Zandra Wagoner An animal lover since she was a child and a vegetarian since her early 20’s, Zandra Wagoner, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy, has sought to address the immense suffering experienced by other species due to human practices of animal experimentation, factory farming, pet overpopulation, destruction of habitat, and unnecessary cruelty and death for the purpose of entertainment and sport. As a young adult, Wagoner struggled with how to live humanely with other species – what to eat, what to wear, what to buy, what to support or boycott. “It is a nearly impossible goal,” but says she is nonetheless satisfied with the idealistic resolution she made in her 20s. Sitting in her neatly organized office on the first floor of Miller Hall, she compares herself to one of her students who boycotted all shoe companies that employed sweatshops and came to class wearing slippers in the middle of winter. “It was so genuine on her part, but she was potentially going to give herself frostbite,” she says with a big laugh that captures the frustration she and her student shared. “It’s a desire to make change happen now, and a willingness to be fully committed to that change. I’ve learned, however, that change is slow and piecemeal. In order to keep working for things you care about, you have to be able to recognize it’s not going to happen all at once.” Surrounded by the goodness of the Church of the Brethren in La Verne, she grew up learning that kindness and compassion mean a commitment to social justice. She learned to question authority and inequity within the church and the broader society, and learned that we are bound up and interconnected with all other earthly beings. “Growing up in the Church of the Brethren was so foundational in shaping my views today,” she says. “It was a profound environment to grow up in—it allowed me to ask good social questions and helped me to build my activist spirit,” she says. “For better or for worse, my entire social world was through the Church of the Brethren, so it seemed like a natural progression to go to seminary and prepare for ministry in the church.” “I loved seminary, every ounce of it,” she says. She developed a true love for learning while in seminary, seeking answers to common questions such as “who’s oppressed in this world, who needs help and what can we do to make better communities or better nations?” “It allowed me to explore alternative beliefs, opening my worldview and getting me into a lot of trouble,” she says laughing, amused at her younger days that caused a two-year struggle over her ordination. More conservative leaders in the church were not sure her progressive views would match the ideals of the church itself. “I was interested in feminism and politics on the left and there were people who fought against my ordination but just as many who fought for it, so it became a denominational debate, but I finally received my ordination,” she says. Her refusal to adhere to the idea that “Jesus Christ is the only lord and savior” came across as less-than savory. “I understand Jesus to be fully human, a prophetic person who was committed to justice and compassion in the world,” she says, adding that her feminist views have prevented her from more traditional beliefs. She has been deeply involved with feminist and queer movements in the church, recognizing that religious communities too often maintain and perpetuate discriminatory practices. She spent eight years as the administrator for Womaen’s Caucus, a feminist organization working for change in the church. She has also worked closely with the Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests, serving as a board member for the past eight years. “It can be very scary to grow up in a religious community that doesn’t know what to do with its LGBT members, so I feel honored and pleased to be a part of this organization.” “We have really challenged the church for its discriminatory policies and practices, calling homophobia and sexism into question,” she says. After practicing ministry for a few years in the Church of the Brethren, Wagoner decided to pursue a Ph.D. in religious studies. This was congruent with her passion for learning, but it was also a necessary change for Wagoner. “Although I loved many aspects of ministry, as a lesbian, the church environment was very stifling and oppressive.” She pursued a doctorate in order to expand her possibilities for the future. Wagoner once thought she might become a veterinarian, and though this dream was never realized, she has made it her lifelong pursuit to care about the well-being of all living beings. “Nonhuman animals are of particular interest to me because they live precarious lives under humans,” she says. She believes that “kindness to animals restores our own humanity and makes a better world for all of us.” She is currently collaborating with Best Friends Animal Society – an international organization promoting kindness and respect to animals – on an initiative to develop an inter-religious response to animal cruelty and abuse. Wagoner’s family includes her partner, Linda, two aging cats, Zina and Isis, a puppy named Izzy, and another puppy, Cooper, with whom she hopes to learn the world of agility dog sports. RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:WAGONERZ@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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