"This provocative study calls for an understanding of animal suffering both before and after the arrival of humans -- and, in doing so, points to a rethinking of its theological significance... Recommended." --
CHOICE"In this lively and thoughtful yet accessible book, the author challenges the reader to consider more carefully the theological issues associated with animal suffering, and offers her own novel resolution arising out of a metaphorical interpretation of the parable of the wheat and the tares. One of the most significant aspects of this book is that it encourages theologians to consider the lives of other animals more seriously as relevant for theological hermeneutics, including reinterpretation of core Christian concepts such as fallenness, death, and evil... This book is sure to provoke, entice, and perhaps even rattle those who have so far failed to notice the growing tide of books dedicated to re-thinking the theological significance of evolutionary science and animal studies." --Celia Deane-Drummond, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame
"How can we think about a God of love in an evolutionary world, knowing how closely we are related to other animals and knowing something of the extent of their suffering? This thoughtful, learned, and deeply Christian book is a challenge to conversion in the way we see animals, ourselves and God. It will leave readers asking new questions, seeing the world with fresh eyes, and invited to act differently." --Denis Edwards, author of
How God Acts: Creation, Redemption and Special Divine Action "Nicola Hoggard Creegan tackles one of the most difficult problems in Christian theology--the extent of the suffering of non-human creatures--with energy and honesty. She draws on wide reading and extensive acquaintance with the latest science, including new thinking on convergence and symbiosis. Her effort to draw that science into conversation with the thought-world of the Gospels is fascinating." --Christopher Southgate, author of
The Groaning of Creation: God, Evolution and the Problem of Evil"Original and thought-provoking..."--
The Journal of Religion