Our treatment of animals is a gospel issue, Andrew Linzey contends, because those individuals and institutions that could have become the voice of God's most vulnerable creatures have instead justified cruelty and oppression. He offers an inspiring personal account of the gospel truths that have sustained his commitment to the cause of animals for more than twenty-five years.

Our treatment of animals is a gospel issue, Andrew Linzey contends, because those individuals and institutions that could have become the voice of God's most vulnerable creatures have instead justified cruelty and oppression. He offers an inspiring personal account of the gospel truths that have sustained his commitment to the cause of animals for more than twenty-five years.

Animal rights is animal theology. The author argues that historical theology, creatively defined, must reject humanocentricity. He questions the assumption that if theology is to speak on this issue, 'it must only do so on the side of the oppressors.' His theological query investigates not only the abstractions of theory, but also the realities of hunting, animal experimentation, and genetic engineering. He is an important, pioneering, Christian voice speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

'The Gospel of Kindness' explores the historical significance of the American animal welfare movement at home and overseas from the Second Great Awakening to the Second World War. Focused on labouring animals at its inception, the movement evolved into an expansive 'gospel of kindness', transforming animal mercy into a signature American value.

"All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." - Daniel 3:81 The long awaited book that finally gives voice to the animals from the Gospel! "Who is this child who has just been born in my poor stable?" wonders the old ox. "Who is this man whom even the winds and the sea obey?" the fish asks himself. "Who then is this king riding on my back?" marvels the trembling little donkey. Playful and profound, this artistically illustrated book gives voice to twelve animals from the Gospels. A Faithful Dog; A Thoughtful Ox; A Gentle Wolf; A Startled Fish; A Hungry Fox; An Impatient Sparrow; A Lost Sheep; An Overburdened Camel; A Mother Hen; A Little Donkey; A Hopeful Rooster; A Joyful Dove. Told in engaging and lyrical stories that carry us along to a close encounter with Jesus.

"I don't know why you're spending all your time on this. They're only animals--for heaven's sake " That was the reaction of one of Andrew Linzey's fellow students at King's College, London, when he was studying theology in the 1970s. Since then, the now Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey has been arguing that animals aren't only anything, but rather that they matter to God, and should do so to us. In this collection of essays, Linzey counters with his customary wit, erudition, and insight, some contemporary (and perhaps surprising) challenges to animal rights--from ecotheologians, the Church, and politicians. He contends that far from the sometimes shallow judgments of those who think animals unworthy of theological consideration, the Christian tradition has a wellspring of sources and resources available to taking animals seriously. Instead of being marginal to the Christian experience, Linzey concludes, animals can take their rightful place alongside human beings as creatures of the same God. There is a long forgotten spiritual tradition that two children, both named Jesus, were born in Bethlehem to two sets of parents named Joseph and Mary. This tradition is supported by the different accounts of the nativity and life of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Although the Church chose to ignore this tradition, something of it survived in early Christian art and symbolism. The full tradition was preserved only in the literature of esoteric sects such as Gnosticism, which remained outside the official teachings of institutionalized Christianity.