Wesley's Perspective On Animal Welfare
“We are to see the Creator in the glass of every creature” a practical Wesleyan-Holiness theology of animal life
WESLEY AND ANIMALS Where would Wesley be without his horse? As strange as it may sound, the Wesleyan-Holiness movement will forever be indebted to Wesley’s four-legged friends who carried the minister and his message of holiness across some 250,000 miles. It was on these journeys that Wesley was able to invest in serious study, as “Wesley read his history, poetry, and philosophy on horseback.” This image has been forever captured in countless images and statues, including the recognizable image of Cokesbury bookstores with Wesley riding on his horse and reading with book in hand. Who knows what may have become of Wesley and his …show more content…
What is truly disheartening is that this aspect of Wesley’s story goes entirely untold in many circles, especially within the Church of the Nazarene. In the last century, writings addressing the theological value of animals have increased exponentially with bold and challenging work coming from across the theological spectrum. Rather than digressing into this ever growing corpus, I would like to suggest a few practical ways in which Wesley’s vision challenges pastors to ensure the well being and theological status of animals in their communities of …show more content…
In an October 2005 paper published in Journal of Community Health, a team of researchers conducting a study over seven years in 11 metropolitan areas determined that pet abuse was one of five factors that predicted who would begin other abusive behaviors.
Encouraging congregations to teach their children and youth to value animals not only helps them to recognize God’s own heart towards animals, but it may also help prevent other forms of violence by cutting off violent tendencies where they begin. Again the work of Charles Seibert in “The Animal Cruelty Syndrome” is especially informative. He notes the
WESLEY AND ANIMALS Where would Wesley be without his horse? As strange as it may sound, the Wesleyan-Holiness movement will forever be indebted to Wesley’s four-legged friends who carried the minister and his message of holiness across some 250,000 miles. It was on these journeys that Wesley was able to invest in serious study, as “Wesley read his history, poetry, and philosophy on horseback.” This image has been forever captured in countless images and statues, including the recognizable image of Cokesbury bookstores with Wesley riding on his horse and reading with book in hand. Who knows what may have become of Wesley and his …show more content…
What is truly disheartening is that this aspect of Wesley’s story goes entirely untold in many circles, especially within the Church of the Nazarene. In the last century, writings addressing the theological value of animals have increased exponentially with bold and challenging work coming from across the theological spectrum. Rather than digressing into this ever growing corpus, I would like to suggest a few practical ways in which Wesley’s vision challenges pastors to ensure the well being and theological status of animals in their communities of …show more content…
In an October 2005 paper published in Journal of Community Health, a team of researchers conducting a study over seven years in 11 metropolitan areas determined that pet abuse was one of five factors that predicted who would begin other abusive behaviors.
Encouraging congregations to teach their children and youth to value animals not only helps them to recognize God’s own heart towards animals, but it may also help prevent other forms of violence by cutting off violent tendencies where they begin. Again the work of Charles Seibert in “The Animal Cruelty Syndrome” is especially informative. He notes the