Kay Warren's Controversy (now at Jesus Creed)

I appreciate this discussion. I've always have been an animal lover. As someone who grew up raising beef cattle, I think many of us need to be far more conscious of how those creatures upon which we depend are treated (a value instilled on the farm). If memory serves, early animal welfare org's sprang from the same Christian root as human rights advocacy. "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10). When we abuse or abandon fellow humans we directly violate the image of God they bear. When we wantonly harm our fellow creatures we degrade the One in whose stead we are stewards. I agree with Warren's broad point (I won't feel guilty eating fish tonight; I probably would if I harvested a few neighbor kids) but think she could be more nuanced. I do see a problem in our culture as people have fewer social connections and more income. It's one thing to love and appreciate animals; it's another to turn them into surrogate children.

The implications of an ecological view must be
added to this discussion. Prior to Aldo Leopold
the land managers of this world, no matter theological
positions, operated too narrowly. It was Rachel Carson
who opened peoples eyes in the biological sense.
Not theologians, but profoundly important to
any discussion of life here and sustainabilty.

A theological perspective? Well, I'm not a theologian but I will offer the closest I have to 'theological' thoughts.

First, I think we should avoid speaking with certainty about details of the eschaton. The truth is that we do not truly know what it means for creation to be made new. I am inclined to believe several things based on the Christian belief that 'eternality' (for lack of a better word) is an attribute only of God. First, it seems to be only man who was created with the potential for either mortality or immortality (an immortality derived from a sharing or communion in the life of God). We did not and do not naturally choose life so death reigned over man. In the incarnation, faithful life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God joined the human nature with his own, defeated the power of death, and changed the cosmos so that it is no longer the nature of man to die. And so it seems to me likely that even in a creation made new and with man properly serving, administering, and working within it, some sort of cycle of life will continue. But I hold that lightly and am perfectly willing to be wrong.

With that said, I do not think that the sort of reduction the author's post indicated is either desirable or possible. We were created to care for creation and reflect God into its every nook and cranny. As Christians, if we embrace that vocation, we cannot say that we will only care for human beings. Our love and care, it seems, must spill onto every part of the world we touch. That's why we see Wilberforce, for one example, not only fighting against all odds to abolish slavery, but establishing the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It's all interwoven and interconnected.

We all need to do more on every front, not less on any. That's the best 'theological' answer I can give.