David Clough North American Speaking Tour - A Must Attend!

If you have followed this blog at all, you know that David Clough is one of my heroes.  His On Animals, Vol. I: Systematic Theology formed the basis of several posts on this blog.  Now he is on tour to discuss On Animals Vol II: Christian Ethics.  I am so exited that I’m going to hear him twice! At Christ Church Rockville, MD on Sunday, Feb 3, at the adult forum and at the Dean’s forum at my alma mater, Wesley Theological Seminary in DC on Tuesday, Feb 5 at noon. Both events are free and open to the public. 

If you are not in DC, his North American tour schedule can be found at www.becreaturekind.org/on-animals-north-america-speaking-tour.

If you have any interest in what Christian ethics have to say about our relationships with animals, please find a speaking engagement near you to attend! You will be leave enlightened, informed, and perhaps even inspired.

David Clough

Why Caring About Animals Is Central To What It Means To Follow Christ

Recently, I was invited to speak at the adult forum at Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville, MD.  I was, of course, delighted to accept.  I very much enjoyed the hour, and hope that the congregation did, as well.  I'm sharing below a copy of my remarks.  

Christ Episcopal Church, Rockville, MD

 

Dominion In The Image Of God –

Why Caring About Animals Is Central To What It Means To Follow Christ

Remarks at Christ Episcopal Church, Rockville, MD

September 30, 2018

Good morning.  Thank you for inviting me here to talk with you, and thank you for the work the St. Francis Flock is doing in raising the issue of animal welfare as a Christian concern, and thank you for your support of this important work, Rev. Simpson.  There is a lot that I could talk about today, but given our limited time, I thought I would try to lay out what I think are the foundational concepts for a theology of animal welfare, and then answer any questions the group may have. 

I want to start with what might strike you as a fairly startling proposition:  that caring for animals is not just an appropriate Christian concern, I believe it is fundamental to what it means to be human, what it means to be created in God’s image, and what it means to carry out God’s will on earth.  To support that idea, I want to focus on the creation stories, which form the foundation of our understanding of our place as humans in God’s creation.  Specifically, I want to focus on the idea that we are created in God’s image and given dominion over the animals. That’s an idea that traditionally has been used to excuse exploitation of animals, but I think it is telling something very different indeed – and something that goes beyond what many mean when they use the word “stewardship” in place of dominion.

REFLECTIONS ON THE CONFESSION OF SIN

God of all mercy,

We confess that we have sinned against you,

Opposing your will in our lives.

We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves,

And in the world you have created.

We repent of the evil that enslaves us,

The evil we have done,

And the evil done on our behalf.

Forgive, restore, and strengthen us

Through our Savior Jesus Christ,

That we may abide in your love

And serve only your will. 

Amen.

            I am coming across this confession of sin more frequently in worship lately.1  It caught my attention the very first time I said it because of the repentance for “evil done on our behalf,” which strikes me as a very apt description of our societal treatment of animals who are not our pets. If only, I find myself thinking, those saying the confession had the vaguest idea that there was anything to confess in regard to their diet, their wardrobe, or their entertainment.  This line continues to pull at me each time I see or hear this confession, but it seems to me there is a great deal more here that relates to animals worth reflecting on.

            “God of all mercy.”  Let’s start here.  This is the God to whom we pray when we say this confession.  We start that way because it is the very nature of confession to recognize that we are in need of mercy and forgiveness for a wrong done.  Can we ask for mercy if we are unwilling to show it to those in our power who have done no wrong?  

The Prodigal Son, Salvator Rosa

            “We have sinned against you.”  When we support or ignore mistreatment of God’s creatures, we sin not only against those creatures, but against the One who made them, cares for them, covenants with them, and entrusted them to our care.

A NEW CREATION FOR THE ANIMALS, 
OR, DO ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN?

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

The calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. . . .

