Living Ethically In The Modern WorldSample

My all-time favorite meal is the traditional, British Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. It has to be a plate piled high with turkey, ham, sausages wrapped in bacon, roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots. On Christmas, I don’t even mind the brussel sprouts. And I wouldn’t consider tucking in until I had a good cranberry sauce on the side.   Recently, however, I’ve become aware of the way animals are treated in our modern-day farming practices, and the drain that meat consumption is having on our planet.    Producing just one hamburger uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles and it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce just one pound of meat! What’s more, four fifths of deforestation across the Amazon can be linked to cattle ranching, causing a loss of eco-systems, precious plants, trees and natural carbon sinks.   Surely God’s plan as he filled the earth with his incredible living creatures was something different.   A few months ago, on a trip to Ghana I witnessed an animal being killed. Ironically, it was a dove, which we then ate for dinner. To watch a breathing, living creature meet its blunt death for my benefit was a sobering reminder of my general disconnection with what it takes for food to land on my plate.     I’m not a vegetarian, although I am seriously considering it. But then, what would I eat on Christmas day? I can’t quite bring myself to think about going that far yet. However, I am compelled by my love of creation and God, along with an unease about the way we are producing and consuming, that has led me to seriously cut down how much meat I eat. I will admit, it’s a challenge giving up bacon sandwiches and trying to find satisfying vegetarian dishes. Still, the more I explore the options, the more I see how much is available for me to cook and eat. I’m starting to think that the abundant life which Jesus spoke of comes from this kind of daily sacrifice, and that holiness extends to what I eat just as much as how much I pray or read my Bible.    Could you commit to skipping meat for one meal or one day this week?