This is surely not man acting as a good steward of created beings that belong to God. While we are directly given permission in Scripture to eat meat, it might well make a great difference in how animals are treated if Christians choose not to buy from those meat producers who do not tend to their animals as if they really did belong to God. I want to conclude this discussion with some suggestions about how we can both uphold the uniqueness of humans and stand against the mistreatment of God's creation. Recovering the Creation as Compassionate Stewards I have pointed out the disturbing consequences of abandoning the biblical view that humans are created in the image of God. If we are merely animals, we have no reason to be less species- ist than other animals.
Dogs show no concern for the welfare of cats.
If we are moral in a way that other animals cannot be, then we are both different from other animals and responsible to God for that difference. First, we must live in obedience to Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who reminded us that God clothes even the grass as an example of His care for all His creation. We need to demonstrate in our actions and in how we teach our children that we, too, consider all of God's creation as something that shows His glory. Secondly, we must consider what our own role is as God's stewards.