Who invented veterinary medicine? What should a Christian think about animals? Are people better than animals? Do animals have souls? In an age of confusion about how we should relate to animals, this little book offers refreshing clarity. Whether you’re a veterinarian, interested in going to veterinary school, or just want to know more about the theology of human-animal relations, this book is for you! Did you know Christians have been heavily involved in the discipline of veterinary medicine from its very start? By exploring their oft forgotten stories and highlighting passages from the Bible that inspired them, we will see that they found firm backing from the words of Scripture. What does the Bible say about veterinary medicine? Delve into the truth about what God thinks of His animal creation and learn how God means us to relate to the beasts. Follow in the forgotten footsteps of great Christian philosophers who fleshed out Biblical thinking about animals.

Who invented veterinary medicine? What should a Christian think about animals? Are people better than animals? Do animals have souls? In an age of confusion about how we should relate to animals, this little book offers refreshing clarity. Whether you're a veterinarian, interested in going to veterinary school, or just want to know more about the theology of human-animal relations, this book is for you! Did you know Christians have been heavily involved in the discipline of veterinary medicine from its very start? By exploring their oft forgotten stories and highlighting passages from the Bible that inspired them, we will see that they found firm backing from the words of Scripture. What does the Bible say about veterinary medicine? Delve into the truth about what God thinks of His animal creation and learn how God means us to relate to the beasts. Follow in the forgotten footsteps of great Christian philosophers who fleshed out Biblical thinking about animals.

For millennia plant and animal species have received little sustained attention as subjects of Christian theology and ethics in their own right. Focused on the human dilemma of sin and redemptive grace, theology has considered the doctrine of creation to be mainly an overture to the main drama of human being`s relationship to God. What value does the natural world have within the framework of religious belief? The crisis of biodiversity in our day, when species are going extinct at more than 1,000 times the natural rate, renders this question acutely important. Standard perspectives need to be realigned; theology needs to look out of the window, so to speak as well as in the mirror. Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love leads to the conclusion that love of the natural world is an intrinsic element of faith in God and that far from being an add-on, ecological care is at the centre of moral life.

Animal rights is animal theology. The author argues that historical theology, creatively defined, must reject humanocentricity. He questions the assumption that if theology is to speak on this issue, 'it must only do so on the side of the oppressors.' His theological query investigates not only the abstractions of theory, but also the realities of hunting, animal experimentation, and genetic engineering. He is an important, pioneering, Christian voice speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

This book examines one of the most pressing cultural concerns that surfaced in the last decade - the question of the place and significance of the animal. This collection of essays represents the outcome of various conversations regarding the animal studies and shows multidisciplinarity at its very best, namely, a rigorous approach within one discipline in conversation with others around a common theme. The contributors discuss the most relevant disciplines regarding this conversation, namely: philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, theology, history of religions, archaeology and cultural studies. The first section, Thinking about Animals, explores philosophical, anthropological and religious perspectives, raising general questions about the human perception of animals and its crucial cultural significance. The second section explores the intriguing topic of the way animals have been used historically as religious symbols and in religious rituals. The third section re-examines some Christian theological and biblical approaches to animals in the light of current concerns. The final section extends the implications of traditional views about other animals to more specific ethical theories and practices.

What does the Christian tradition say about the condition and rights of animals? This helpful and timely anthology of selections from the Bible and from the great Christian thinkers of all times is an essential primer for those who care about animals. The book is organized around four themes--Attitudes to Creation; the Problem of Pain; the Question of Animal Redemption; and Reverence, Responsibilities, and Rights--and concludes with a section on practical issues--Animal Experimentation, Fur-Trapping, Hunting for Sport, Intensive Farming, and Killing for Food. This book includes selections from the following: the Bible, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, Karl Barth, St. Bonaventure, John Calvin, RenŽ Descartes, Austin Farrer, John Hick, St. Irenaeus, St. John of the Cross, C. S. Lewis, St. Thomas More, E. F. Schumacher, Albert Scheweitzer, Paul Tillich, Leo Tolstoy, Alec Vidler, John Wesley, and others

The United States is one of history's great Christian nations, but our unique history, success, and global impact have seduced us into believing we are something more--God's New Israel, the new order of the ages, the last best hope of mankind, a redeemer nation. Using the subtle categories that arise from biblical narrative, Between Babel and Beast analyzes how the heresy of Americanism inspired America's rise to hegemony while blinding American Christians to our failures and abuses of power. The book demonstrates that the church best serves the genuine good of the United States by training witnesses--martyr-citizens of God's Abrahamic empire.