We’ve spent a lot of time at CMT.com talking about animal ethics.  If find this topic to be important, you might also be interested to learn of a panel discussion at Fordham two weeks from tomorrow titled Christians and Other Animals: Moving the Conversation Forward.  It will have a fantastic group of conversation partners with diverse points of view:

Peter Singer (Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University)
David Clough (Professor of Theological Ethics and Department Chair, University of Chester)
Eric Meyer (Fordham Doctoral Candidate in Theology)
R.R. Reno (Professor of Theological Ethics, Creighton University, editor of First Things)

I will be panel moderator.

The discussion will provoke Christians to think about other animals in new ways. Currently a very hot topic in academic theology and philosophy, concern for non-human animals is largely unengaged by our broader culture, and our panel will try to bring this discussion to a broader audience. Peter Singer—in addition to being the most influential philosopher alive today—was the intellectual heft behind the beginning of the animal rights movement in the 1970s. David Clough is one of the leading voices in defense of animals in the contemporary Christian conversation (check out his new book on animals here), and Eric Meyer’s research has mined the Christian tradition in ways that turn the current debate about animals on its head. We are also fortunate to have R.R. Reno play the all-important role of ‘sympathetic skeptic’ in our discussion.

All participants will be framing their remarks in such a way that students and non-specialists can engage. It promises to be a lively afternoon!  Other leading thinkers on Christians and animals–including our own John Berkman–will be having dinner after the event to plan a much larger discussion/conference on this topic to take place a year or two down the road.  Let me know if you’d like to be a part of it!

Here is a link to the PDF of the event flier. If you wish to attend the event at Fordham please RSVP to christiansandotheranimals@gmail.com.

P.S.  Reno was also recently on a panel with our own Julie Hanlon Rubio to discuss “Faithful Citizenship.”  Check out the youtube video of the entire event here: Faithful Citizenship