The Church and the Environment: Humane Treatment of Wildlife - S05E18

Send us Fan MailS05E18: The Church and the Environment: Humane Treatment of WildlifeSeries: The Church and the EnvironmentHost: Rev. Dr. Charles ZutaA farmer once hooked up his ox early in the morning and put it to work threshing grain. Hour after hour, the animal walked in circles, crushing the harvest that would feed the household. The grain was right there beneath its feet—but the farmer had tied a muzzle over its mouth so it couldn’t take even a bite.No one else was watching. It would’ve been easy to justify. After all… it’s just an animal, right? But Scripture speaks directly into that moment: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”And that raises a bigger question… why would God care about something like that?So let me ask you—what does it really mean that God gave humanity “dominion” over the earth? Is it about control… or something deeper?Because when you start reading through the Bible—even in small, easily overlooked laws—you begin to notice a pattern. God actually cares a great deal about how we treat animals. Proverbs even says that a righteous person cares for the needs of their animals… which means this isn’t just about farming—it’s about character.So the Bible doesn’t call us to worship animals—but it definitely doesn’t give us permission to be harsh or careless with them either. Why? Because they’re part of God’s creation… and we’ve been entrusted with their care, not given a license to exploit them.In this episode, we’re going to unpack that idea: What does Scripture really say about how we treat wildlife? And what does that reveal about the kind of people God calls us to be?#podcast #fountainoflife #RevCharlesZuta #relationshipsSupport the show