They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

                                                                  ~ Isaiah 11:6, 9

            Before my forced blogging hiatus as a result of a broken wrist, I was blogging my way through David Clough’s On Animals, Volume 1: Systematic Theology.  Although it has been some time since my last post on the topic, there is but one chapter left and I think it is time to let the last shoe drop.  As you know if you read those previous posts, I cannot recommend this book highly enough; it provides a very thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion of the place of animals – and humans – in Christian theology, considering our modern understanding of animal nature together with a careful reading of scripture and Christian tradition.  For Clough, taking animal welfare seriously is simply a matter of living in accordance with what Christians have always believed.  I am especially grateful for Clough’s emphasis on animal welfare as “a vital theological task,” which touches on nearly every element of what it means to be a Christian, and for the way he consistently urges us to look at and understand animals in new ways, asking us to appreciate their complexity, their individuality, and their place in the world.  Previous posts in this series are A Vital Theological Task, All Creatures of Our God and King, On Humans and Other Animals, The Heart of the Matter, and Do Animals Sin?  There is also a discussion with the author himself, Q&A With David Clough.  This post will look at Part III of Clough’s book, asking whether animals will be redeemed together with humans.

ANGER MANAGEMENT & TRUE CONFESSIONS

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

But only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs,

That it may benefit those who listen.

  

                              ~ Ephesians 4:29

            I’ll start right off with the confession:  I’ve been feeling a lot of anger lately.  Mostly it has to do with a ridiculous series of events related to my work involving (in my view) a serious injustice.  Of particular significance for this blog, my anger and lack of patience are spilling out of the workplace, and making me angry and impatient about things relating to animals and the lack of things I see and hear from the church relating to animals.  How can people continue to do X, I stomp about wondering, and why won’t the church speak up about Y?

            Now, my clients are excited that I am angry at work because they want me to fight for them.  But I worry about being, shall we say, too truthful about my views with the wrong people, with unhelpful repercussions.  Similarly, when I think about how to convince the church of the importance of engaging on the topics of animal suffering and how human responsibility for that suffering impacts us theologically, I worry these days about being a little too forthcoming; I forget that what seems utterly self-evident to me now never occurred to me at all until just a few years ago.  Unmanaged anger is almost never constructive, and usually hurts us more than the object of our fury.  

          

Thank you, Sarx

I just wanted to share this link to Sarx.com, another site addressing animals and theology.  They were kind enough to ask me about how I came to understand animal welfare as a theological matter.  Here is my reply.  While you are there, check out some of the other great stories and resources on their page. 

I AM CECIL

“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

We have all heard a great deal about Cecil, the lion in Zimbabwe who was killed by an American dentist on safari.  Cecil was not just any lion; he was a lion being tracked by researchers inside a national park.  He was well known for his magnificent black mane and he was a favorite with locals and tourists.  Nor was this just any hunting expedition.  This was a guaranteed kill outing and it is reported that Cecil, who, popular as he was, had become accustomed to humans, was intentionally lured outside the protections of the park with an animal carcass so that he could be “legally” killed.  And it was not just any kill.  Cecil was shot with an arrow, which failed to kill him, and he suffered for upwards of 40 hours – nearly two days - before he was finally found and killed with a shotgun.  He was then skinned and decapitated so the American, who had paid more than $50,000 for the privilege, could have his trophy.

            There is so much about this to be outraged over – and many people and nations have been outraged.  There is now a proposal in the senate to ban the import of animal trophies not just to animals on the endangered species list, but to those proposed for listing as well.  Botswana has banned sport hunting and exporting of wild animals, including lions, from the country.  Several airlines are now refusing to carry trophy animals. This tragedy has, at least, put a spotlight on this terrible “sport” and some good will result.   

            But is this a Christian concern?  The secular world is moving on this.  Does the church need to do anything?  Absolutely.

WHAT THE POPE DIDN’T SAY

Clearly, the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism

unconcerned for other creatures.

            ~ Pope Francis, Laudato Si, #68

            There have been a great many articles and blog posts about the recent papal encyclical tackling environmental stewardship, Laudato Si (or Praise Be), from Pope Francis.  The animal welfare community has joined the chorus, touting the many statements supporting a Christian concern for animals as a dramatic step forward for animals.  Without wanting to rain on anyone’s parade, and while recognizing that there is much in the encyclical for those of us who care about animals as theological matter to be excited about, I was both surprised and disappointed by what the Pope did not say.  The encyclical gives us cause for hope as a theological community at the same time that it underscores how far was have to go and how much work there is yet to do. 

The Pope has underscored, strengthened, and perhaps expanded church teaching on human responsibility for the environment, including animals, and he has made a strong showing that human welfare and the welfare of the environment are closely intertwined.  In the process he made important statements regarding how Roman Catholics, at a minimum, should understand other living beings.  He has provided us with good, strong tools to use in building theological arguments about how we should treat the animals we encounter on a daily basis.  But he has not used those tools to make the arguments himself, and he has not provided guidance on how what he has said should impact our relationships with animals.

