Advocates Press).
In 2006, the CVA produced a short documentary film with an accompanying study guide called ''Honoring God's Creation''.
Honoring God's Creation
'
See also
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Animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
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Christian pacifism
Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chri ...
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Christian vegetarianism
Christian vegetarianism is the practice of keeping to a vegetarian lifestyle for reasons connected to or derived from the Christian faith. The three primary reasons are spiritual, nutritional, and ethical. The ethical reasons may include a con ...
*
List of vegetarian organizations
This is a list of vegetarian or vegan organizations. Vegetarian organizations are located in numerous locations and regions around the globe. Their main goal is to promote vegetarianism among the public and to support and link individuals and or ...
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Bruce Friedrich
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PETA
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Andrew Linzey
Andrew Linzey (born 2 February 1952) is an English Anglican priest, theologian, and prominent figure in Christian vegetarianism. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford, and held the world's first academic post in Et ...
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Tom Regan
Tom Regan (; November 28, 1938 – February 17, 2017) was an American philosopher who specialized in animal rights theory. He was professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, where he had taught from 1967 until his reti ...
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Peter Singer
Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a Secularit ...
References
External links
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{{Vegetarianism
Christian advocacy groups
Christian vegetarianism
Vegetarian organizations
Organizations established in 1999
1999 establishments in the United States