What Would Jesus REALLY Eat?

Description

Until relatively recently, vegetarianism was considered a positive dietary alternative for Christians. Often considered a preference for those seeking better spiritual awareness for a season, biblical tradition still acknowledged that a plant-based diet wasn’t any more spiritual or moral than eating meat, therefore meat-eating was considered legitimate for humans; not prohibited and was even blessed by God.
But, increasingly, and especially in light of the current Green movement that wants to at least limit the eating of meat, alongside the relentless calls by other secular organizations and activists to end meat-eating altogether, it is now more important than ever for people to know what the Bible and biblical tradition have to say about the subject.
Within Christian circles, well-meaning people have been pressuring fellow Christians to turn from eating meat- a practice once historically understood as a Christian freedom- and are now asking them to embrace abstinence, but what many are calling “just a new bondage.” Christian leaders are warning the Christian community not to adopt a false commandment that is mostly based on secular activist’s personal convictions. Familiar choruses are now resonating throughout Christian communities:
“Meat-eating isn’t compassionate.” “Animals have rights too.” “Aren’t you concerned about animal suffering?” “We should include animals into the moral community.” “Would you kill and eat your dog Lassie?”
In response to this clamor, Castle Quay Books has brought together a broad group of scholars who have applied their expertise in a wide range of fields including biblical studies, theology, philosophy, resource management, communication, and generational animal farming, to write an accessible response for all Christians.
Contributors to the discussion cover both sides of the debate with their host of important views. Writers include well known authors such as Dr. Walter Kaiser, Dr. Wes Jamison, and Dr. Paul Copan, as well as other well-known authors.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Theology
• Christian Living
• Social Issues
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Ethics in religion
• Ethics

Informations

• Publié par: Castle Quay Books
• Date de parution: 08 août 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781988928180
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Editors
Wes Jamison is an associate professor of public relations at Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida, where he teaches, researches persuasive messages in food and agriculture, and directs the Public Relations program. He received a PhD from Oregon State University in agricultural and natural resource politics and has nearly finished his second PhD in public relations from the University of Florida. He is also an ordained Southern Baptist pastor. He has taught for over two decades at universities in Europe and the U.S., travels extensively in the U.S. and internationally giving speeches and papers on his research, and has published extensively in journals, books, and popular publications. He served previously on the governor of Iowa’s Biotechnology Task Force and on the board of directors of the Leopold Center of Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
Paul Copan has a PhD in philosophy from Marquette University, and he is a professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a philosopher and theologian, and he has authored or edited over thirty-five books, including “True for You, But Not for Me”: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith ; An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom ; Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God ; and The Dictionary of Christianity and Science . He has contributed to numerous other books and written many journal articles . For six years, he was president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, and he is also a member of the Institute for Biblical Research.
Contributors
Timothy Hsiao is assistant professor of philosophy at Grantham University and adjunct professor of philosophy at Park University and Johnson County Community College. He works mainly in the area of applied ethics and has published in numerous journals, including the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics , Public Affairs Quarterly , and Ethics & Medicine . His work has also appeared in a number of popular outlets, including The Federalist and Public Discourse .
Walter C. Kaiser Jr. has a PhD in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University. He is president emeritus and Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He is the author of numerous books on the Old Testament, including Toward Old Testament Ethics and What Does the Lord Require? He is the son of a farmer; he is now retired and lives with his wife, Nancy, on a farm in Oostburg, Wisconsin.
Gordon Spronk is a native of the Pipestone, Minnesota, agricultural community, and he is a 1981 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. Dr. Spronk currently serves as a staff veterinarian and is co-owner of the family farm, with 10,000 sows and over 3,000 corn and soybean acres. His community activities include church elder and trustee of local churches and supporter of several local and regional charities.
Randy Spronk is a pork producer from Edgerton, Minnesota, and is the managing partner for two family farms: Spronk Brothers III LLP (pork production) and Ranger Farms LLP (crop production). The pork production enterprise markets 120,000 head annually, and the crop production consists of corn and soybeans. Spronk served on the NPPC board of directors from 2007 to 2015, serving as president in 2015. Randy served and chaired numerous NPPC committees, including the Trade Policy Committee. Randy continues to represent producers and the industry in a host of venues, such as Congress, the Ag Markets Advisory Council (AMAC), executive council of United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF), and trade shows. He served on the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, serving as president in 1999. He holds a degree in animal science from South Dakota State University.
Thomas J. St. Antoine serves as professor of communication and director of the Frederick M. Supper Honors Program at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Tom has conducted research in the areas of rhetoric and public address, specializing in the rhetoric of place and agrarian rhetoric. He has published his research in a variety of academic books and journals, and he has presented his research at national and regional conferences.
WHAT WOULD JESUS REALLY EAT? THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR EATING MEAT
Copyright ©2019 Wes Jamison and Paul Copan
All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
978-1-988928-17-3 Soft Cover
978-1-988928-18-0 E-book
Published by: Castle Quay Books
Burlington, Ontario
Riviera Beach, Florida
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail] | www.castlequaybooks.com
Edited by Marina Hofman Willard
Cover design and book interior by Burst Impressions
Printed at Essence Printing
Special gratitude is expressed to the AAA (Animal Agriculture Alliance) for making this publication possible by their generous contribution and sponsorship of this book.
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publishers.
Unless otherwise marked, Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. • Scriptures marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. • Scriptures marked (KJV) are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, which is in the public domain. • Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. • Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: What would Jesus really eat? : the biblical case for eating meat / editors Wes Jamison, PhD, and Paul Copan, PhD.
Names: Jamison, Wes, 1960- author, editor. | Copan, Paul, author, editor.
Identifiers: Canadiana 20190118814 | ISBN 9781988928173 (softcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Meat—Religious aspects—Christianity. | LCSH: Animal welfare—Religious aspects—Christianity. | LCSH: Vegetarianism—Religious aspects—Christianity. | LCSH: Meat—Biblical
teaching. | LCSH: Animal welfare—Biblical teaching. | LCSH: Vegetarianism—Biblical teaching.
Classification: LCC BT748 .W43 2019 | DDC 241/.693—dc23