BUT WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY

(AND ITS COROLLARY, WE’VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE)

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
                                   Isaiah 43:19   

       Anyone who has ever been involved in church committees is familiar with the cry, “But we’ve always done it that way!”  Whether the topic is the order of service, the language of the prayers, the color of the carpet, or where the cups for coffee hour are stored, church folk are resistant to change.  Of course, this is not unique to church folk (try changing the menu for family holidays), but “the way things have always been” does seem to have a particularly strong pull in our places of worship. 

Dave Walker, Cartoon Church

Perhaps this should not be surprising, since – at least for many Christian traditions – worship is deeply tied with ritual, and when we come to our houses of worship, we want to feel welcome and secure and sure-footed, notwithstanding Anne Dillard’s excellent admonition that we should come prepared for anything, wearing crash helmets.[1]  Often we have treasured memories of walking down that carpet on our wedding day or with our newly-baptized infant; we remember how that one particular prayer got us through a difficult time and it comforts us to say it again every Sunday.[2]  In a rapidly changing world, we like to think that here, at least, we can rely on things to be as they have always been.  Introducing new practices is hard, can lead to conflict, and needs to be undertaken with care. 

            Introducing new ideas is even harder.  Introducing new ideas that ask people to change long-cherished practices is, perhaps, hardest of all.  For church leaders, balancing so many things and facing so many challenges (not least declining church membership), it might be too much to ask.  Even so:

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Open our eyes, our hearts, our ears to the cries of all those whose distress we would ignore:

refugees and prisoners; victims of greed or fraud;

those injured by the abuse of power and privilege.

Give us, O God, the heart and the will for compassion and mercy.

We look to you in hope.

Come, Lord Jesus.  Come.

  

         This was one of the prayers at the Washington National Cathedral last Sunday.  It struck me that here, if only those who were praying knew it, was a prayer for the animals.  

• Refugees:  all the pets in animal shelters; abandoned, lost, they got "too big," they got "too old," their people died or moved and didn't take them, some of them very seriously abused.  All of them needing refuge, care, love - and waiting for a home of their own where they can live in peace with those they love.
• Prisoners:  all the animals in testing labs enduring lives of pain, fear, and loneliness; animals kept for "caged hunts," animals kept for fighting.
• Victims of greed or fraud: puppies in puppy mills; animals in roadside zoos and circuses; exotic animals on display; animals hunted to near extinction or raised on cruel "farms" so that parts of their bodies can be used for "medicine."
• Those injured by the abuse of power and privilege: all the animals we call food, especially those in factory farms; animals killed for their fur: baby seals clubbed to death, animals caught in steel leg traps, animals confined in fur farms; the victims of trophy hunters.

      And so many more.  

     Open our eyes, our hearts, our ears to the cries of all those whose distress we would ignore.  Give us, O God, the heart and the will for compassion and mercy.  We look to you in hope.  Come, Lord Jesus. Come.  

Detail of Nativity by Andrea Previtali

IN CONVERSATION: 

Q&A With David Clough

"When Christians get the chance to think about these issues, they recognize that treating other animals better is an obvious step to take in putting into practice a faith-based view of the world."

                                          -  David Clough

   
         Not long ago, I reached out to David Clough, whose book On Animals Volume I: Systematic Theology, I've been discussing in my last few posts (here, here, and here).  We corresponded about his book and his thoughts about animal advocacy within the Christian community, where it stands now, where it may be going, and what we can do.  Here are some of his thoughts on these topics and others.

Q:      How did you first become interested in animals as a matter of theological concern?

A: Questions of origin are always interesting! I remember a classmate at school giving a presentation against laboratory research on animals when I was 14 that impressed me. I also remember sitting alone on a Scottish hill in the Cairngorms during a hiking trip, and witnessing a reindeer walk past only a short distance away, look at me in the eye for what seemed a long time, and then amble slowly off. I became vegetarian when I was 18. I’m convinced that my Christian faith was a key influence on this choice: a simple belief that that if it’s possible to live without depending on the suffering and killing of others of God’s animal creatures, that is obviously preferable for Christians. Since then I’ve been surprised at how few fellow Christians make a similar connection, and I think it was that puzzlement, a sense of wanting to explore the issue in depth, and a sense of the scandal in the way we treat other animals, especially in intensive farming, that motivated me to focus my academic work on the topic. I’d like to persuade fellow Christians that they have faith-based reasons for respecting the lives of their fellow animal creatures before God. 

