Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey

We affirm our belief in the peaceable Kingdom;

That God the Creator willed a peaceable creation for all creatures represented in Genesis by the original command to be vegetarian (1.29-30);

That the prophets witness to a time when this Kingdom will be fulfilled as Isaiah says "the lion will lie down with the calf ... they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (Is. 11. 1-9);

That this Kingdom is proclaimed by our Lord Jesus Christ who provides us with a model of lordship expressed in service: caring for the poor, healing the sick, and washing the feet of his disciples;

That the Spirit of Jesus moves in our hearts to recognise the suffering and travail of the entire creation (Rom. 8. 18-24) and to minister to other creatures as Christ has ministered to us:

That this Kingdom will be manifest in the reconciliation of all creatures with Christ in a new heaven and earth where death and pain will be no more;

In recognition of these beliefs we seek to become signs of the peaceable Kingdom by living as far as possible non-violently with other creatures.

We anticipate the coming Kingdom by adopting now the diet of the age to come and living as ethical vegetarians.

Our daily prayer - as our Lord taught us - is that "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

We invite our fellow Christians to pray this prayer with us and to exercise a Christ-like ministry to all God's sentient creatures.

Dr. Linzey's Declaration of the Peaceable Kingdom reflects the perspective of many, but not all, CVA members.