SIMON PHIPPS

One of the determining factors for me in becoming a vegetarian was my faith. I'm not saying that the bible says ‘don’t eat meat ‘ because it doesn't (sometimes it almost seems that it says the opposite of this), but I do believe that I see a thread that runs through the bible and that points me towards a vegetarian lifestyle. Rob Bell discusses the idea that we currently live between two trees, on the one hand we live after the tree of knowledge in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), that caused problems in our world; on the other hand we live before the tree talked about in Revelation (the last book in the bible) that’s leaves will bring healing to the nations (I do believe that these trees are metaphorical not physical). In other words we live in the mess that has been caused by following our selfish desires. The scriptures points us towards what life will be like when God acts decisively in history and we move beyond selfishn...

When my partner and I started to reduce our meat consumption due to environmental reasons , I thought that meat was a necessary part of life, and that vegetarianism was an extreme choice. It was a quote by Leo Tolstoy (author of war and peace) that made me evaluate this assumption. The quote was: 'A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food. Therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite.' This made me understand eating meat in a whole new light; there was no survival aspect, no real health benefits (we now live in a time where most of us can get all the necessary vitamins and minerals we need from alternative sources), no great purpose. I was purely eating meat because I liked the way it tasted, therefore I was putting my own hedonistic desires above the life of another creature. Due to this I came home one day and said to my partner ‘today I am becoming a vegetarian’. I don’t think that bei...

In November I became a vegetarian. When people find out, they often ask me why, to this end I thought that I would outline my basic reasoning. The impact of the meat industry on the environment was one of the first reasons that caused me to look at vegetarianism. A recent published study found that the meat industry (especially red meat) is responsible for more carbon emissions than the entire transport sector (through water consumption, growing food for the livestock, fertilizer etc). Considering the amount that planes contribute to global warming this statistic should be quite shocking. At the same time vast swathes of rain-forest every year are cut down to make pasture land to rear more animals for the meat industry, contributing further to the problem. Due to this my partner and I began to reduce our meat consumption to a less detrimental level. I don’t believe that everyone is called to be a vegetarian, but I do believe that each of us can reduce...

I recently read another article about our impact on the environment, another warning that so many are dismissing. In the letter ‘ Revelation ’, the final book of the bible, we see a scene in a throne room.  In the center of the room is a throne, upon which God sits, and around the throne is 4 creatures : one like a lion , one like an ox , one like a man and one like an eagle .  Day after day they sing praise to God. In a 1 st century Jewish mindset, each of these four creatures stands for the different aspects of creation:  The lion for the wild animals .  The ox for the tame animals . The man for humanity . The eagle for birds .  Each aspect of life bringing forth its hymn of praise. In this picture, we as humanity are creatures alongside all life , joining in the hymn of creation, not dominants, controlling it, bending it to our will, exploiting its resources. In this picture we are in a sy...

Whilst I was at Greenbelt this year I heard Nadia Bolz-Weber  speaking. She said a phrase that captivated so much of what we are trying to do at Aire Valley Community Church . The phrase was ‘anti-excellence / pro-participation’. Excellence is something that I have heard a lot about; the idea that as the church we somehow need to keep up with the media in terms of performance and presentation so that we can maintain ‘relevance’ in society. The worship band all have to be accomplished musicians (usually of a certain age and visual appearance), the preacher must look successful (who wants to listen to someone who is as broken and flawed as we are), and the building must look attractive with beautiful artwork and matching seats. But the truth is that most of our lives don’t reflect this persona. We aren't accomplished musicians or successful entrepreneurs and our houses don’t look like show homes. So what part do we have to play in this fabricated reality? The a...

The other day I read a story about a primary school teacher who started running the Sunday school in her local church. Before her first Sunday, the church called her up to pray for her. The thought she had as she stood there was ‘that’s great that they pray for the 30 minutes I lead Sunday school. But what about the 25 hours I spend with children each week at school? Are they somehow less important?’ In the scriptures, the apostles talk about how each person within the church is a priest. Martin Luther called this ‘the priesthood of all believers’. It was his belief that there should be no divide between the clergy and laity, between those working full time in the church and those who have chosen other vocations. Each individual can commune with God. When each member of the church is seen as a priest, then there is no divide between the ‘sacred’ work and the ‘secular’ work. Between those who are ‘called’ into ‘God’s work’ and those who choose to work ‘in the world’. When ...

This may not come as a shock to anyone, as its an almost universal principle, but I love my son. He brings me the most crazy amount of joy ever. He hasn’t done anything I can think of to make me feel this way, he’s quite demanding and hits me a lot (he’s just turned two). I love him just for who he is. The scriptures express the way that God feels about us. The greek word used for Gods love for us is the word αγαπε ( agape). It means unconditional love. God loves us without condition. Within each society there is a series of things that we do to give ourselves value (these are generally more subliminal than acknowledged). In some cultures these are family orientated, in others they are orientated around financial or occupational success. Our society is heavily built around our appearance and material possessions that we own, influenced by the media and clever marketing. These value judgements can often mean that many people within society who cannot live up to the expectation...