Bible and Theology on Animals

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My Brother BIrds

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 148:7, 10-13, Matthew 6:26, Job 12:7-10, Genesis 1:20-21, Psalm 104:12, 24, Mark 16:15, Colossians 1:16-17

Unlike most of us, Francis of Assissi's love of preaching extended beyond just human beings. On one of his journeys through the valley of Spoleto, near Bevagna, Francis of Assisi came upon a large...

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Re-Wilding and Restoring Balance to Nature

Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 5:1, Galatians 5:13, John 8:36

In 1995, the gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after a seventy-year hiatus. Scientists expected an ecological ripple effect, but the size and scope of the trophic cascade took th...

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Adapted from Psalm 8 (WEB)

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 8:null

Leader: Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! People: You have set your glory above the heavens! Leader: From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, ...

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Who is God?

Author

Source Unknown

Keywords

A dog looks at you and thinks, “You feed me, you pet me, you give me shelter, and you love me. You must be God.” A cat looks at you and thinks, “You feed me, you pet me, you give me shelter, and you l...

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Adapted from Isaiah 65:17-25

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 65:17-25

The Lord says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; For b...

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God’s Menagerie of Beautiful Creatures

Author

John Eldredge

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 96:11-12, Revelation 21:1, Romans 8:21, Isaiah 65:17, Psalm 148:7-10, Job 38:7, Genesis 1:31

We were in London watching the musical The Lion King. Surely you’ve seen the movie; the opening number is worth watching again this week to help your imagination seize the new earth with both hands. A...

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Adapted from Psalm 104:24-35

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 104:24-35

Leader: O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living thin...

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Prayer for Knowledge of God's Creation

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Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe the mysterie...

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No Shock with God’s Death

Author

Dorothy L. Sayers

Keywords

It is curious that people who are filled with horrified indignation when ever a cat kills a sparrow can hear the story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at al...

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Compassionate God, you know the

Author

Kimberly Bracken Long

Keywords

Compassionate God, you know the purposes of our hearts and the will of all creation. Hear with mercy our confession that we have not cared for Earth and all creatures as you meant for us to do; we hav...

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If birds could write books, their story of creation

Author

Barbara Brown Taylor

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:2, Exodus 14:21, 1 Kings 19:11-12, Psalm 104:3-4, Acts 2:2-4, John 3:8, Matthew 6:25-34

If birds could write books, their story of creation would no doubt read quite differently than ours. In the first place, I expect they would make quite a lot out of that wind of God that swept over th...

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Adapted from Psalm 80

Author

Kimberly Bracken Long

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 80:null

Shepherd of Israel, God of hosts, we have turned away from you, neglecting the welfare of your creation, ignoring the plight of your people, trampling on the creatures and the plants you have made, t...

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Canticle of the Sun

Author

Francis of Assisi

Keywords

O most high, Almighty, good Lord God, to you belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing. Praised be my Lord God for all his creatures, and especially for our brother the sun, who brings us the day ...

Quote

Author

Thoughts of Dog

Keywords

i had a long talk. with my fren. about how to spot. a fake ball throw. the optimal strategy. is to follow the ball. with your eyes. instead of your heart.

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Our heavenly Father: You’ve seen how

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Scripture

John 14:27, 1 Peter 5:7, Romans 8:38-39, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28

Our heavenly Father: You’ve seen how hard life can be for us. You hear our prayers for forgiveness and help. You listen when we cry aloud in pain or when we just weep into our pillow alone in the nigh...

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Inspired by Psalm 8 (2)

LORD our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. You set Your glory above the heavens. We see your power in galaxies that spin in space, and see your care in the sparrows feeding in the snow...

Quote

Author

Johann Heinrich Kurtz

Keywords

Atonement

When the sacrifice of animals is mentioned in the law, making atonement is nearly always expressly mentioned, and for the most part this alone, as being the purpose, end, and fruit of the sacrifice.

