Sarah Withrow King - Vegangelical: How Caring for Animals Can Shape Your Faith

Sarah Withrow King in this factual, biblically sound, and theologically profound book makes a strong case for the spiritual connectedness between animals and humans. She then challenges us to change our lifestyles so that we do not harm the animals around us in ways that break the heart of God.

Tony Campolo, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Eastern University

This book signals the end of an era in which the Bible has been selectively and erroneously used to justify how the world thinks about animals. A very diverse group of theologians and biblical scholars have been challenging this received wisdom in recent years, but King expertly connects their ideas to a much broader audience. Anyone who takes the Bible seriously as Gods Word will find themselves deeply challengedand perhaps even brought closer to Godby wrestling with this book.

Charles Camosy, Associate Professor
of Theology, Fordham University

In her eminently readable Vegangelical, Sarah Withrow King combines wry personal testimony, evangelical reflection upon Scripture, and bracing accounts of contemporary treatment of animals. The result is an inviting yet prophetic challenge that should be faithfully considered not only by all Christian animal lovers but by all who believe God is love.

William Greenway, Associate Professor of Philosophical
Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; author,
For the Love of All Creatures: The Story of Grace in Genesis

Im grateful for my friend Sarah Withrow King and this important book she has written. God cares for his creation and made us in his image so we could too. Although it has often been a blind spot in our churches, how we treat Gods other (nonhuman) creatures is integral to our discipleship and witness today. It also has serious implications for the health of both people and the planet. These arent easy questionsand they may have more than one answerbut theyre important and biblical ones that need asking. And Sarah is an honest and thoughtful guide for all of us committed to living more faithfully in a world too full of violence and suffering.

Rev. Ben Lowe, activist; author, Doing Good
without Giving Up and The Future of Our Faith

This book will open your eyes to truths that will make you a better human being. Your understanding of compassion, violence, and life will be transformed.

Rev. Carlos L. Malav, Executive Director,
Christian Churches Together

Sarah Withrow King offers a thoughtful invitation to Christians to consider our relationship with animals in light of our faith. Vegangelical is an articulate, sincere introduction to Bible-based social and environmental justice, opening the conversation to how God forms us through our interactions with the created world. A must-read for protectors of all creatures, great and small.

Nancy Sleeth, cofounder, Blessed Earth

A significant introduction to the important but too-long neglected topic of a solidly Christian approach to the (mis)treatment of animals. One need not agree with every argument to realize this book presents an urgent challenge that biblical Christians dare no longer ignore. Kings chilling stories, extensive statistics, and probing biblical arguments offer a great place to begin.

Ronald J. Sider, Senior Distinguished Professor
of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy,
Palmer Seminary at Eastern University

ZONDERVAN

Vegangelical

Copyright 2016 by Sarah Withrow King

ePub Edition April 2017: ISBN 978-0-3105-2238-6

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: King, Sarah Withrow, 1978- author.

Title: Vegangelical : how caring for animals can shape your faith / Sarah Withrow King.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015047337 | ISBN 9780310522379 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Animals Religious aspects Christianity. | Animal welfare Religious aspects Christianity.

Classification: LCC BT746 .K565 2016 | DDC 241/.693 dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015047337

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Rocket Republic

Cover art: Shutterstock

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Interior design: Kait Lamphere

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Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

To Mom and Dad:
Thank you for showing me how to follow Jesus.

To Giehl:
Thank you for clearing the path.

And to Isaiah:
Thank you for reminding me every day of the
promise that one day the lion and the lamb will lie
down together and a little child shall lead them.

Writing this book felt a lot like being pregnant. It disrupted and changed the course of my life, brought on worries about things that were entirely out of my control, and was suddenly over after nine months of sleepless nights. And just as pregnancy, birth, and the mind-bogglingly difficult task of child-rearing are made a bit easier when they are steeped in community, so my community gave my family the love and support we needed to birth this book.

Mae Cannon believed I had something important to say and was my champion and advocate. Madison Trammel at Zondervan managed to both sharpen and encourage with his feedback on my early ideas and the manuscript. Nicole Morgan did an excellent job doing research for and providing feedback on early drafts; her input helped shape the structure of the book in important ways.

I am indebted to the theologians and writers who have been working out these issues for decades, especially Andrew Linzey, David Clough, and Richard Bauckham. Any shortcomings in my analysis are my mistakes, not theirs. I am grateful for the faculty of Palmer Seminary, who shepherded me through a masters degree in theology with extraordinary skill, exposing me to a diverse range of thinkers and theologians who have shaped not only my writing but my faith.

Our church community, Circle of Hope, helped fill gaps that I left when I retreated to my room to write by hosting my family, meeting my son at the bus stop when I couldnt, and urging me to get out of the house at least once every week or so. Beth invited me to exercise, which cleared my head at just the right times, and reminded me over and over that I was capable and strong.