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Press Release: First Dutch Book on Animal Theology

15th April 2020

A new book, Dier & Evangelie (Animals and the Gospel) with the subtitle Theologie voor dierenrechten (Theology for animal rights) is the first work of animal theology to be published in Dutch.

Comprising selections from Oxford theologian Andrew Linzey’s works, it also includes commentaries and additional pieces by theologians and commentators Maaike Hartog, Sandra Hermanus-Schröder and Nienke van Ittersum, with an introduction by Hans Bouma.

Sandra Hermanus-Schröder, theologian and co-founder of Vegan Church, said: “We thank God who has opened our eyes and hearts to look at fellow creatures – the animals – in a different way. We thank our Lord Jesus Christ. He has convinced us that the Gospel is for all creatures. And we are thankful to the Holy Spirit who helps us daily to live creature-friendly lives.

“We also thank Andrew Linzey and Clair Linzey: they have inspired us with their books, summer schools, Journal of Animal Ethics and their worldwide network. Because of them, we were able to give words and expression to the calling God has given us.”

Professor Andrew Linzey commented: “It is wonderful not only to be published in Dutch, but especially to be able to make a contribution to the growth of consciousness among theologians and churches.”

Endorsements include the following:

Hans Bouma, Reformed theologian and author, wrote: “Christians have reasons to include animals in their moral consciousness that go further than purely humane ethics. Someone who has demonstrated this convincingly and with great dedication is the British theologian Andrew Linzey. As creations of God, animals have their own intrinsic value and therefore deserve a place in our moral consciousness. For Linzey, the choice for animal rights is ultimately a matter of following Jesus”.

“In this book Maaike Hartog, Sandra Hermanus-Schröder and Nienke van Ittersum – inspired by and in dialogue with Andrew Linzey – discuss the motives you can have as a Christian to defend animal rights. They do this in a way that is both skilful and personal, both innovative and heart-warming.”

Jan Wolsheimer, General, Director of MissieNederland said: “In Dier & Evangelie the reader is introduced to an entirely different view on some Bible verses. Passages that for centuries have been read from an anthropocentric view of the world, are placed in a different biblical context by the authors … you will discover the enormous scope of the Gospel. A fascinating book to read!”

The book has aroused considerable interest in The Netherlands, including press reports in CIP (Christelijk Informatie Platform), Dutch Christian broadcasting EO (Evangelische Omroep) and GrootNieuwsRadio, Nederlands Dagblad, Ouderlingenblad, TussenRuimte, and in an interview in De Nieuwe Koers with Clair Linzey.

For further information about Stichting Vegan Church contact Sandra Hermanus-Schröder at: info@veganchurch.nl

ENDS

Notes for Editors

1. Stichting Vegan Church is a Dutch platform that offers vegan Christians of different denominations the opportunity to meet each other and to connect their faith with their vegan lifestyle. Vegan Church hopes this book will be an inspiration for Dutch Christians. “We’d like everyone to be amazed by God’s love for animals.” See https://en.veganchurch.nl/about-vegan-church/

2. The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is an independent centre with the aim of pioneering ethical perspectives on animals through research, teaching, and publication and comprises a fellowship of more than a hundred academics worldwide. See www.oxfordanimalethics.com

3. The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey is Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. He has held the world’s first post in theology and animals in the University of Oxford and has been a member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford for 28 years. In 2001, he was awarded a DD (Doctor of Divinity degree) by the Archbishop of Canterbury for his “unique and massive pioneering work at a scholarly level in the area of the theology of creation with particular reference to the rights and welfare of God’s sentient creatures”. Email: director@oxfordanimalethics.com