God's Covenant with Animals: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of All Creatures

by J.R. Hyland

From Genesis to Christ, the Bible testifies to God's love and concern for animals. The same self-centeredness that led to the violence and abuse that has marked human relations also caused the abuse and exploitation of animals. The Bible, argues the author, calls upon human beings to stop their violence and abuse of each other and all other creatures. It promises that when they do, the sorrow and the suffering that marks life on Earth will give way to the joy and peace that God ordained at the creation of the world. In these compelling essays, Rev. J. R. Hyland explores the Old and New Testament and reveals the prophetic voices that called for compassion over killing, and humane concern for all of God's creation.

Genres: Animals, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

J. R. Hyland, also known as Janet Regina Hyland, was an American writer, theologian, and ordained minister whose work explored the intersection of faith, compassion, and justice. After an early career writing evangelical literature, she became widely recognized for her advocacy of Christian vegetarianism and animal welfare, developing a theological framework that challenged traditional interpretations of scripture. In 1995 she founded Viatoris Ministries, which published Humane Religion, a bimonthly magazine that reached thousands of readers and encouraged dialogue on the ethical treatment of animals within a Christian context.
Hyland’s writings emphasized that both humans and animals are "nefesh chaya," living beings with souls granted by their Creator, and she consistently argued that the Bible calls for compassion toward all creatures. Her most influential works include God's Covenant with Animals (originally published as The Slaughter of Terrified Beasts) and Sexism Is a Sin: The Biblical Basis of Female Equality, in which she combined a strong concern for animal rights with an equally firm advocacy for gender equality.
Throughout her life, Hyland remained committed to ministry, prison and migrant worker outreach, and interfaith dialogue. Her writing continues to inspire those seeking a deeper understanding of ethical living rooted in both faith and compassion.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN EVANGELICAL MINISTER DEFENDS THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS

Janet Regina Hyland (1933-2007) was an ordained evangelical minister who founded the pro-animal Viatoris Ministries, which published a bimonthly magazine, Humane Religion. This 2000 book was previously published under the title, 'The Slaughter of Terrified Beasts: A Biblical Basis for the Humane Treatment of Animals.' She also wrote 'Sexism is a Sin: The Biblical Basis of Female Equality.'

She states in the first chapter, "the Latter Prophets condemned animal sacrifice. In so doing these prophets were reiterating the ancient knowledge found in Genesis: Animals were created in love and goodness, just as human beings had been. And humans were ordained to be the loving caretakers of animals, not their cruel abusers." (Pg. 5) She added, "The call for rejection of animal sacrifice was also the call for a religion marked by social justice. Ceremonies, sacrifices, and religious feast days were not pleasing to the Lord. The relief of the sufferings of the helpless and the oppressed constituted the true worship of God." (Pg. 10) Later, she adds, "the prophets let the people know that it was time for the world to once again reflect the qualities that God had ordained at the Creation---love, compassion, and mercy for all creatures." (Pg. 14)

After quoting Genesis 9:2-3, she argues, "human chauvinism has prompted scholars to claim that it constitutes God's blessing on man turned carnivore. But the passage does not signify divine approval of what has taken place. It is not approval---it is acceptance of what has already happened... [God] now accepted that man---and other creatures---had regressed to feeding on each other's flesh." (Pg. 26)

Of the shepherds at Jesus' nativity, she observes, "So it was that those chosen to be first to know the good news of Christ's coming were men who cared for animals. They were the nurturing caregivers that God had meant man to be when Adam was placed in Eden. These shepherds were living in a way that, in their time, most closely approximated the peaceful accord between animals and men that God had ordained and the prophets had described in their millennial visions." (Pg. 44-45)

Turning to the New Testament, she notes, "Jesus continually revealed a God of compassion whose concern extended to all creatures. And it was the slaughter of animals, in the name of God, that led him to the only aggressive confrontation reported of his ministry... at the Jerusalem Temple where Christ took direct action against the evils of sacrifice. He freed those animals who were about to be slaughtered and disrupted the entire procedure that surrounded the sacrificial rites." (Pg. 48)

She asserts that "The Book of Genesis plainly states that animals, like humans, were created as nefesh chaya: living souls. (Gen 1:21, 30) Scholars have obscured this fact by translating the same words differently. When applied to Adam, nefesh chaya reads 'living soul.' (Gen 2:7) But when the same term is used about animals it is translated as 'living creature.' (Gen 2:19)" (Pg. 73)

This is a heartfelt, challenging interpretation of the Bible in defense of animals.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book wanting to find a convincing argument. Despite my best efforts at credulity, I could not find the argument persuasive. The contention waffles between viewing the Bible as an authoritative, divinely-inspired text and treating it as a compiled, politically-driven document. The sections dealing with the latter prophets (Elijah et all) were informative and more convincing than the rest, but these arguments were undermined by the tenuous claims made about Jesus and Revelations. These arguments relied heavily on strained interpretations of limited text, making the rest of the book seem less credible. Overall, I subscribe to the idea that powerful claims require powerful proof, and this treatise didn't deliver.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am not religious myself, it is important to recognize that faith informs the lives of most human beings around the world, and that no social justice movement has ever succeeded without help from the faith community. That's why it's important to bring animal welfare issues into the fold of the concerns of believers.

This book is both a resource for believers who want to further explore what the Bible has to say about animal welfare, and non-believers who want to discuss these issues with people of faith.

[Keith Akers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good short introduction on Christianity and vegetarianism which will appeal to evangelicals.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for people who are looking for the truth about God and animals and how we treat them.