Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Even though they often seem at odds, Rev. Dina A. Miani Lauman discusses how Christianity and veganism go hand in hand, something embodied by the Christian vegan community she founded, the WellBeing.

Transformation: How a Christian Vegan Community is Awakening a New World
From Rev. Dina A. Miani Lauman, VLCE, Main Street Vegan Academy, MainStreetVegan.com
April 2025

Image from Main Street Vegan Academy

A vegan and a pastor…sounds like the start of a punchline, doesn’t it? But there’s no joke here. I am both vegan and a Christian pastor, a rare but rising combination, and one that led me to help create a Christian vegan community rooted in compassion, justice, and deep faith.

Tension Between Two Worlds

It’s not always easy being both vegan and a Christian pastor. If you’ve felt the sting of isolation, loneliness, or even spiritual whiplash since becoming vegan, you’re not alone. If your walk with God feels disconnected from your ethics, or if you’ve been met with suspicion by either the vegan world or your spiritual community, you’re definitely not alone.

We live in between.

• Between church potlucks that feel like moral minefields
• Between vegan meetups where talk of God feels like a faux pas
• Between two worlds that often misunderstand or dismiss each other

But here’s the truth I hold onto: Christianity and veganism aren’t opposites: they’re soulmates.

The Heart of a Christian Vegan Community

At their core, both Christianity and Veganism invite us into extravagant compassion, deep justice, and love that transcends species. Together, they form a powerful Christian vegan worldview, a spiritual lens through which to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be.

Every major faith tradition places love, justice, and care for others at its heart. Jesus’s commandment to “love one another” isn’t passive; it’s bold, active, and fierce. It’s a call to rebellious empathy. It means speaking up and caring for the vulnerable and recognizing the face of Christ in all who suffer, human beings and nonhuman beings alike. The hope and promise of Resurrection are for all Creation.

Finding Spiritual Belonging in a Christian Vegan Community: Creating the WellBeing

Photo credit: Rev. Dina A. Miani Lauman

So I started something. I call it the WellBeing

It’s a Christian vegan community, a growing spiritual home for those of us who have felt like misfits in both pews and potlucks. It’s a place where we explore how faith strengthens our vegan journey and how veganism deepens our faith. We host reflections, retreats, conversations, and community, both online and in person. You can find me and our community on Facebook at the WellBeing or check out our website, thewellbeing.love.

Even Transformers Know the Truth

My husband and son are big fans of the Transformers movies. They watch them on repeat, and somehow I always seem to walk in right as the chaos unfolds.

One day, I overheard a line that stopped me in my tracks. Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, voice like thunder, declares:

“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.” – Optimus Prime

Wait… did a Transformer just serve up a tasty vegan truth sandwich?

That one line led to a family conversation about sentience, intelligence, emotion, and empathy. My husband, clearly proud of his movie, grinned and said, “See? There’s deep stuff in here!”

The Call to Compassion and Awakening: Animals Are God’s Creation Too

What does it mean to be sentient? It means to feel. To know. To suffer. To love. To want to live.

And animals? They’re extraordinary. Some can sniff out illnesses or sense earthquakes. Others can fly for days without rest, navigate oceans, or outrun nearly everything on land (including us––seriously, we can’t even outrun a squirrel).

Science is only just beginning to catch up with what many of us have long known in our hearts: animals are sentient, emotional, intelligent beings. They are part of God’s Creation, entrusted to our care.

Join the Christian Vegan Community Movement

So what now?

Now we transform.
Now we awaken.
Now we live as our own Optimus Primes—bold bridge-builders, truth-tellers, protectors, and transformers in our own right.

May we have the courage to speak boldly and live gently.
May we build communities rooted in love and justice.
May we refuse to leave our compassion at the door of the church, the sanctuary, or the kitchen.

If you’re craving a faith-centered vegan space, come visit our Christian vegan community at the WellBeing. Let’s transform together. Let’s live wide awake.

With Love, Rev. Dina

By Rev. Dina A. Miani Lauman, trained and certified as a vegan lifestyle coach and educator by Main Street Vegan Academy, www.MainStreetVegan.com

---

Posted on All-Creatures.org: May 6, 2025
Return to Animals: Tradition—Philosophy—Religion Articles