THE LEAST OF THESE

Matthew 25: 41- 44, 45

Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 

For I was hungry and you gave me no food.

I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing,

Sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

. . . Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."

May God give us ears to hear and eyes to see; and may God help us to do better.    


_________________________________________________________________
Photo credits: 
Horse: eXtensionHorses CC-BY-SA-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Puppy mill: public domain
Dog in the snow: Radu Sigheti/Reuters, TheStar.com
Battery caged chickens:  Maqi CC-BY-SA-3.0  via Wikimedia Commons
Pigs in gestation crates: Farm Sanctuary
Monkey in lab: public domain

ON HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS

More on the Doctrine of Creation in David Clough’s On Animals, Vol. 1

I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals.  For the fate of human beings and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other.  They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals . . .

                   ~ Ecclesiastes 3:18-19

            If it is true that the purpose of all of creation is to be in relationship with God as Trinity, as I discussed in All Creatures Of Our God And King, what does that mean for the place of humans in creation, and what does it mean for the place of other animals?  How are humans and other animals the same; what sets them apart?  What sets humans and other animals apart from the rest of creation? 

            In Chapters 2 and 3 of David Clough’s On Animals, he seeks to put all these pieces together.   As he did in Chapter 1, Cough surveys a number of traditional answers to these questions and considers how they stack up against what scripture has to tell us.  The fundamental point to keep in mind, Clough reminds us, is that, “[i]n the face of many philosophical and religious views that posited various forms of continuity between God and creation, Christian theologians have insisted on the importance of a clear boundary between the two” (p. 26). 

Clough calls this a “radical and distinctively Christian insight” which undermines all attempts to build a hierarchy of creatures:  we are all, humans, other animals, angels, stars, and rocks, created by and separate from God.  We may seek to be with God, but we may not seek to be God.  Thus, “we must recognize that our basic relationship to creation is to recognize that we are part of it” (p.27).  

Living Legacy:  Faith Voices on Animal Protection (Updated 11/1/14)

        Here is a great new three-part video series from the Human Society of the United States Faith Outreach Department.  In this series, three notable animal advocates, whose faith inspires their concern for animals, speak about three such figures from the past.  HSUS explains: 

• Eric Metaxas discusses William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of Britain’s Parliament, best known for championing the equal rights of all human beings through the passage of the Foreign Slave Trade Act (1806-07). Wilberforce also passionately fought for the welfare of animals, seeing a direct link between how humans treat animals and how they treat their neighbors.
• Dr. Karen Swallow Prior discusses Hannah More and her commitment to reforming culture. More, a close friend of William Wilberforce, advocated for the abolition of slavery and the improvement of morals, education, religion and animal welfare.
• Dr. Jerry Root discusses C.S. Lewis and the concern he had for animals throughout his life. A writer and Christian apologist, Lewis is best known for his fictional work, especially The Chronicles of Narnia, and for his nonfiction such as Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain.

Here is a link to a discussion of the series in Desert News.   As noted in that article, and as these videos make clear, there is a long history of people committed to living into their faith taking up the banner of animal welfare,even if the topic is rarely addressed in our faith communities:

The forgotten faith connection
Animal welfare activism, like environmentalism, is often associated with liberal politics and secular culture in American society.

Prior said that's likely because faith leaders stopped talking about the issue in their communities, leaving other social issues to fill the void.

"Anytime the church fails (to address) a topic, then other voices are going to pick it up," she said. "And they're not going to pick it up in the same way we would."

Metaxas shared a similar sentiment in one of the Wilberforce videos, explaining that, "Many people write it off as a left-wing obsession, but the reality is that the roots of it comes from people of faith."

In fact, for 34 of the Humane Society's 60 years of operation, the organization was under the leadership of an ordained pastor. John Hoyt, a Presbyterian minister, served as president from 1970 to 1992 and Paul Irwin, a Methodist minister, from 1992 to 2004.

We are in good company, indeed, when we argue for Christian concern for animals -- and when we argue that how we relate to animals is an important issue of faith, and that the concern for animals and the concern for humans goes hand in hand. 

A Vital Theological Task

“I agree with Barth, however, that theology is finally fruitless unless the results of its reflections are brought to bear on questions of practice.”

