Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
Welcome to Dominion In The Image of God! I chose this name for this blog because I believe that Genesis 1 tells us that our relationships with animals are inextricably intertwined with our creation God’s image. That means, in contrast to what we usually assume, that our relationships with animals are extraordinarily important to who we are and how we relate to God. In Genesis 1:26, God gives us a task: to exercise dominion over the animals; He gives the ability to carry out that task by creating us in His image. How we exercise the authority He has given us, therefore, is a reflection of the character of God.
Traditionally, most ideas about what it means to be created in the image of God are based not in Scripture but in philosophy. They focus on things believed to set humans apart from - and above - animals. More recently, scholars have considered the phrase "image of God" in its scriptural context as well as the context of the ancient cultures in which the Scriptures were written down. They have concluded that the phrase suggests we are created in God’s image so that we might represent God to the rest of creation, in the same way that an ancient king would place an image of himself in far-flung corners of his empire to represent his rule.*
This means that our creation in the image of God is less about privilege than it is about responsibility. This should not surprise us since it is in keeping with the unswerving principle in Scripture that power and authority always come with responsibility and obligation.
It is important to note that Genesis 1:26 talks about our creation in God’s image as it relates specifically to dominion over the animals. The creation care movement has done great work in opening the eyes of faith communities to our responsibilities to the earth. Too often, however, this movement has failed to address the differences between animals and the earth. Animals, as sentient creatures, require an extra measure of care. They require not just our good stewardship, but our mercy and compassion. Each animal is a unique individual, capable of both happiness and sorrow. Just as God understands this about humans, so we are called to understand it about our fellow creatures.
In order to know how to carry out this very first task given us by God – that is, in order to understand how to exercise right dominion -- we need to look at how God exercises dominion over us and we need to look at that perfect Image of God: Jesus Christ. The gift of dominion, I believe, is an invitation to learn about who God is by representing His character to our fellow creatures.
It is my hope that in learning to fulfill our responsibility to the animals with mercy and compassion, 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.
In this blog, I hope to make a contribution to this conversation, however small, by considering the many (often overlooked) places Scripture talks about animals, Scripture passages that speak to power and mercy, other theological resources, the work of animal behaviorists (ethologists), and other scientific and cultural resources. I welcome your comments. Knowing that those of us of deeply held faith and those of us who work in animal rescue and advocacy often have strong views, I ask that any disagreements be expressed civilly, that these conversations may also become opportunities to learn how to understand those who are different from us and how to reflect the character of God.
Please see my first post for additional thoughts on what this blog is about.
About the photo of Christ as the Good Shepherd: This is a detail of a photograph I took of a stained glass window at Christ Church, an Episcopal church in St. Michaels, Maryland.
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* See, for example, the work of Bruce Waltke, Walter Brueggemann, Bruce Birch, and Terrence Freitheim.
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