vegan

An In-N-Out burger, with a juicy beef patty, melted cheese, fresh lettuce, and tomato all stacked between two soft buns. Photo: Chin Hei Leung / SOPA Images/Sipa USA

“Eating is an inherently good activity,” writes Elizabeth Palmberg in the 2009 issue of Sojourners, “a channel of God’s goodness.” Eating is also an essential way for us to experience fellowship, build relationships, and share love. Yet eating can also be, as the Apostle Paul writes, an extension of our faithfulness: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). And when I think about my diet, it’s hard to imagine how the overconsumption of meat — which so often exacerbates health problems and disproportionately contributes to climate change — can be to the “glory of God.”

D. Rebecca Dinovo 12-27-2022
A picture of (adorable) beagle puppies pouncing and nibbling on a stick in thick grass.

In summer 2022, the Humane Society of the United States rescued nearly 4,000 beagles from an Envigo breeding facility in Virginia after officials found multiple animal welfare violations. / Carolyn Cole / Getty Images

I REMEMBER HEARING that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had adopted one of the beagles [from] the largest rescue that the Humane Society has ever done.

What struck me was how long people had been trying to whistleblow and alert authorities. It took years for real action to be taken, but [that’s] not surprising, especially when you’re dealing with a large corporation. I have found [animal welfare activism] incredibly challenging and at times discouraging. Criticisms I’ve received personally in the church [imply] animal welfare is a peripheral issue. The fact is these are God’s creatures who are suffering, and we’re responsible, as part of our Christian vocation, to be stewards of our earth and of all the animals.

Janice Lloyd 1-17-2013
 Marlon Lopez / Shutterstock.com

Syringe preparation by a female doctor. Marlon Lopez / Shutterstock.com

Unlike patients who have a choice about getting the flu shot, many health care workers didn’t have a say this year.

For the first time in Rhode Island, hospital and nursing home workers were told to roll up their sleeves, and hundreds of hospitals in other states have similar policies.

“No one likes to be coerced, and there were some people who objected,” says Virginia Burke, CEO of the Rhode Island Health Care Association, which provides skilled nurses and rehabilitation workers to the state’s nursing homes. “My fear when the mandate came out was we’d lose workforce. To my delight, that hasn’t happened.”

But more than 1,000 workers filed a petition to oppose the directive.

Tracey Bianchi 2-16-2010

It's Fat Tuesday. The height of the Mardi Gras celebration. The pinnacle of Carnaval. The time of year when religious and non-religious types alike trek to places like New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro to whoop it up before the season of Lent begins. Granted, most party-goers could likely give a rip about Lent, but to celebrate the storm before the calm is still a tradition many engage in.

Tracey Bianchi 9-24-2009
I had a phase in college when I thought that perhaps I would become a vegetarian.
Jeannie Choi 2-11-2009
Hey, want to celebrate your love of your honey *and* your love of God's creation?