DOMINION AND POWER – PART TWO

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

                                                          ~ Ezekiel 36:26

            I wanted to do an addendum to my most recent post on dominion and power because in the last few days a particular incident has been in the news and making the rounds on the internet that illustrates some of the concepts I was talking about in that post.  According to the story as summarized by the UK's Daily Mail:

·         ‘Under Wild Skies’ [a program on NBC Sports] is hosted by Tony Makris, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association

·         In a highlighted reel from this week's episode, Makris travels to Botswana and hunts an elephant, shooting it several times before it dies

·         Makris laughs as the animal lets out one last groan after the final shot and then he jokes about wanting to hunt for birds

·         Makris celebrates the hunt by drinking champagne

·         Some NBC Sports viewers are now calling on the network to cancel the show

More on this story is available from the Huffington Post and other sources.  There is much to comment on here, and none of it is encouraging.  First, there is the chilling aspect of the “sport” of trophy hunting itself – the taking of life for pure entertainment value.  Second, there is the raw cruelty of laughter in the face of the clear pain and terror of another creature.  Third, there is the brutality of the killing, which required several shots and clear suffering before the elephant died. All of it celebrated with champagne.  There is nothing of God’s dominion here.   

           

DOMINION AND POWER

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

~ Micah 6:8

The second half of Genesis 1:26 tells us that, coupled with creation in His image, God gave us dominion over the animals.  Bruce Birch explains, “God’s resolve to create in the divine image is coupled with a commissioning to have dominion. . . . It is as representative (image) of God that we are given capacity for power in the world.”[1]  Birch adds, “We are not absolute monarchs in the world but trustees or stewards acting in behalf of God’s sovereignty as Creator.”[2]  Moreover, because our authority over animals is a delegated power, it is not absolute; it is answerable to God, who ultimately rules over all.  This delegation of power over creation comes with an “implied moral norm [that measures] human actions by reference to their faithfulness in reflecting God’s will and ultimate rule.”[3]  Likewise, Christopher Wright explains, that exercise of power over creation “must reflect the character and values of God’s own kingship” and requires careful reflection on the character of God.[4]

  The Ruler we are to represent, as Walter Brueggemann explains, is “one who governs by gracious self-giving.”[5] Citing 2 Cor. 4:4 and Col. 1:15, Brueggemann argues that Christians are to view their dominion through the lens of Jesus Christ, whose “identity as God’s image on earth is evident in his readiness to turn from himself toward creation . . .”[6]  Jesus shows us that it is the nature of God to look after the interests of others, even those of “lesser value.” 

Moreover, as Terrence Fretheim explains, this duty of nurturing care “centers on the animals.”[7]  It is the animals to whom we owe this precious duty.  The animals are intended to know the character God through interactions with humans.  The entire structure of creation as God intended it, Fretheim contends, is intended to bring “the world along to its fullest possible creational potential.”[8]  Dominion is, Fretheim says, “a power-sharing relationship” with God, connoting “care-giving, even nurturing, not exploitation,” and imposes on humans the responsibility to “relate to the nonhuman as God relates to them.” [9]

If we are sharing power over creation – and in particular over the animals – with God, that should lead us to ask: what is the right exercise of power? 

WHAT DO ANIMALS HAVE TO DO WITH CHARACTER?

“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their fellow men.”

                                                       ~   St. Francis of Assisi

     

      If it is true that our exercise of dominion over animals is intertwined with our creation in God’s image, then it is also true that how we relate to animals is reflective of who we are.  God tasked humans with, indeed in the NIV translation of Genesis 1:26, God created humans for the express purpose of, reflecting God’s character to the rest of the creatures through the exercise of dominion.  How we exercise that dominion, then, is reflective of what we were created to be and to do – and thus, of who we are. 

            This connection has been recognized in Scripture, in theology, in philosophy, and even in modern law enforcement.  How then is it that faith communities continue to ignore the impact of large-scale institutionalized animal cruelty on who we are and how we relate to God?

The connection between how we relate to animals and our central character is a theme that runs quietly through much of Scripture.  In Proverbs, for example, we learn that caring for one’s animals is a sign of righteousness (Prov. 12:10).   Moses found his bride and his father-in-law Jethro after helping Jethro’s daughters to water their sheep (Ex. 2:15-22).  He also discovered the burning bush while tending his father-in-law’s sheep (Ex. 3: 1-2).  The Midrash[1] explains “how Moses discovered the burning bush while he was carrying a stray sheep back to the flock.  It was not great strength that qualified him as a leader, nor a sharp mind, good looks or personal wealth. It was his great compassion for the smallest and weakest among his charges that made Moses fit to lead the nation.”[2] 

WHAT IS THIS BLOG ALL ABOUT?

He expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry.

                               Isaiah 5:7

Welcome to Dominion In The Image Of God!  I hope you will visit the About This Blog and About Me pages to learn more about what has motivated me to launch this project and why I believe this topic is so important.  It starts with Genesis 1:26, which tells us that our relationships with animals are inextricably linked with our creation in God’s image.  I believe that, just as our creation in God’s image has been called foundational to what it means to be human[1], so our relationships with animals are foundational to who we are and how we relate to God.  It is my hope that in learning to fulfill the responsibility given to us at the creation to treat animals with mercy and compassion on God’s behalf, we can not only make the world a better place for animals, but we can become more fully human as God intended us to be, growing into God's image and drawing closer to Him as we care for what is His.