Vegan Theology: For the Least of These

Here is the sermon Sarah recently gave to our local church congregation. While not explicitly vegan, hopefully it meets the congregation where they are and lays a biblical foundation for the vegan ethic. What are your thoughts? We also discuss the direction of our next several episodes which will focus on animal spirituality, and an animal-centric hermeneutic.http://peaceofchrist.church/sermons

A delightful conversation with Dr. Marcello Newall - Vegan Theologian. Enjoy! Resources:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3616-7702

A breakdown of millennialism and how it affects how we treat the world. We discuss Moltmann’s unique eschatology which doesn’t fit neatly into a-, pre-, or post- millennial framework.

A lively discussion of Liberation Theology and Moltmann’s interaction with Liberation theologians. Liberation Theology’s main concern of how best to stand with the oppressed is every bit as relevant today.

Metz, Schillebeeckx and Pannenberg were Moltmann's contemporaries who each developed their own theologies of hope. However, their magisterial Christianity hamstrung their theologies while Moltmann’s radical protestantism freed him to construct a more cohesive and transformational theology of hope.

A look at gnosticism and platonism and their influence on Christian theology.

In this episode we continue discussing Marcello Newall’s dissertation: Repairing the World: tikkun olam and Jurgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope focusing on Moltman’s rediscovery of tikkun olam.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:20th-Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional Age by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olsonhttps://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/STx87_umQe2r1xq6byhbbA#/registration

We discuss the history of the concept of Tikkun Olam from biblical and rabbinical literature to the 21st century. And we continue to discuss how to keep hope alive. Reference:https://youtu.be/5EDKRGkgLsI?si=iJi5NG4vt7IP-gav

In this episode we begin discussing the PhD thesis of Dr. Marcello Newell entitled ‘Repairing the World’: Tikkun Olam and Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope. You can request a copy here: https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/35434/ On the Leeds university site you need to “request a copy” where it says “download” and the system should allow you access to it.

Highlights From Oxford Center for Animal Ethics - Summer School 2025: Ethics of Captivity

Let’s talk Anarchism and Anabaptism! We had the privilege of interviewing Cody Cook, author of The Anarchist Anabaptist: Essays on Radical Christianity and Freedom. It was a fun and enlightening conversation.

From the scribes of the first centuries, to the committees deciding what writings were included in the Bible, to the motivations behind the 1611 KJV, the 1909 Scofield Study Bible, the 1946 RSV, to the present moment, the people behind the Bible have been motivated by trends in culture, politics, and personal theologies. This has led to the marginalization, rather than the inclusion of many of G-d’s children. We are reminded that our faith should not be placed in a book. Our faith is in G-d.Resources used in the making of this episode:Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. EhrmanA General Introduction to the Bible by David EwertThe New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning by Harry Y. GambleMyths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism by Elijah Hixson & Peter J. GurryChrist and Culture in the New Testament by James W. ThompsonA Student's Guide to Textual Criticism of the Bible: Its History, Methods and Results by Paul D. WegnerThe Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible by Paul D. Wegnerhttps://www.1946themovie.com/

What’s more important: Knowing about G-d, or knowing G-d? We discuss some of the many ways we can foster an intimate relationship with G-d, and a few practices that have been life changing for us. The marvelous and mysterious truth is that G-d will always meet us right where we are when we seek encounter with G-d.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Pablo d’Ors: Biography of SilenceThomas Keating: Intimacy With God

What exactly is the Bible, really? Kevin and I discuss how our understanding of the Bible has changed throughout our lives, and how that has impacted our relationships with God. Resources used in the making of this podcast:Systematic Philosophical Theology, Volume 1: Prolegomena, On Scripture, On Faith by William Lane CraigMisquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart. D. EhrmanThe New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning by Harry Y. GambleMyths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism by Ejijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry (Eds)A Student's Guide to Textual Criticism of the Bible: Its History, Methods and Results by Paul D. Wegner

The tension of living vegan in a non-vegan world can be most acute at church. Today we discuss ways to help ourselves navigate this phenomenon with as much grace as possible. And we talk through the most vegan sermon we’ve ever heard!

