- https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55298-3_6
Genesis and the Animal–Human Community
- Jan 1, 2017
- Michael J Gilmour
Abstract
Underlying Lewis’s fascination with the Genesis image of Adam and Eve in the Garden with “every beast of the field” (2:19) is the certainty that nature and all the creatures populating earth, sky, and sea are good (1:31). Paradise is lost, yes, but hope remains. Faith clings to the expectation of a restoration, which means, as St. Paul puts it, an end to creation’s groaning. If this is the case, there are implications for Christian ethics in the present. Animal suffering is an evil requiring the response of God’s people while they await the kingdom of God in its fullness. This includes advocacy on behalf of suffering animals.
