Christian Vegetarian Association

Books by Type (Categorical Listing)

Christian Vegetarianism

Andrew Linzey. Animal Gospel. Louisville, Westminster John Knox, 1999. Prof. Linzey argues that reverence for God and respect for God’s creation mandates respectful treatment of animals.

Stephen H. Webb. On God and Dogs: A Christian Theology of Compassion for Animals. New York, Oxford University Press, 1998. Prof. Webb’s scholarly study suggests that grace and redemption often involve loving and compassionate relationships with towards animals.

Stephen H. Webb. Good Eating: The Bible, Diet and the Proper Love of Animals, 2001, in press.

Richard Alan Young. Is God a Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights. Chicago, Open Court, 1989. Prof. Young makes a compelling case that vegetarianism accords with God’s highest ideals.

Vegetarianism -- General/Introductions

Keith Akers. A Vegetarian Sourcebook: The Nutrition, Ecology and Ethics of a Natural Foods Diet. Denver, CO, Vegetarian Press, 1993. This is an excellent resource on the harmfulness of animal-based diets to the environment, animals, and human health, and the appendix includes some tasty recipes.

Paul R. Amato, and Sonia A. Partridge. The New Vegetarians: Promoting Health and Protecting Life. New York, Plenum Press, 1989. This book looks at the history of vegetarianism, reasons for becoming vegetarian, transitioning to vegetarianism, and enjoying a vegetarian lifestyle in a culture that is largely meat-eating.

Erik Marcus. Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. Ithica, New York, McBooks Press, 1998. Marcus expertly details the negative health, environmental, and other ethical problems inherent in modern animal agriculture. One of the best, most concise introductions to the "new ethics of eating."

Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, and Victoria Harrison. Becoming Vegetarian: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Vegetarian Diet. Summertown, Tennessee, Book Publishing Company, 1995. This is an excellent guide to healthy vegetarian living, with recipes.

Virginia Messina and Mark Messina. The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family. New York, Three Rivers Press, 1996. An excellent, comprehensive book that covers virtually all aspects of vegetarian eating, from infancy and adulthood, with sections on those with special needs, such as pregnant women and athletes.

Vegetarianism -- Health

Neal Barnard. Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life. New York, Three Rivers Press, 1993. Dr. Barnard, President of Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, shows how a vegetarian diet promotes your health, and he includes tasty recipes.

Neal Barnard. Turn Off the Fat Genes. New York, Harmony Books, 2001. Dr. Barnard explains how a vegetarian diet is the best way to take off, and keep off, unhealthy excess body fat.

Robert Cohen. Milk: A-Z. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Argus Publishing, 2001. In this follow-up to Milk: the Deadly Poison, "the Not Milk Man," Robert Cohen demonstrates that while milk may be the perfect food for calves, it certainly is not for humans. Cow’s milk contains many proteins and hormones that promote human disease. Antibiotics, hormones, and other modern additives make milk particularly dangerous.

William Harris. The Scientific Basis of Vegetarianism. Honolulu, HI, Hawaii Health Publishers, 1995. The author, a physician, show that a vegetarian diet confers substantial health benefits. He clearly describes how plant-based foods best serve the human body’s nutrient needs.

Michael Klaper. Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple. Maui, Hawaii, Gentle World, 1992. Dietary guidelines and sample meal planning, with recipes.

Judy Krizmanic. The Teen’s Vegetarian Cookbook. New York, Puffin Books, 1999. This book offers easy, tasty, and healthful recipes that teens would like.

Vegetarian Times. Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner’s Guide. New York, McMillan, 1996. This short book contains useful nutritional information, recipes, and strategies for vegetarian living.

George H. Malkmus. Shippensburg, PA, Treasure House, 1995. Why Christians Get Sick. Rev. Malkmus, founder of Hallelujah Acres, asserts that the Bible demonstrates that a vegetarian diet is optimal for human health.