“The animal question is a properly theological one in the sense that it raises and illuminates issues concerning the adequacy and coherence of Christian doctrine in the areas of trinity, creation, covenant, incarnation, atonement, eschatology, Christology, pneumatology, and beyond.”

                    ~ David L. Clough,

                                                        On Animals, Volume I: Systematic Theology

            We should seek to live according to what we say we believe, and our relationships with animals touch on nearly every aspect of what it means to be Christian.  These are two animating themes underlying David L. Clough’s book, On Animals, Volume I: Systematic Theology.  Since they are also two animating themes underlying this blog, you will not be surprised to learn that I am a big fan of this book.  Clough comes at these issues by delving into fundamental Christian doctrines to see where and how animals, and our relationships with them, might fit into or be informed by those doctrines.  I want to consider a number of ideas Clough discusses and I will do so over the course of several (not necessarily consecutive) posts in coming months.  Today, I just want to consider Clough’s forward and introduction, by way of setting the stage and explaining why I am so excited about this book. 

My dog-eared copy

REFLECTIONS ON THE LITURGY

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity:  Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

~ Collect of the Day, September 28, 2014

            It is sadly true that I often listen to the liturgy on a Sunday through the ears of our fellow creatures.  I listen to hear what our prayers, our hymns, and our sermons are teaching us about our relationships with animals. It is sad because it can be a source of distraction, annoyance, and impatience.  I hear the opportunities not taken for instruction, the unfortunate turns of phrase, and the prayers not said.  This is not the best path to worship.  It is, however, a predictable result when one is passionate about a subject that most clergy and worshippers don’t even think of as relevant to worship.  I try (some Sundays with greater success than others) to turn those feelings of dissatisfaction into motivation to do good, and to turn my attention back to the service.

            Some of the prayers and readings on Sunday, September 28, struck me as particularly instructive regarding why, if we will only pay attention to what we say we believe, we will come to understand our obligations of mercy and compassion toward our fellow creatures, and how there are so many opportunities to bring an awareness of those obligations to light in worship.  In this post, I want to take a look at the Episcopal liturgy for that day, to try to illustrate what I mean.

The Book of Common Prayer

A BLESSING FOR ST. FRANCIS DAY

“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 Assis

 

       This blessing is identified in some places as "a Franciscan blessing," but I don't know the origin of it.  Nevertheless, I think it is an important one for animals, and for the links between disregard of animals suffering and disregard of human suffering, a link St. Francis readily made.  (A link so clear now, in fact, that the FBI now recognizes animal cruelty as a Group A felony, just like homicide, arson, and assault.)   So, as you read the blessig below, think especially of the animals in factory farms, fur farms, laboratories, steel leg traps, hoarding situations, puppy mills, chained in yards, locked in basements, dodging bb shot, wounded by arrows from hunters, fenced in canned hunting grounds, and more.  Pray that the church, and all humans, will come to see all of these practices as the indefensible cruelty they are and we that we can all work together to make the world a kinder place for both humans and other animals.   

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships,

so that you may live deep in your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of [any creature],

so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,

so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world,

so that you can do what other claim cannot be done.

Amen.

 

May God grant you a joyous and blessed St. Francis Day, filled with the joy of companionship - human and animal, and strengthen you to do His work for the animals in the days and years to come.  

Here is a link to my St. Francis Day post from last year, How To Be A Blessing To The Animals. 

FOLLOWING UP ON LAST WEEK'S POST (Updated Oct 5)

"In a report this year, the World Health Organization called antibiotic resistance 'a problem so serious it threatens the achievements of modern medicine.'"

                                                                                       - Reuters 

     Update:  Here is yet another article on the relationship between human and animal suffering.  This one is coauthored by Paul Shapiro from the Humane Society of the United States and Eric Nicholson of the United Farm Workers.  It addresses ag-gag laws and their impact on both animals and workers in factory farms: Industry Hides Animal Cruelty Instead of Ending It.   This one opens by saying that workers at a factory farm that is a member of the Darigold Cooperative in Washington have been advised that employees caught taking photos or videos of the facility will be "subject to immediate dismissal."  The article continues: "We have been hearing from many Darigold farmworkers about poor treatment of both cows and workers. Too often, workers are forced to milk sick and injured cows instead of helping the cows get treated. Too often, workers bring their own drinking water to work because of filthy conditions at the dairy."

