Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - June 14, 2018
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)

  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Original Sin, part 36
  3. Exchange Student Hosts Needed
  4. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman

1. Activist Feedback

Grace writes:

Thanks for sending the booklets. I went to Third day on Thursday. I tried to catch crowds of audiences as they left and I handed out about 500 booklets. Friendly staff and security people and friendly police officers were around.

2. Original Sin, part 36

Last week, I discussed the inherent problems that arise because churches are institutions. I think it is important to remember that the initial “Christian” movement was not institutionalized. Jesus’ first followers were Jews, and Jesus’ initial ministry involved reforming Judaism. According to the Bible, as well as extra-biblical texts, Jesus denounced injustices and abuses by church authorities. Jesus opposed the institutional Jewish church of his day, which he saw as corrupt, self-serving, and insensitive to the needs of weak and vulnerable individuals. He called upon his followers to return to the ethical roots of Judaism, which included love, compassion, justice, and service to others.

The first Jewish Christians did not form an organized church. Rather, they followed Jesus, and then James, in seeking a more spiritual, ethically pure life. As Keith Akers notes in his excellent book Disciples, the Bible and other documents from that era strongly support the theory that this movement was vegetarian. However, vegetarianism was not endorsed by Paul, and his theology has had a profound influence on Christianity as we know it today.

I do not think Jesus sought to generate a religion that emphasized attending services and giving money to church institutions. I am convinced that Jesus wanted to demonstrate how people can live faithfully in service to God. Perhaps God-directed living might be an antidote to Original Sin.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.

3. Exchange Student Hosts Needed

My name is Laura Stahl, and I am the Special Services Director for OCEAN (Organization for Cultural Exchange Among Nations), which is a non-profit organization that sponsors foreign exchange students, ages 14-18, and places them in volunteer host families and high schools throughout the U.S. for a semester or academic year. We are currently seeking volunteer host families for two girls, one from Ecuador and one from France, who are vegetarians. Do you know of any families in your community that would be interested in welcoming one of these students into their home for the 2018/2019 school year? Hosts cover room and board, the student covers all other expenses such as clothing and school supplies, and the sponsoring organization covers health insurance.
lstahl@ocean-intl.org

4. This Week’s Sermon from Rev. Frank and Mary Hoffman
Hardened Hearts Cause Animal Suffering

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