Weekly Newsletter from Christian Vegetarian Association CVA - April 15, 2019
From Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)


  1. Activist Feedback
  2. Essay: Liberals and Conservatives
  3. All-Creatures.org Ministry


1. Activist Feedback

Vegan Outreach, which does a great job of reaching college students with literature and videos promoting a vegan diet, reports that it helped the CVA with leafleting at 14 Winter Jam events and distributed 18,220 CVA booklets. Here’s a report:

Columbia, MO Winter Jam
March 15, 2019
Booklets: 1,250

VO staff member Stacy Shepanek wrote:

All of my volunteers were Christian Vegans. And we did not get poured on—so win-win there!

This was a tough crowd, but we had some great conversations with attendees under the age of 16. One 12 year old had been involved in some youth farming programs and didn't believe we should be raising and killing animals like that. He simply stated, "I wouldn't want any of that done to me."

One little girl, about 6 years old came up and gave me a tiny bouquet of clover flowers and said, "Thank you for giving us the booklets about the animals." It was very sweet. I asked her if she loved animals, and she said, "Yes." I then asked if she ate animals, and she said, "Sometimes." I think we planted a lot of seeds.

I noticed a lot more people than usual actually reading the booklets.

My volunteers used the Primal Strips to engage people in conversations but had a tough time getting sign-ups.

Upcoming Outreach Opportunities

04/18/2019 SC, Greenville Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
04/18/2019 MO, Kansas City Chris Tomlin HOLY ROAR Tour
04/18/2019 IL, Hoffman Estates Michael W Smith & Newsboys: Surrounded & United
04/19/2019 NC, Raleigh Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
04/19/2019 TN, Nashville Chris Tomlin Good Friday Nashville
04/19/2019 TX, Austin Good Friday Austin – For King & Country
04/19/2019 TN, Nashville Chris Tomlin / Good Friday Nashville
04/25/2019 MI, Grand Rapids Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
04/25/2019 TX, Austin Hillsong United
04/26/2019 OH, Cincinnati Mercy Me Imagine Nation Tour
04/27/2019 TX, Houston Hillsong United
04/27/2019 MO, St. Charles Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
04/28/2019 VA, Richmond Outcry Revival Nights Tour 2019
04/29-30/19 TX, Dallas Hillsong United
05/02/2019 AL, Birmingham Hillsong United
05/02/2019 TX, Cedar Park Only Jesus Tour ft. Casting Crowns…
05/02/2019 IN, Evansville Amy Grant
05/03/2019 GA, Atlanta Weekend to Remember
05/03/2019 GA, Atlanta Hillsong United
05/04/2019 TN, Nashville Hillsong United
05/04/2019 FL, Orlando Mercy Me Imagine Nation Tour
05/04/2019 TX, Austin Mac Powell and the Family Reunion
05/05/2019 FL, Tampa Mercy Me Imagine Nation Tour
05/06/2019 SC, Greenville Hillsong United
05/07/2019 FL, Orlando Hillsong United
05/09/2019 FL, Miami Hillsong United
05/09/2019 NY, NYC Steven Curtis Chapman SCC Solo
05/10/2019 MA, Boston Steven Curtis Chapman SCC Solo
05/11/2019 PA, Philadelphia Steven Curtis Chapman SCC Solo
05/17-18/19 NY, Albany Joyce Meyer & Kari Jobe
05/30/2019 WA, Seattle Hillsong United
06/01/2019 OR, Portland Hillsong United
06/05/2019 NV, Las Vegas Hillsong United
06/07/2019 CA, San Diego Hillsong United
06/7-8/2019 MI, Grand Rapids Joyce Meyer
06/08/2019 AZ, Phoenix Hillsong United
06/11/2019 CA, Los Angeles Hillsong United
06/20-22/19 OH, Cincinnati Spiritsong Festival
06/22/2019 CO, Denver Hillsong United
06/24/2019 IL, Chicago Hillsong United
06/25/2019 MI, Grand Rapids Hillsong United
06/26/2019 Mi, Detroit Hillsong United
06/29/2019 DC, Washington Hillsong United
07/01/2019 MA, Boston Hillsong United
07/02/2019 NY, New York Hillsong United
08/23-24/19 OH, Columbus Joyce Meyer
09/20-21/19 CA, Anaheim Women’s Conference
09/26/2019 WA, Spokane Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
09/27/2019 OR, Portland Casting Crowns Only Jesus Tour
10/25-26/19 SC, Charleston Women’s Conference
11/08-09/19 PA, Hershey Joyce Meyer

Upcoming Tabling Opportunities

04/28/2019 CA, San Diego San Diego Earth Fair
04/28/2019 MI, Novi Michigan VegFest 2019
05/04/2019 CA, Santa Clarita SCV Veg Fest
05/05/2019 CA, Encino Los Angeles VegFest
05-18-19/19 NY, New York NYC Vegetarian Food Festival
05/18/2019 Oh, Cincinnati Cincy VegFest 2019
05/18/2019 OH, Cleveland 2019 Cleveland VegFest
06/07-9/19 MO, Kansas City VegFest KC 2019
06/08/2019 PA, Philadelphia VegFest
06/09/2019 NC, Asheville VegFest
07/20/2019 CT, Hamden 5th Annual Compassionfest
07/27-28/19 CO, Denver VegFest Colorado
07/27/2019 WA, Spokane Spokane VegFest
08/10-11/19 IL, Lisle Veggie Fest 2019
08/15-25/19 NY, Camp Walden Woodstock Fruit Festival
09/08/2019 NY, Albany Albany Vegfest
09/22/2019 MI, Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Veg Fest
11/09/2019 GA, Duluth Atlanta Veg Fest 2019
11/10/2019 AZ, Tucson VegOut! Tucson Vegan Food Festival 2019


2. Essay: Liberals and Conservatives

In his book The Happiness Project, Ron Leifer asserts that liberals and conservatives differ about the source of suffering. Liberals, he said, think that humans are basically good. We can have justice and peace, but we are impeded from doing so by corrupt, self-serving institutions. They hold that most institutions were created to generate or preserve the privilege of those with power, such as “aristocrats” over “peasants,” men over women, and one ethnic group over another. We must reform or replace these institutions and rely more on democratic structures that reflect the will of the majority.

Conservatives, in contrast, hold that humans are inherently unwise, selfish, and sinful. They regard institutions as essential to maintain order. Conservatives hold that institutions were founded by wise people and/or God, and it is only at our peril that we violate the social and political norms that institutions established and continue to preserve.

I don’t think either view is entirely correct. The liberal Enlightenment dream in human perfectibility is grounded in the conviction that only a lack of understanding prevents contemporary society from becoming utopian. Science, steadily eroding ignorance, gives us hope. However, this dream was largely debunked by Nazism, which flourished in what was then the most educated country in the world. It seems to me that what people believe and do are heavily influenced by emotions, which themselves are driven by a wide range of often irrational hopes and fears.

Conservatives’ faith in institutions has been dealt severe blows by scandals that have exposed the institutions’ commitments to their own interests over those of society-at-large. For example, the Catholic Church covered up and thereby enabled widespread sexual abuse of children by priests. Many leading Protestant preachers have been exposed as unscrupulous or hypocritical, such as Jim Bakker. The documentary Marjoe is about a non-believer who preached at revival meetings solely to earn a living.

Liberals and conservatives are also right about some things. I will consider this next week.

Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.


3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry


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