 ---------------------------------------------

     Here are some links to a couple of things I saw this week that relate to my post last week.  The first one is an article from Reuters regarding the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry and its impact on the rise of antibiotic-resistent "superbugs:" 

Farmaceuticals: The Drugs Fed to Farm Animals And The Risks Posed To Humans.

Here's how it opens:  "Major U.S. poultry firms are administering antibiotics to their flocks far more pervasively than regulators realize, posing a potential risk to human health."

     Here is an article from Huffington Post by Moby, discussing the connections between factory farming and harm to the environment and world hunger- it includes a lot of excellent information, including this tidbit, "It takes around 15 pounds of grain to make one pound of beef - which can feed a couple people for a few hours. In comparison, 13 pounds of grain fed to humans directly can feed 13 people for most of the day."  Save The Humans.

       Finally, here  is a photo posted on Facebook by VegNews Magazine:  

       Animal welfare is not just about what's good for animals.  For Christians called to live in the image of God, however, even what's good for animals should be enough.

    

10 REASONS FOR CHURCH LEADERS TO CARE ABOUT ANIMAL WELFARE 

 “Pain is pain, whether it is inflicted on man or beast, and the creature that suffers from it, whether man or beast, being sensible of the misery of it while it lasts, suffers Evil.”

                                                          ~  Rev. Humphrey Primatt, A Dissertationon the Duty of Mercy and the Sin of Cruelty to Brute Animals (1776)

       
      Animal welfare as a theological concern is generally disregarded in Christian churches.  When we ignore the suffering of animals, however, we ignore human suffering and Christian development, as well.  In today’s world, where so many animals suffer as never before, understanding the connections between human problems and animal welfare is increasingly essential in addressing congregational needs.  If we are serious about social justice, world hunger, immigration, deforestation, climate change, environmental stewardship, bringing the kingdom of God, or living into the image of God, we must care about animal welfare. With that in mind, I propose, as a start, the following list of reasons why understanding the issues central to animal welfare – and in particular factory farming – is critical to a Christian understanding of how humans are called to live in relation to God. 
 
            1. Factory farming disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.

     Factory farming is not only horrific for the animals, the laborers in these facilities and in the high speed slaughterhouses they supply do work that is difficult, dangerous, and poorly paid.  As Food Is Power explains:

A large percentage of factory farm workers are people of color including migrant workers from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. . . . An unknown percentage of full-time and part-time workers are undocumented. Employers find undocumented workers to be ideal recruits because they are less likely to complain about low wages and hazardous working conditions.

Sustainable Table has this to say about conditions workers might complain about:

ON THE LOSS OF A PET

Loving God, you brought this beloved animal into the life of N. [and N.] to share kindness, joy, and faithful companionship: Receive our thanks and praise for the

community between your animals and your people, and all the ways in which we bless each other’s lives; in your goodness, Blessed Creator, hear our prayer.

                                          ~   From the Service At The Loss Of A Beloved Animal, Episcopal Church

              In a recent edition of Christianity Today’s blog, Her-meneutics, Karen Swallow Prior offers a beautiful reflection on the loss of a pet.  I have had the honor of meeting Prior at events hosted by the Human Society of the United States Faith Outreach Department and I follow her on Twitter (@LoveLifeLitGod).  I am very grateful for such an eloquent and heartfelt voice for animals in the Christian community.  Nevertheless, I must take issue with a portion of what she says.  (For a related post, see Praying For Pets.)

            Prior opens her reflection recounting a time when, just days after having lost a pet, she had to travel to a conference, where she was still so overcome with grief she could not eat.  She writes:

If I had been mourning the death of a person, my life would have been understandably put on hold. I wouldn’t have been expected to go to work the day following her death. I could have cancelled my trip.

. . .

When a family member dies, the bereft are offered sympathy, support, and condolences, from meals and visits, to cards and flowers, to the funeral service, burial, and beyond. Not so when the family member that dies is a pet.

When we mourn the loss of a pet, we mourn alone.

Then, although acknowledging that the love we feel for our pets is very real, as is the loss we suffer when they are gone, she says, “I’m not going to argue that it should be otherwise.  Nor will I argue that the death of a pet should be treated with the same moral, emotional, or social weight as the death of a person. It should not.”  Here is where I take issue with Prior.  I think we enter deep waters here, and need proceed carefully, both pastorally and theologically.