Howard Lyman. Mad Cowboy. New York, Scribner, 1998. Lyman, who was sued after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show, shows that eating cows poses serious threats to human health, including a risk of the human form of "mad cow disease."

Vegetarianism -- Spiritual

Adams, Carol. Living Among Meat-Eaters. New York, Three Rivers Press, 2001. Adams explores the reasons people resist vegetarianism, and she offers helpful advice coping with obnoxious or insensitive meat-eaters.

Carol Adams. The Inner Art of Vegetarianism: Spiritual Practices for Body and Soul. New York, Lantern Books, 2000. Adams shows how mindful spiritual practices encourage vegetarianism, and vegetarianism can enhance one’s spiritual being.

Rynn Berry. Food for the Gods: Vegetarianism & the World’s Religions. New York, Pythagorean Publishers, 1998. Berry shows that all the world’s major religions support a cruelty-free diet.

Vegetarianism -- Animals

Karen Davis. Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry. Summertown, Tennessee, Book Publishing Company, 1996. Davis exposes the poultry industry's cruelties, resulting in unhealthy foods.

Gail Eisnitz. Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry. Amherst, New York, Prometheus Books, 1997. Eisnitz documents the trauma to animals and humans inherent in modern high-speed slaughterhouses.

Ann Cottrell Free. Animals, Nature & Albert Schweitzer. New York, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, 1982. This short book demonstrates that animal welfare concerns were integral to Schweitzer’s philosophy of reverence for all life.

Jim Mason and Peter Singer. Animal Factories. New York, Crown Publishers, 1980. This book exposes the cruelties inherent in modern factory farming.

Charles Pinches and Jay McDaniel, eds. Good News for Animals? Maryknoll, New York, Orbis, 1993.

Martin Rowe, ed. The Way of Compassion: Vegetarianism, Environmentalism, Animal Advocacy, and Social Justice. New York, Stealth Technologies, 1999. This is an excellent essay collection.

Vegetarianism -- Ecology (Environmental)

G. Tansey and J D’Silva. The Meat Business: Devouring a Hungry Planet. London, Earthscan, 1999. The authors show that meat-based diets undermine long-term crop sustainability.

Vegetarianism -- Liberal Theological
(Unitarian and other non-orthodox perspectives.)

Keith Akers. The Lost Religion of Jesus: Simple Living and Nonviolence in Early Christianity. New York, Lantern Books, 2000. This recent book studies the Jewish Christian movement, which consisted of Jesus’ first followers and their descendents. They believed in pacifism and vegetarianism, which they claimed to derive from Jesus’ ministry.

J.R. Hyland. God’s Covenant with Animals: A Biblical Basis for Humane Treatment of All Creatures. New York, Lantern Books, 2000. Rev. Hyland discusses the biblical basis for vegetarianism, and pays particular attention to the theological implications of God’s covenant with animals after the Flood.

Gary Kowalski. The Bible According to Noah: Theology as if Animals Mattered. New York, Lantern Books, 2001.

[The above three titles are all available online from Lantern Books.]

Vasu Murti. They Shall Not Hurt or Destroy: Animal Rights and Vegetarianism in the Western Religious Traditions. Available from 30 Villanova Lane, Oakland, California 94611, 1995. Murti shows that the Judeo-Christian traditions strongly encourage a vegetarian diet.

Carl Anders Skriver. The Forgotten Beginnings of Creation and Christianity. Denver, Vegetarian Press, 1991. This book explores the biblical basis for vegetarianism.

Charles Vaklavic. The Vegetarianism of Jesus Christ: The Pacifism, Communalism, and Vegetarianism of Primitive Christianity. Three Rivers, CA, Kaweah Press, 1987. This ground-breaking book examines the early church fathers’ writings and other ancient literature to conclude that Jesus and his community were related to the Essene movement, and they practiced pacifism, communalism, and vegetarianism. In my opinion, Keith Akers' book, The Lost Religion of Jesus, effectively extends Vaklavic’s argument.