The Dominion Of Man

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." --Genesis 1:24-26 In this crucial passage from the Old Testament, God grants mankind power over animals. But with this privilege comes the grave responsibility to respect life, to treat animals with simple dignity and compassion. Somewhere along the way, something has gone wrong. In Dominion, we witness the annual convention of Safari Club International, an organization whose wealthier members will pay up to $20,000 to hunt an elephant, a lion or another animal, either abroad or in American "safari ranches," where the animals are fenced in pens. We attend the annual International Whaling Commission conference, where the skewed politics of the whaling industry come to light, and the focus is on developing more lethal, but not more merciful, methods of harvesting "living marine resources." And we visit a gargantuan American "factory farm," where animals are treated as mere product and raised in conditions of mass confinement, bred for passivity and bulk, inseminated and fed with machines, kept in tightly confined stalls for the entirety of their lives, and slaughtered in a way that maximizes profits and minimizes decency. Throughout Dominion, Scully counters the hypocritical arguments that attempt to excuse animal abuse: from those who argue that the Bible's message permits mankind to use animals as it pleases, to the hunter's argument that through hunting animal populations are controlled, to the popular and "scientifically proven" notions that animals cannot feel pain, experience no emotions, and are not conscious of their own lives. The result is eye opening, painful and infuriating, insightful and rewarding. Dominion is a plea for human benevolence and mercy, a scathing attack on those who would dismiss animal activists as mere sentimentalists, and a demand for reform from the government down to the individual. Matthew Scully has created a groundbreaking work, a book of lasting power and importance for all of us.

In this feminist critique of the politics of religion, Sheila Jeffreys argues that the renewed rise of religion is harmful to women’s human rights. The book seeks to rekindle the criticism of religion as the founding ideology of patriarchy. Focusing on the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam, this book examines common anti-women attitudes such as ‘male-headship’, impurity of women, the need to control women’s bodies, and their modern manifestations in multicultural Western states. It points to the incorporation of religious law into legal systems, faith schools, and campaigns led by Christian and Islamic organisations against women’s rights at the U.N., and explains how religious rights threaten to subvert women’s rights. Including highly-topical chapters on the burka and the covering of women, and polygamy, this text questions the ideology of multiculturalism which shields religion from criticism by demanding respect for culture and faith, whilst ignoring the harm that women suffer from religion. Man’s Dominion is an incisive and polemic text that will be of interest to students of gender studies, religion, and politics.

A "marvelous" (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination. Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion-an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus-was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history. Today, the West remains utterly saturated by Christian assumptions. As Tom Holland demonstrates, our morals and ethics are not universal but are instead the fruits of a very distinctive civilization. Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the modern world.

“People everywhere are struggling to fine the true meaning to their lives in this world. It seems like everything is getting out of control; countries, governments, societies, economies, families, organizations, and in many instances, our faith. The human family seems to be in a perpetual crisis that they cannot pull themselves from. This crisis has made mankind vulnerable to his environment and the natural creation of the earth; and the more we try to solve these problems, the worse the problems seem to get. Who has the authority and ability to bring stability in the earth to solve these problems we are faced with and maintain peaceful and stable environment by which all creation can thrive? Why are we not breaking through? What is it we are doing wrong? Why do we constantly struggle with these questions? Why can’t we find the answers that addressed these questions? In the midst of all of these experiences, the number one question in the heart of many people is: Can there be solutions to these problems we are face?” And the answer is YES! Principles for Living in Dominion (The answers to all mankind dilemmas) was written to answer these fundamental questions and to also take you into the mind of the Creator about who we are and how we were designed to function on the earth. There are 41 principles identified from the word of God that reveal the secret solution to all of our dilemmas. As you read and learn these principles and apply them to your daily living, you will grow and flourish, finding the joy and fulfillment that only life in the purpose of God can bring.”

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. It was God's intent that the human family would explore and leverage on the dominion he has given them over the entire earth. However, Adam's lack of appreciation - shown by defying the only restriction placed on him - required severe punishment After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man ceded his dominion to the devil. Man betrayed the trust God reposed on him when he gave the primary ruler-ship of the earth to him. But because of God’s love for man, he worked out a redemptive plan and came down to die in order to ransom man by the shedding of his own blood. When the penalty of man’s sin was fully paid on the cross of Calvary and the access to the throne room of grace was opened for man to obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need, man once again obliged by God to accept his offer for pardon. Now, anyone that has accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ over his/her life and also walk in the consciousness of the finished work of Calvary could exercise his dominion in Christ over the forces of life and nature.

In Now That’s a Good Question, R.C. Sproul answers more than 300 challenging questions about life and faith. Addressing doctrinal points and contemporary issues such as euthanasia, evolution, and abortion, Sproul covers more than three hundred topics in a personable, easy-to-read style that’s perfect for the lay person. New believers as well as those mature in the faith will find this book a solid resource for those challenging questions of life and faith.

God gave dominion over His creation to Adam, but it was lost due to sin. That’s why a new, sinless Adam was needed. That New Adam is Jesus Christ. The dominion mandate, to fill the earth and subdue it, is now Christ’s mandate. The church, often referred to as the bride and body of Christ, is the physical means through which our Lord operates in the world and carries out His mission. But the mandate, like the first Adam before Him, is His. The church, the bride, the new and resurrected Eve is to assist and obey Him in everything, responding to Him with faith. The Bible is not a religious manual informing us what doctrines to believe to “be saved.” The Bible is a completed work detailing and describing for us, the heirs of God’s creation, the fate of the world that existed before and the divine principles upon which Christ will advance His everlasting kingdom. The Father did not send His Son to replace an old, outdated religion with a new and better religion. God sent His Son to raise the dead to life, to restore a broken relationship between God and man, and to remake mankind into His image. With His Spirit, united with our spirit, in these mortal bodies, humanity is to exhibit His divine attributes through acts of love, wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, transforming the entire world in the process. That is the whole point of Christianity. In Covenant of Dominion: The Salvation of the World in Christ, G. Michael Rowe explains the proper context that brings the New Testament into focus and can dispel the many doctrinal issues that are dividing the church. The proper context is preterism. The framework for understanding the dominion mandate and the destiny of the church is the covenant.