IS CHRISTMAS GOOD NEWS FOR ANIMALS?

Christian leaders advocate an animal friendly Christmas ahead of upcoming Christian conference about animal issues

This Christmas, prominent Christian leaders are voicing their support of animals. Leading broadcaster, Christian thinker and founder of The Oasis Trust and Faithworks, The Revd Steve Chalke MBE writes: “The story of Christmas is the story of the in-breaking of God's justice into our broken world. Truly understood it is nothing less than the message of good news for all life; for every human, for every animal and for all of creation.”

Daryl Booth, Founder of Sarx agrees: “Animals featured on Christmas cards or in nativity plays are not just sentimental follies. Their presence reminds us of a theologically important point; namely that the advent of Jesus is good news for animals as well as humans for we all share God’s love.”

Sarx’s blog, The Nativity Hope for All Creatures, explains in more detail why Christmas is indeed bring good news for animals and includes a list of animal-friendly top tips for realising hope this Christmas. They have also produced festive edition tickets for their upcoming Creature Conference on Saturday 18^th March 2017 at the Oasis Auditorium, Waterloo, London as a Christmas present idea for animal lovers. www.sarx.org.uk/events/creature-conference

Brian McLaren, prominent Christian pastor, author and speaker, welcomes news of the conference: “Thank God that the Creature Conference is rekindling our connection and concern for all living creatures, our neighbors and relatives in God's creation.”

Leading academics have eagerly lent their support to the conference including the theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual, Professor Stanley Hauerwas who is glad that recent work on the status of animals has resulted in some theological proposals that offer constructive alternatives for how we think faithfully about God. “The Creature Conference reflects these developments which means this will be a very important event.”

Flying over from the US especially to speak at the conference, will be veteran author and public speaker Dr Tony Campolo who will advance a more holistic view (take out ‘of the gospel’ as that is already mentioned in his quote below):

“We have not been preaching the whole gospel. The gospel means good news. We say we have got good news for all human beings. Yet do we have good news for animals? Do we have good news for the physical environment?”

Joining Dr Campolo in giving keynote addreses will be:

• Dr Margaret Adam - Theologian, ethicist, author and former lecturer at Loyola University Maryland and the University of Glasgow. Currently Visiting Tutor at St Stephen’s House, University of Oxford.
• The Rt Revd John Arnold - Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford, spokesman on the environment for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and Chair of the Trustees of CAFOD (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development)
• Professor John Berkman - Lecturer in Moral Theology at Regis College, University of Toronto. Previously professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA and at Duke University in Durham, NC.
• Professor David Clough - Professor of Theological Ethics, University of Chester, President of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics, Founder of CreatureKind, and Methodist lay preacher
• Dr Ruth Valerio - Churches and Theology Director for A Rocha UK, environmentalist, theologian, social activist and author on justice, environmental and lifestyle issues
• The Rt Revd Dominic Walker - President of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals, former Bishop of Monmouth and Honorary Vice President of the RSPCA

The conference will feature workshops, a roundtable discussion with all the speakers, a vegan lunch and the opportunity to explore and reflect through a series of interactive stations including a virtual reality experience, prayer stands, crafts and an art exhibition.

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