What would Jesus eat?

Stephen H. Webb, author of some excellent books on Christianity, food, and animals, reviews a book advocating a kosher diet(!) for Christians. Webb deems the author, Hope Egan, a “neo-Ebionite.” Egan argues, rather strangely, that the dietary laws from Leviticus are still in force for Christians, apparently, at least in part, because they represent the divinely-sanctioned road to health.

Like Webb, I am, at best, a demi-vegetarian. In the nearly two years since I’ve gone veggie I’ve probably eaten meat fewer than a dozen times, so I’m obviously not super-strict about it (most recently I fell off the wagon at Thanksgiving dinner, enjoying some delicious smoked turkey!). And I eat fish regularly.

So, I think Webb gets it right at the end of his review:

Some theologians (disclaimer: I am one of them) argue that the kosher laws have more theological than medical significance. Sacrificial regulations mediate the original vegetarianism of the Garden of Eden and the Prophets’ anticipation of the peaceable kingdom. In this perspective, some form of vegetarianism is a diet of hope and a witness to God’s plan for the world. But Egan believes we should refrain from eating pork and shellfish simply because that is God’s design for healthy living. This was disappointing news for me, because I reward my (usual) abstention from meat with many opportunities to eat plenty of tasty shrimp, on the grounds that they feel no pain. According to Egan’s interpretation of Leviticus, however, shrimp are scavengers and thus dangerous carriers of disease.

What’s a conscientious Christian eater to do: embrace the Torah, eat meat as an expression of humankind’s dominion over nature, or give up meat as a protest against factory farming? Egan thinks we will eat hamburgers in heaven derived from humanely raised, organically fed, and biblically slaughtered cows. I doubt that, but I also admit that if the Bible favors a vegetarian diet, it does so in a subtle and modest way. The question of a Christian diet cannot be resolved by appealing to the Torah, our right to use animals, or their rights to be protected from us. We have to begin with Christ, and wherever we end, we need to be subtle and modest about our dietary claims.