Contents
Preface
Part I. Why Words Matter
1. You Are What You Say You Eat
by Thomas J. St. Antoine
2. basic ingredients
by Thomas J. St. Antoine
Part II. Why the Issue Matters
3. pigs, peas, and seals: the universality of meat-eating
by wes jamison
4. joy or grief? understanding the challenges to christian meat-eating
by wes jamison
Part III. Why People Matter
5. there is nothing morally wrong with eating meat
by Timothy hsiao
6. Human lives matter: reflections on Human exceptionalism
by Timothy Hsiao
Part IV. Why Scripture Matters
7. the old testament’s case for humanity subduing and ruling over every living creature
by walter c. kaiser jr.
8. veggie tales? peta, paganism, and other vegan confusions
by paul copan
9. What would jesus eat? From kosher to everything
by paul copan
Part V. Why This Matters for You
10. Scripture and swine: does Scripture allow me to raise pigs for food?
by gordon Spronk and Randy Spronk
Endnotes
Preface
Each year, late in the autumn after the harvest has been brought in, Americans celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Tables around the country are set with a cornucopia of food and treats as citizens join in the annual ritual of giving thanks for the blessings of creation. And even newcomers to the United States recognize the central fixture of the holiday tables—the turkey. Harking back to pre-colonial days, when life was certainly tougher and tenuous, the day reminds people that gratefulness for the Lord’s bounty has been an integral part of the United States’ moral fabric and collective memory. Ostensibly a Christian holiday first commemorated by the Pilgrims and local native peoples, the images of community and cooperation tug at the heart of the nation’s collective identity. But memories fade, moral fabrics sometimes fray, and identities are fluid.
A colleague once had the opportunity to visit the Native American protests at Plymouth Rock, where native peoples and their activist surrogates annually protest the coming of European settlers as the beginning of a continent-wide cultural genocide. They are in effect contesting the accepted meaning of Thanksgiving as a time of peacefulness, blessing, and plenty, instead advocating for an alternative dirge of colonization and exploitation. Nonetheless, when interviewed, they all acknowledged that the focus around which the first celebration centered was food. And to a person, they believed and accepted that consuming animals was central to that celebration. So even activists who abhor the historical cultural narrative of Thanksgiving agree with their traditionalist enemies that animal slaughter and consumption are as old as civilization, whether it be indigenous or immigrant.
This book is about the consumption of meat—and the freedom and joy that Christians can have as they eat it. It is also a primer for non-believers to better understand the ideals that motivate Christians t