The legendary Carol J. Adams shared an hour with us to talk about her life’s work within Christianity, feminism, veganism, and her activism for marginalized beings. We had a chance to discuss her Prayers For Animals; and The Sexual Politics of Meat, as well as a few other books she’s written. Here are a few of the feminist theological works she recommended to us in this interview: In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, by Elisabeth Fiorenza; The books of Rosemary Radford Ruether, including Women Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism, and Religion; Womananist Texts, such as If It Wasn't for the Women: Black Women's Experience and Womanist Culture in Church and Community by Cheryl Townsend Gilkes; and The Women’s Bible, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

We had the honor of interviewing Dr. Kemmerer! Author of Animals and World Religions, Dr. Lisa Kemmerer joins us to discuss her life and work as an activist for anymals. She shares how her amazing life experiences motivate her to give back, and to leave the world a better place than she found it.

Dr. Lisa Kemmerer masterfully draws her book to its conclusion: All the world’s major religions are radically anymal friendly! Then the appendix serves to dispel any myths that anymal-exploiting industries are in any way humane, or acceptable within compassionate religions.

Perhaps most surprising of all the chapters in this book, (to us), Islamic sacred texts are brimming with explicit, specific, beautiful admonitions about how to treat animals with kindness and compassion. Allahu akbar!

Dr. Lisa Kemmerer lays out a strong Christian Vegan Theology in this chapter. If the Christian is bound to protect the abused, the poor, the powerless, than anymals must be the responsibility of Christians.

Once we begin to clear out some culturally instilled blindness, we see that the Tanakh (OT) is overflowing with evidence of G-d’s love for anymals!

What do the core beliefs and teachings of Confucianism and Daoism say about our treatment of animals? These Chinese religious traditions have surprisingly specific instructions for us.

We continue discussing Lisa Kemmerer's book Animals and World Religions focusing on Buddhism's take on anymals.

Hinduism’s ancient texts are unambiguously concerned about the interconnected relationship between all atman (souls), humans and anymals.

How did Indigenous Religious Traditions view other animals? What Dr. Lisa Kemmerer reveals in this chapter may surprise and inspire you, as it has us!

We’re excited to be launching into our next focus, the theologies of other religions as they apply to non-human animals! We will be using Lisa Kemmerer’s book, Animals And World Religions. Here we discuss the foreword and the introduction to what is sure to be an enlightening book.

Akbar Ali is an activist whose words have brought us much inspiration. He speaks with an almost prophetic voice about a world free of injustice and exploitation, even within the current context of Palestinian annihilation. He explains how his practice of “Utopia Building” helps him to not lose heart as he continues to work for a better tomorrow. We hope Akbar’s words will inspire you as much as they have us!Youtube to One Year In: Reflections and the Ongoing Resistance:https://youtu.be/vbGQ8w14o2Y?si=qQZ_XN_E5YUDJDRv

In this episode we discuss some of the points that came up during our interview with Dr. Andrew Rillera and provide some responses.

In this episode we interview Dr. Andrew Rillera about his book: Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus's Death.Dr. Rillera teaches Bible and Theology at The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The last two chapters of Rillera’s transformative book do not disappoint! We learn to reframe many NT texts that are not attaching sacrificial language to the death of Jesus at all. We see that Jesus shows us how to live a cross-shaped life; God is our rescuer, not our condemner; and God’s justice has nothing to do with punishment!

The letters of 1 John and Hebrews give us a developed theology about the saving life of Jesus and how we should participate in his life and suffering.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington Rillera

In this episode we discuss Chapter 5 of Dr. Andrew Rillera's Lamb of the Free and mention how Good the Good News actually is. We continue to question the ancient narrative of animal sacrifice.Resources used is the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’s Death by Andrew Remington RilleraJesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels' Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism by Matthew Thiessen

In this episode we discuss the limitations of Israel's kipper (decontamination) system and explore a few interpretations of the prophetic critiques of animal sacrifice.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington Rillera

The ritual cosmology of Israel saw the world in terms of the Holy/Common and the Pure/Impure. This episode explores the various ways these categories were dealt with within the sacrificial system.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington RilleraAncient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts by John H. Walton

What in the world are non-atoning sacrifices?! Andrew Rillera helps us understand what many of us have been getting wrong–not all sacrifices were about atonement. So what were they for? In this episode, we find out.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington Rillera

Misunderstandings about Old Testament animal sacrifice have lead to grave theological errors. In this episode we learn what OT sacrifice is not using Andrew Rillera’s book, Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington Rillera

