I Will Abolish the Bow: Christianity, Personhood, and the End of Animal Exploitation

by Matthew A. King

While Christianity has been successful at bringing people to know Jesus, it has failed morally. When factoring in the idolatrous prosperity gospel, the alignment of Christianity with nationalism, and especially the recent Catholic sex scandals, I think that Christians, including myself, need to step back and ask ourselves: Are we the light of the world? Christianity, like all religions, challenges the many problems of our day. Think of faith as being similar to fire. A flame can provide warmth on a cold day. Fire can cook food to relieve hunger and be harnessed as a means of protection. However, if one is not careful, it can burn the house down. Christianity can be used to light the way toward a brighter tomorrow or create the ashes from a societal inferno. Christianity, in recent times, has a track record of self-serving and egocentric thinking. However, Jesus taught us to be servants (Matthew 23:11), and Philippians 2:3 reminds us to count others as more significant than ourselves. In contrast, historical Christianity helped relieve sociopolitical ills and encouraged human flourishing. Even recent American Christianity succeeded at helping relieve social troubles. Just look at the many universities and hospitals founded by believers and named after Christian saints.