The Friends We Keep: Unleashing Christianity's Compassion for Animals » (Original)

Laura Hobgood-Oster is Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies and holds the Paden Chair in Religion at Southwestern University. Featured in the documentary "Eating Mercifully" produced by the Humane Society of the United States and frequently interviewed by national print and broadcast media, she is the author of Holy Dogs and Asses: Animals in the Christian Tradition and executive editor of the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. She lives in Georgetown, Texas.

From saving Spot to blessing Barbaro, why Christians must awaken to the plight of our furry and feathered friends

Publishers Weekly

Hobgood-Oster, a professor of religion and environmental studies at Southwestern University, examines the role animals have played in the history and development of Christianity in an attempt to return them to a more central role within the faith. Readers familiar with this area of study will find little new, as Hobgood-Oster recounts the work of scholars and theologians who have come before her: Andrew Linzey, Marc Bekoff, and Peter Singer. But rather than detract from the book, this foundation only enhances it, as Hobgood-Oster suffers from none of the academic-speak that plagues some of the deeper works on animals and religion. Indeed, the book's great strength is Hobgood-Oster herself, exhibited in her conversational tone and personal connection to the stories of animals in Christian scripture, as well as her experience in shelters and refuges, about which she writes movingly. A study guide will lead laypeople and church groups into a deeper exploration of the gifts animals can bring to the practice of Christianity, something Hobgood-Oster believes can only enrich the faith. (Oct.)

Preface: Writing a History of Animals in Christianity

Introduction: Even Dogs Deserve the Crumbs

1..........What a Friend We Have: Our Animal Companions

2..........Lions and Christians: Animals in Sport

3..........Eating Mercifully: Animals for Food

4..........Good Christian Hospitality: Animals at Home on the Earth

5..........Where Have All the Animals Gone?

Group Discussion Guide

How to Help: Ideas for Individuals and Households

How to Help: Ideas for Communities and Congregations

Additional Resources