Veganism as a Theology of Hope

Abstract

Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope was a pioneering work which recentered the Christian faith on its hope for the resurrection of the body and the transformation of the world, and how this revolutionizes life in the here and now. In this article, I argue that Christian veganism can be understood as a theology of hope through which Christians can express their expectation for the coming kingdom of God. Furthermore, I argue that the contemporary western form of veganism reveals a foundational, and latent, longing for peace in creation and finds its ultimate fulfilment within the biblical story. Finally, I distinguish between ‘messianic’ veganism, founded on the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and based on hope for the healing of all creation, which seeks to transform the present world, and an unbiblical ‘metaphysical’ veganism, based on a dualistic worldview, which attempts to leave this world for an ethereal abode beyond it.