Nationally-respected speaker to talk about animal welfare

On Monday, November 21, Paul Shapiro, senior director of Farm Animal Protection at the Humane Society of the United States, will deliver the lecture "Blessed are the Meek: Showing Mercy to all Creation," at Calvin College.

Shapiro is one of the most visible and influential advocates for animal welfare in the United States. His work has led to significant legislative reforms governing the way that farm animals are raised in states such as Michigan, Ohio, Arizona and California. At Calvin, Shapiro will discuss how the standard American diet is having an adverse effect on the world and will consider more creation-friendly eating habits. Calvin philosophy professor Matt Halteman says that Shapiro's work on behalf of farm animal protection is changing the stakes of the national discussion on what a just and sustainable food system should look like.

"From members of the food industry, to journalists and social critics who write about it, to animal advocates seeking to reform it, all parties to the discussion are paying close attention to Paul Shapiro," said Halteman. "Wherever one may stand on the issues of animal welfare in particular and creation care more broadly, the opportunity to have Shapiro as a contributor to our discernment process on these fronts is one not to be missed."

Shapiro's lecture will be given at 4:30 p.m. in Spoelhof Center, room 150 and will be followed by a Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck. The Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship and Students for Compassionate Living, and the Social Justice Coalition are co-sponsoring both events.

For more info, visit http://www.calvin.edu/admin/cccs or contact Halteman at 616-526-6726 or at mch7@calvin.edu.

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Received on Fri Nov 18 09:21:19 2011