Where did the idea of animal sacrifice come from? What are the origins of animal sacrifice? And what was the rationale behind it? We go to the Ancient Near East for some answers!Resources used in the making of this podcast:Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies by Jared DiamondStrange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling by Nijay K. GuptaBiblical Archaeology Review Article, The Origins of Israelite Sacrifice, by William W. Hallohttps://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/the-origin-of-israelite-sacrifice/Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H PodanyLamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’ Death by Andrew Remington Rillera

In this episode we respond to a listener’s question about the logical and theological consequences of claiming that predation did not exist in a pre-Fall state and look forward to upcoming episodes about animal sacrifice in the Hebrew tradition.Resources used in the making of this podcast:On Animals: Volume I: Systematic Theology by David L. Cloughhttps://www.nytimes.com/1903/10/09/archives/flying-machines-which-do-not-fly.html

In this episode we catch folks up with our busy lives and dive back into some of the theological prolegomena in building a vegan theology framework as we plod our way toward animal sacrifice.Resources used in the making of this podcast:The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism by D. A. CarsonThat All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation by David Bentley Harthttps://www.instagram.com/reel/C4eNu7koL1A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

In this episode we begin to consider animal sacrifice and the many pieces that play into a proper understanding of this practice in the Old Testament and beyond. We consider the idea of progressive revelation and the moral and logical aspects of destroying one part of G-d’s creation in order to enhance or improve another part of G-d’s creation. We end with mentioning the OT prophets and their consistent message standing up against animal sacrifice.Resources used in the making of this podcast:Soteriology and the End of Animal Sacrifice by Giosuè GhisalbertiThe Progress of Redemption: The Story of Salvation from Creation to the New Jerusalem by Willem VanGemerenIsaiah: An Introduction and Commentary by Paul D. Wegner

In this episode, I (Sarah) survey my awakening of the past six months, which has caused me to re-evaluate my beliefs about the state of Israel. We spend time discussing some of the history of the Palestinian and Jewish people, as well as the history of Zionism. We examine the injustices the Palestinians have endured for well over 100 years, and what is happening to them now.We know we barely scratched the surface on this subject. One of the many things we wish we would have spent more time discussing is the theological work done by Dr. Gary Burge on this subject. He shows how the NT makes it clear that, while at one time there was a Chosen People of God in the Promised Land, now all peoples are God’s Chosen People, and all lands are God’s Promised Land.LInks to Books by Professor Gary Burge:https://a.co/d/gu2dqsThttps://a.co/d/im8AiS1Resources used in the making of this podcast:Let’s Talk Palestine podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-palestine/id1687327703The Phil Vischer Podcast, Episode 128: Modern-Day Israel with Guest Dr. Gary Burge!https://youtu.be/gB-3YMPuMDg?si=8Q7JGzmNXPP08QQOVarious videos and reels from folks like Norman Finkelstein, Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Cornel West & Democracy Now!https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/march/evil-ideas-behind-october-7.html?share=uj1Rq%2f5M%2bPQ%2bKk9f7o0AW7ksIz3eordv&utm_medium=widgetsocial

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. KleinThe Donkey by G. K. Chesterton⁠https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. KleinWord in the Wilderness: A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter by Malcom Guite⁠https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. KleinThe Secret Knowledge of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert by Craig ChildsOut Walking: Reflections on Our Place in the Natural World by John Leax⁠https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. Klein⁠https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. Kleinhttps://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing n Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. KleinAnimal Theology by Andrew LinzeyBreathing Underwater: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard RohrCalendar: Christ’s Time for the Church by Laurence Hull Stookeyhttps://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lenthttps://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/staghorn-coral

For the six weeks of Lent we will be focusing on Gayle Boss’ book Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing and telling the stories of animals that are in peril due to the poor human stewardship of creation.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church by Laurence Hull StookeyWild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing by Gayle Boss and David G. Klein

In this Episode we finish our discussion of Andrew Linzey's seminal book, Animal Theology, with Chapter 9 entitled Genetic Engineering as Animal Slavery.Resources referenced in the making of this podcast:Animal Theology by Andrew Linzey

In this Episode we continue our discussion of Andrew Linzey's seminal book, Animal Theology, with Chapter 8 entitled Vegetarianism as a Biblical IdealResources referenced in the making of this podcast:Animal Theology by Andrew Linzey