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Author

Gustave Martelet

Keywords

While man is at home with animals and the stars, he is also the cosmic neighbor of the Absolute.

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Creating a Healthy Food Supply

Author

Norman Wirzba

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:19-21, Matthew 6:26, Colossians 1:16, Leviticus 25:23, Proverbs 12:10, Psalm 24:1, Genesis 2:15

Eating does not need to follow this commodified, industrial way. It can occur in contexts where people take deeper notice of and accept responsibility for what they eat. To appreciate what this sort o...

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Are Churches Like Zoos?

Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Adventure

A decade ago I spent an unforgettable week in the Galapagos Islands. This archipelago of islands off the coast of Ecuador hasn’t changed much since Charles Darwin sailed there on the HMS Beagle in Dec...

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Bearing the Family Likeness

Author

Vaughan Roberts

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:27

The anthropologist Desmond Morris has written: ‘Human beings are animals. They are sometimes monsters, sometimes magnificent, but always animals.’ That statement is correct as far as it goes. We are c...

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Are Churches Like Zoos?

Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Scripture

Ephesians 61:3, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Acts 4:29, Joshua 1:9, Matthew 10:16

A decade ago I spent an unforgettable week in the Galapagos Islands. This archipelago of islands off the coast of Ecuador hasn’t changed much since Charles Darwin sailed there on trheHMS Beagle in Dec...

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A Roaring Lion in Context

Author

Kyle Winkler

Keywords

Scripture

1 Peter 5:8

When you imagine a lion, what comes to your mind? For me, I envision a lion’s strong, giant, catlike torso that is covered with a tan coat and moving with a cocky strut. I see his unflinching facial e...

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The Sheep Follow the Shepherd’s Call

Author

Eric F. F. Bishop

Keywords

Scripture

John 10:11-18, Matthew 18:12-13, 1 Peter 2:25, Ezekiel 34:11-12, John 10:3-4, Luke 15:4-6, Isaiah 40:11

During the riots in Palestine in the middle thirties a village near Haifa was condemned to collective punishment by having its sheep and cattle sequestrated by the Government. The inhabitants however ...

Quote

Author

Augustine of Hippo

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 148:3-5, Genesis 9:13, Psalm 104:24, Isaiah 40:26, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 1:20

I asked the earth, I asked the sea and the deeps, among the living animals, the things that creep. I asked the winds that blow, I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars and to all things that...

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Gosh, Some Angels

Author

Walter Brueggemann

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:8-14, Matthew 2:1-2, Isaiah 7:14, Psalm 19:1-2, Luke 2:15-20, Micah 5:2, Matthew 18:3-4

My ten-year-old son Jim had to write a play for Christmas for his Sunday School class. He made it a dialogue between two animals at Bethlehem. It goes like this: Donkey: It sure is cold, is it not? ...

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The Hum of Angels

Author

Bible Gateway

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 13:2, Hebrews 1:14

I was in a bird store one day, struck up a conversation with the owner, and I mentioned in passing while looking at a hummingbird feeder that I had one but couldn’t attract hummers. He asked where we ...

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Understanding the Fear of God

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

What, then, should a Christian be afraid of regarding God? Think of it like this. Imagine that you suddenly are introduced to some person you have always admired enormously—perhaps someone you have he...

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Fire Renews Life

Author

Mia Levetan

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 43:2, Malachi 3:2-3, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Hebrews 12:11, Isaiah 48:12

According to Bill Tripp, a member of the Karuk tribe in Northern California and a forest manager, Fire is that which renews life. A lot of people have been conditioned to look at it as a threat and...

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Ratatouille and Surrendering to God

Author

Casey Clark

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:6-11, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3, Philippians 2:5

When we watch cartoons, it is fun to see the way we can so easily allow some of the craziest stuff to just be taken at face value. Movements that don’t follow the laws of physics? Sure. Talking animal...

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