Should Christians Kill Animals for Sport?
Iam a Christian and an academic. I am also a hunter. At first blush, this might seem peculiar, given that members of first two circles I inhabit aren’t always hospitable toward members of the third.
Two stories—one actual, the other apocryphal—give a sense of the prevailing attitudes toward hunting that I’ve encountered.
The first occurred on a Sunday after Thanksgiving at the church in the small Western Pennsylvania town where I grew up. The new pastor, just arrived from the east coast, gathered the children on the steps at the front of the sanctuary and asked, “Girls and boys, we’re about to enter a special season. Do any of you know what season it is?” Before the pastor could call on anyone, one little boy blurted out, “Deer season! And I get to go to huntin’ camp with my dad and granddad, and when we get a buck…” He then proceeded to describe in graphic detail how he helped to field dress a deer.
The pastor’s mouth gaped open in stunned silence. He had been prepared to counter the expected answer of “Christmas” with an explanation of Advent, but he was unaware that the first Monday after Thanksgiving, the opening day of deer season in Pennsylvania for generations, was a far holier day to many in my community than the beginning of the liturgical year.
The second story is a variant of the proverbial interview at the pearly gates with St. Peter after a person dies. When a group of three new arrivals shows up, Peter announces: “Before you can proceed, I just need to make sure that everything is in order in your files. One of the things we check is your IQ, so I’ll be asking you a question to confirm that your test results are accurate.”
When the first person steps up, Peter says, “I see that you supposedly have an IQ of 160, so here’s your question: Is light a wave or a particle?” After hearing an unquestionably brilliant answer, Peter waves the first person through. When the second person steps up, Peter says, “I see that you supposedly have an IQ of 120, so here’s your question: Is the economy better measured by money supply or GDP?” After hearing a reasonably intelligent answer, Peter waves the second person through. When the third person steps up, Peter says, “I see that you supposedly have an IQ of 80, so here’s your question: Get yer deer yet?”
Ongoing Reservations
For a refreshing change of pace from the pervasive Elmer Fudd stereotypes, one might consult God, Nimrod, and the World: Exploring Christian Perspectives on Sport Hunting, a collection of essays edited by Bracy V. Hill II and John B. White, two scholars affiliated with Baylor University. Hill and White have produced substantial work featuring over 18 contributors that engages readers intellectually and spiritually at the highest levels.
The first half of God, Nimrod, and the World is descriptive, reflecting the reality that despite ongoing reservations from some in the community, Christians have hunted throughout history and continue to hunt today. A chapter on the use of hunting metaphors in the Bible suggests that this practice was familiar to its original authors and readers. Sometimes hunting was referenced positively in reference to God pursuing his goals as patiently and persistently as a hunter pursues game (Jer. 16:16). Other times the point of view was more negative, representing the perspective of the prey (Ps. 35:7–8).
Over the centuries, attitudes toward Nimrod (“a mighty hunter before the Lord,” according to Genesis 10:9) have swung from highly positive to highly negative and then back again, reflecting continued ambivalence among Christians about hunting. My own research of Scottish evangelicals in the first half of the 19th century uncovered similar differences of opinion, including two ministers who shared a commitment to mission and Bible societies disagreeing, one close colleague lamenting the other’s continued pursuits as “fisher and fowler.”
Source: https://www.christianitytoday.com/