Current Read #44: God’s Creatures by Susan Bulanda

Posted by: Allison on: May 24, 2017

• In: Current (After 1999) | Nature | Nonfiction | Religious | Teasers
• 2 Comments

For a long time, I have been looking for a book that talks about how God views animals in light of the Bible. God’s Creatures by Susan Bulanda is it. In her quick-to-read book of just over 100 pages, Bulanda covers a broad range of issues such as why did God create animals, can they think, do they communicate, should we eat them, and will there be animals in heaven. For each of these topics, Bulanda doesn’t provide mere wishful thinking, but instead provides scriptures to back up her views.

Sometimes I wonder if I should focus more on helping people and whether God directs people into the animal field. Bulanda addresses this concern in her chapter on “God Cares for Animals”. She points out many ways that God shows his love such as the fact he created them, purposefully saved ones from the flood, gave them skills to survive, and teaches people how they should animals. She also directly answers the question: “Has God put the desire to care for animals into the hearts of many people?”

Another reason I’ve been looking for such a book is because of the debate over whether animals are sentient beings or able to perceive and think. While I have my opinions as a pet owner, I want as a Christian to know what the Bible specifically says. Bulanda dedicates many chapters to this issue. I appreciate her balanced view; she includes both accounts of scientific research and references to scripture. She also addresses the controversial topics of whether there are animal communicators or psychics who can talk to animals and whether we should be vegetarian. With regards to the latter, I thank Bulanda for limiting her coverage to one chapter. There are many issues related to Christians and animal welfare, but most books that I encounter focus exclusively on vegetarianism.

Anyone who has been a pet owner has no doubt experienced the heartache of loss. When my Lucy cat died in 2013, I found myself needing to know whether animals would go to heaven. Given that there are several books on the topic, I’m guessing that others have a similar need. But I don’t want an author to simply say, “Of course pets will be in heaven,” just to make me and everyone else feel good. Bulanda’s concluding chapter deals with this sensitive question in a forthright manner. She presents a wealth of scriptures that hint at answers, while admitting that the Bible doesn’t directly talk about tell us.

In God’s Creatures, Bulanda draws on her lifelong passion in Biblical scholarship with her certification as an animal behavior consultant to write an informative guide to a Biblical view of animals. For anyone who wants to do their own research beyond her short book, she also provides a notes page and a list of resources.

Tags: Allison's Book Bag, God's Creatures, reviews of books for young people, Susan Bulanda