The Friends We Keep: Unleashing Christianity's Compassion For Animals

We humans live with other animals in our midst, yet we forget to notice their presence or even consciously choose to ignore them as we deem them insignificant. Yet, deep down, I think most of us know that we cannot live without them and we really don't want to. Animals enter our lives every day in various ways?as food, as clothing, as objects of entertainment or sport, as co-inhabitants of the earth, and as personal, beloved companions.

"But we rarely if ever consider the impact of our religious belief systems on animals or the impact of animals on our religions. What, if anything, do animals have to do with, in, and for Christianity? And does Christianity have anything to say about the current state of affairs for animals?

"For complicated historical reasons, animals have largely been forgotten by Christianity. While some individual Christians include animals in their circle of compassion, the tradition seems to have collective amnesia about the role of the rest of God's creatures in religion and in life as a whole. Though they are very much present, they have become absent. Here, I hope to find them again."

?adapted from the Preface

Today we find ourselves in an anomaly in human history: many of our lives are empty of animals. Many of us have pets or watch documentaries on Animal Planet, but, for the most part, we humans don't really know how all the other species on our planet live today. And as Laura Hobgood-Oster reveals, many of them are not living very well?sadly, not very well at all.

Seeking to awaken Christians to the place and, too often, plight of animals in the twenty-first century, The Friends We Keep gently but astutely introduces the situations animals face today?as companions, as animals in sport, as animals raised for food, and as creatures in the wild?and simultaneously retells a myriad of often surprising and instructive stories from the long, rich history of Christianity. We see and experience animals as Christians have for generations?as beloved companions to the saints, as unfortunate prisoners in Roman arenas, as sentient and compassionate recipients and givers of hospitality, and as good and worthy beings created by God. Once upon a time, it seems?not too terribly long ago?animals held an important place in Christianity.

Could it be, then, that Christianity can be good news for animals today?

With a guide for group discussion and ideas for how people of faith can respond, this thoroughly engaging and enlightening book is essential for all who desire to live compassionately.