'We are the servant species', by Catherine von Ruhland
CHRISTIAN HERALD 28 September 2002
'We Are the servant species'
Have we misunderstood God’s Word that we should "rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air"?
CATHERINE VON RUHLAND reports
ALMOST a quarter of the world’s mammals could be extinct within 30 years unless humanity changes its destructive ways. Across the world’s seven con-tinents, flora and fauna are already disappearing at an alarming rate. The Black rhino, the Siberian tiger, the Amur leopard of Asia, South America’s short-tailed chinchilla and the Philipine eagle are just some of the species which face quick demise. A United Nations report on the state of the global environment published earlier this year identified 11,046 endangered species of plants and animals. And it is our own activities, most notably the destruction of habi-tats by human encroachment plus the introduction of ‘alien’ species from one part of the globe to another that are to blame for the looming threat to the earth’s biodiversity~ And the situation is getting worse. "We are simply edging other creatures off God’s good earth," warns the Rev Prof Andrew Linzey, a Senior Research Fellow in Theology and Animals at Oxford University, and author of the seminal Animal Theology. "This is a betrayal of our commission to look after creation. In Genesis chapter 1, God creates a world for all kinds of species, all of which are blessed and given their own living space. It is quite clear that God isn’t just interested in the human species." The 1,130 mammals cited in the Global Environment Outlook-3 (Geo- 3) report of the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) represent 24% of the total mammal species, whilst the 1,183 species of birds listed represents 12% of bird life. There are also 5,611 plant species facing extinction, though in reality this figure is likely to be much higher since only 4% of the world’s known plant species have been properly evaluated. Reviewing the past 30 years of environmental degradation as well as looking forward three decades, Geo-3 identifies the exploitation of natural resources, pollution, habitat destruction, the introduction of alien species, and global climate change as major threats to life on earth. It stresses that conserving the earth’s biodiversity a vital element in tack-ling growing poverty worldwide. Professor Linzey claims that Christians should be concerned not simply because environmental destruction and a decrease in biodi-versity has an inevitable impact on the human race, but also because God demands us to care about his creation. "Humans are made in the image of God, and given ‘dominion’ (KJV), which doesn’t mean tyranny but rather looking after the world in accordance with God’s moral will. The best reading of Genesis 1 is not that we are the ‘master species’, but rather the ‘servant species’. Precisely because we are made in the image of God we must reflect God’s love and generosity to other creatures." But doesn’t all this worrying about wildlife detract the believer from the Great Commission to draw people to Christ? "Of course, Christian preach-ing centres on human salvation," stresses Professor Linzey. "Humans need it! Alone in creation humans are sinful and wicked. But animals need to be saved from greedy, sinful, wicked human beings. Animals will also be redeemed. "St Paul makes this clear in Romans 8:18, when he compares the suffering creation to a woman groaning in childbirth awaiting deliverance. Animals will achieve the long awaited freedom that human sinfulness has denied them. God the redeemer cannot be smaller than God the creator." But surely there’s enough suffering among humans to care about? "It’s very rare to find a Christian animal welfare supporter who isn’t working equally hard for the relief of human suffering. It’s not a case of either/or. It’s both," says May Tripp, who found-ed Animal Christian Concern 17 years ago to bring a Christian voice to the debate on animal welfare. "We should be concerned about all suffering, both animal and humans," agrees Professor Linzey. "God is the creator if all things. Look at Job 40:1-34, and Job 41:1-14 and 31-4. God rebukes human pride and compares man unfavourably with the other creatures like the Leviathan and the Behemoth. Properly understood, our superi-ority to animals cannot justify behaving in a morally inferior way." "When Jesus spoke of the sparrow, he was speaking about the mar-ketplace where people were sold as slaves as well. God was seeing all things," points out May Tripp. "Of course, greater value is placed on human beings. We are made in God’s image. But our responsibility is then all the more great. It cuts both ways. Our responsibility to care is greater than that of the sparrow". The treaties and conventions passed since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, including the Kyoto pro-tocol on climate change and the convention on biodiversity as well as this summer’s World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, go some way to recti-fying many of the identified prob-lems. But only if governments are prepared to implement them, and many (especially the United States) have been reluctant or slow to do so. That would be depressing were it not for the philosophical overlap between animal welfare supporters, environmentalists, and Christians. The Green mandate to "act local, think global parallels the Christian understanding that an act of love, however small, done in God’s name can reap big and unexpected positive change, that what each one of us does in our day to day lives matters. We must, of course, take account that only at the end of time will all ultimately be made whole, but our job as Christians on this earth is to help prepare the groundwork. In the past, Christians were at the forefront of challenging cruelty to animals. Indeed, the RSPCA was founded by Anglican cleric Arthur Broome and backed by Lord Shaftesbury and William Wilberforce. "Churches need to recover the sense that cruelty to any living creature is incompatible with the Gospel," says Professor Linzey. "Church leaders should be leading the campaign to abolish hunting with hounds for sport. Cruelty can-not co-exist with generosity. "The care of animals is a Gospel issue," Professor Linzey points out. "The Gospel is about the free, unlimited, generous love of God for the entire creation glimpsed in the life, passion, self-sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is good news for the entire created order. God cares for each and every living creature. Not one sparrow is forgotten by God."
