CHICKENS ARE CHICKENS!

While attending the 14th Annual International Consultation on Ministry in Daily Life sponsored by the Coalition for Ministry in Daily Life, Mike McLoughlin, writer of the Faith at Work Blog, asked Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, how he responds to those who believe that some types of work have more value than others. Dr. Mouw’s reponded to Mike,

“How people handle life has eternal significance. I worry about that polarized notion of time verse eternity that makes the stuff we do in church the important work and other work is just to pay the way. I think that’s wrong. . . .

“Farming has profound theological significance. I attended a meeting of the Christian Farmer’s meeting where they talked about a Christian egg policy for Canada. These were not theologically trained Christians but believers who cared deeply about God’s creation. . . At one point a farmer stood up and said with a Dutch accent, ‘Colonel Sanders wants us to treat our chickens like little packages of meat that can be bought or sold, but I think CHICKENS ARE CHICKENS! God wants chickens to be able to strut their stuff in front of other chickens!’ ”

“He was saying, there is a certain dignity to the creation that has to be treated as having a dignity of its own. You just can’t do anything you want to chickens in order to sell them. It has implications to your relationship to the eternal God. He asks us to manage creation, to be earth keeping, in accordance with the will of God.”

To read the entire article, titled "Richard Mouw on our Calling to Holy Worldliness," go to http://blog.mike.mcloughlin.com/blog/_archives/2006/4/23/1905193.html 

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