William Wilberforce: A Biblical View of Animals
Book Excerpt:
During the lifetime of William Wilberforce at the turn of the 19th century, animals were everywhere. They were in the streets pulling wagons, they were grazing in the town square, they were squawking and flapping around every corner. Animals were a loud, unavoidable part of regular, day-to-day life. Certainly, for twenty-first century Americans, that is no longer the case. Generally speaking, we don’t see bulls and hogs and roosters in our daily existence. However, like in Wilberforce’s day, animals in our modern life can still face the brunt of man’s cruel or mercenary impulses, albeit in ways that are less visible to the public-at-large.
Although our general sentiment towards animals has improved a great deal since those days of publicly approved dog-fights and bull-baiting, the practical application of those good sentiments still falls short of the ultimate goal. To help us determine the proper course of action as Christians in this fallen world, we must continually look to scripture, but we can also be confident in following the biblically-sound example of William Wilberforce.
As a Christian philanthropist and British Member of Parliament, Wilberforce’s inclusion of animal welfare in his life’s work of alleviating all manner of suffering is a resounding endorsement of this endeavor’s importance. His efforts in establishing the world’s first organization dedicated to animal protection—the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—can serve as a model for what we ought to strive to achieve as Christians in this area. …
Like Wilberforce, we cannot tolerate animal fighting in our day and age. Read more…
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