Animal Rights & Wrongs: A Biblical Perspective
By Tony Sargent
Hodder & Stoughton
264 pages. £8.99
ISBN 0 340 66913 6
Ever since Peter Singer wrote his book Animal Liberation in 1975, the question of the ethics of our treatment of animals has been firmly on the agenda of the Western world. Unfortunately, as with so many major ethical debates, evangelicalism has lagged behind both the secular thinkers and less conservative theologians. Tony Sargent is therefore to be commended in helping us to do a little catching up. He tells us that he writes about animal welfare because: 'There is a large collection of books and learned articles which consider it, but I could find little from evangelicals' (p. 2).
The fact that the front and back covers have endorsements from J.I. Packer and Joyce D'Silva (Director of Compassion in World Farming) indicates that he is writing for a broad audience. He writes unashamedly as an evangelical preacher, and yet he has not been afraid to align himself with animal rights protesters. Anyone who has been prepared to walk alongside an abused horse in India, rather than ride in the cart it was pulling (p. 31), deserves a hearing.
As an evangelical exposition, the book has many strengths. There is an impressive array of biblical references. He sets out the goodness of God's creation, and how it was marred by the Fall. Of animals, he says: 'In the tragedy of the Fall they were spectators but not participants, although in the mystery of God's providence they suffer in the aftermath' (p. 55). Sargent shows us God's personal delight in the animal kingdom, relying extensively on insights from Job, and Psalm 104. Using a phrase from Francis Anderson's Tyndale Commentary on Job, he calls them 'God's pets' (p. 58). He helpfully points out that Jesus everywhere assumes that good husbandry implies caring for the welfare of animals (p. 80f). He is clear that meat-eating is permitted by the Scriptures (pp. 101-119) though he advocates certain restrictions.
In addition to his biblical knowledge, the author demonstrates an admirable breadth of knowledge of Christian writers. In a fascinating section he sets out a cautious case for the existence of animals in heaven, summoning Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Wesley, Matthew Henry, Augustus Toplady, C.S. Lewis and Alec Motyer to his defence. The book draws extensively on a work by a little-known 18th century clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Humphry Primatt - A Dissertation on the Duty of Mercy and the Sin of Cruelty to Brute Animals. This book was a major influence in the founding of the RSPCA, and Dr. Sargent calls Primatt 'my mentor' (p. 240).
However, the book does have some niggling weaknesses. Discussion of farming and agricultural policy often betrays a lack of balance in his grasp of the issues. One of the cruel ironies associated with the live export of sheep, which Dr. Sargent has passionately campaigned against (p. 25), was the fact that it was new welfare and hygiene regulations which forced the closure of a large proportion of British abattoirs, and greatly increased the average transport distance before slaughter. The tight packing of animals and birds in transport vehicles is widely deplored, but it fails to recognise the much greater distress caused if they are free to be thrown around a moving vehicle and suffer fractured limbs. He mentions the barbaric practice of firing horses (that is applying red hot irons to strained tendons) and mentions that 'vets are employed in the industry' (p. 141), but fails to mention that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has declared it unethical and is campaigning for the practice to be abolished. At the beginning of his book, Dr. Sargent declares 'more than a passing interest in an organisation called Compassion in World Farming' (p.1). This organisation functions as a pressure group and is not always therefore to be relied on for a balanced opinion. On a number of occasions, it seems Dr. Sargent is content to leave us with an emotive image rather than a careful assessment.
Similarly, one cannot escape the impression that he is distinctly uncomfortable with certain biblical texts. In many ways he is admirably open. In discussing whether the use of animals in experimentation should be absolutely banned, he says: 'Emotionally I am disposed towards an absolutist position, but I am not too sure that this reflects the balance of Scripture. The middle ground is where I uncomfortably find myself ... I am 'voting' for what, from the animals perception is legalised cruelty, a cruelty that it cannot understand and I cannot explain to it.' He suggests that Jesus' exorcism of the demons into the pigs who subsequently drown (Matthew 8.28-32, Mark 5.1-20, Luke 8.27-39) 'has probably brought more criticism to the ministry of Jesus than anything else apart from his predictions of eternal punishment' (p. 130). If this is true, it is an extraordinary comment on modern society! Sargent himself wrestles with this incident, calling it 'a really puzzling ethical point'.
When Peter says that false teachers are 'like brute beasts ... born only to be caught and destroyed' (2 Peter 2.12), he affirms that Peter 'actually has wayward man more in mind than the beasts!' (p. 179). This is undoubtedly true, but surely Peter's analogy rests on the legitimacy of catching and killing beasts. However, taking into account his emotional predisposition, Dr. Sargent is courageous in his adherence to Scripture. Would that more authors were honest about their personal biases!
Perhaps a more serious objection is the repeated assumption that nature is best. Undoubtedly it is true that we have ravaged nature and abused our natural environment, but a simplistic call to return to nature is flawed.
The BSE epidemic is referred to on a number of occasions in the book, with the assertion that: 'To feed herbivorous cows animal offal goes against the grain of nature. What is more it cuts across the grain of Scripture, where in the case of cows, there is a recognition of their dietary habits (Psalm 104.14)' (p. 36). However, this bears too close a resemblance to the cry of many in the past that 'if God had meant us to fly, he would have given us wings'. Does this mean that we should only feed the family cat mouse- and bird-flavoured cat food? After all, even the fiercest of cats would have trouble catching their own beef dinner! Dr. Sargent refers to biblical references to animals roaming free but does this mean that we should campaign against hedges? It seems to me that there is need of a far more careful assessment of what is 'a reckless use of technology' (p. 37, quoting Paul Johnson) and what is good husbandry. Although the book on occasions acknowledges this, it never quite seems to pin the issue down.
At the end, Dr. Sargent offers a critique of animal welfare theories, such as modern utilitarianism and the so-called 'Generosity Theory' of Professor Andrew Linzey. Though he does not accept their positions, Dr. Sargent misses a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the ultimate incoherence and moral difficulties associated with these views. For instance, utilitarians argue that it is quite conceivable that we could owe more duty of care to the family dog than to our mentally handicapped child! The biblical view of mankind in the image of God, caring for creation, but exercising responsible sovereignty over it, is a coherent and ultimately compelling understanding of our responsibilities towards the animal kingdom.
All in all, however, this is an extremely stimulating and challenging book. It is not the last word from an evangelical perspective, but it is not a bad first word!
Peter Comont,
MA, VetMB, MRCVS, FRSA
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