Get Involved

Receive the Newsletter

Enjoying our resources? Receive our monthly newsletter and more from BioLogos, tailored to your interests!

Join Now

Donate to BioLogos!

BioLogos relies on grassroots donors like you to help sustain our mission. Make a donation today, or contact donorsupport@biologos.org with donation related questions.

Give Now


BioLogos Voices is a speakers bureau featuring top scholars and communicators in the BioLogos community. Book a speaker for your next event!

Learn More
See All Events


Join the online community! We welcome you to be a part of the growing group of people who are seeing science as the study of God’s creation while upholding the authority of the Bible!

Join Now
About BioLogos

About Us

Our Mission
Our History
What We Believe
Annual Reports
Endorsements


What We Do

Conferences & Events
Speakers Bureau
Language of God Podcast
Insights Video Series
INTEGRATE Curriculum
BioLogos.org Resources


Our Team

Staff
Board of Directors
Advisory Council
Francis Collins
Careers

ForumsGive
https://biologos.org/resources/it-is-good-bethany-sollereder-on-animal-suffering
Browse Common Questions

Biblical Interpretation

How should we interpret the Genesis flood account?

How long are the days of Genesis 1?

How should we interpret the Bible?

See All
Christianity & Science

What is Evolutionary Creation?

Should Christians get vaccinated?

Should We Trust Science?

Are science and Christianity at war?

See All
Scientific Evidence

What does the fossil record show?

What is the genetic evidence for human evolution?

Does the Cambrian Explosion pose a challenge to evolution?

See All
God's Relationship to Creation

Why should Christians care for creation?

What do “fine-tuning” and the “multiverse” say about God?

What created God?

See All
Human Origins

Did death occur before the Fall?

How could humans have evolved and still be in the “Image of God”?

Were Adam and Eve historical figures?

See All
Explore Faith & Science Resources

Get Started

Use the links below to browse content carefully curated for BioLogos beginners.

Common Questions
Insights Videos
Language of God Podcast
Integrate Curriculum
Resource Centers
Impact Stories
Recommended Books


Featured People
Francis CollinsFrancis Collins
Katharine HayhoeKatharine Hayhoe
N.T. WrightN.T. Wright
Deborah HaarsmaDeborah Haarsma
Praveen SethupathyPraveen Sethupathy

Resource Centers

K-12 Educators
Pastors
Youth Ministry
Campus Ministry
Small Groups


Explore All Topics

Bible
Science
Theology & Philosophy
Church & Culture
Views on Creation


By Type

Common Questions
Articles
Series
Videos
Podcast Episodes
Audio
Books
Impact Stories

What are you looking for?

  • Forums
  • Give

 
Video

It is Good: Bethany Sollereder on Animal Suffering

Featuring Bethany Sollereder 
On June 07, 2019
  • Death, Evil, Suffering
  • The Fall & Original Sin

This is a short excerpt from Bethany Sollereder’s plenary talk at the BioLogos Conference in March 2019 on animal suffering and the goodness of God’s plan for nature.

Transcript:

Now, as I mentioned earlier, the Bible is not at all squeamish about the suffering in the world or the predatorial nature of creation. Yes, there are passages throughout Isaiah that describe the future kingdom as lacking these elements, but over and over again the Biblical writers celebrate God’s creation of the really difficult bits of the world–the divine care for lions in the great leviathan, the divine dialogues in Job are little more than an extended celebration of God’s direct responsibility of all of creation’s most problematic elements. From storm clouds and hail to monsters and snowstorms, God takes credit for it all.

From [Job] Chapter 39:

”Does the eagle soar at your command

and build its nest on high?

It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;

a rocky crag is its stronghold.

…

Its young ones feast on blood,

and where the slain are, there it is.”

There’s no indication that the eagle’s bloodthirsty nature is contrary to God’s will; there’s no sense that its way of living in the world is the tragic consequences of the fall. Instead, the continual chorus of creation is, ‘it is good, it is good, it is very good.’ This world with tsunamis and tigers burning bright is God’s very good creation.


Related Videos

Featuring David Brooks 

David Brooks on Faith in Polarized Times
Bethany Sollereder at BioLogos Conference
Featuring Bethany Sollereder 

Animal Suffering: God & Pain in the Evolutionary Story
Featuring Justo L. Gonzalez 

Creation: Rediscovering a Misunderstood Doctrine
Featuring Oliver Crisp 

A Moderate Reformed Doctrine of Original Sin
Adam and Eve: Engaging the Tough Questions
From the Dust: Paul's Adam
See all videos 

01/06

Related Resources

If you enjoyed this resource, we recommend you check out one of the following:

All Resources
  • snake with tongue out
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Loren Haarsma 

    Loren Haarsma | Four Approaches to Original Sin

    Loren Haarsma lays out four different approaches in his book, When Did Sin Begin? and talks with us in the episode about the approaches

  • silhouette of man praying
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Tish Harrison Warren 

    Tish Harrison Warren | God Is A Bad Fairy Godmother

    How can we trust God when we can’t trust that God will keep bad things from happening to us? Tish Harrison Warren talks about how she has found answers to that question, especially through a practice of prayer.

  • Sunlight shining through plant foliage
    Blog Post
    By Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Signs of New Creation: Reflecting on Words of Hope from N.T. Wright and Francis Collins

    Ciara Reyes-Ton offers a reflection on words of hope N.T. Wright and Francis Collins shared on a recent Language of God podcast.

  • Trail into dark woods
    Podcast Episode
    • Featuring guests Richard Lindroth, 
    • April Maskiewicz Cordero, 
    • Bethany Sollereder, 
    • Willie James Jennings, 
    • Steven Bouma-Prediger, 
    • Norman Wirzba, 
    • Steve Roels, 
    • Sarah Bodbyl Roels 
    • and Patricia Bruininks 

    Creation Groans | Into the Darkness

    We allow ourselves to fully contemplate the woundedness of the planet and we reach into the Christian practice of lament as a way to find hope in the midst of the suffering we see around us.

  • burned trees
    Podcast Episode
    • Featuring guests Steven Bouma-Prediger, 
    • Richard Lindroth, 
    • Veronica Frans, 
    • Norman Wirzba, 
    • Margaret Miller 
    • and Steve Roels 

    Creation Groans | World of Wounds

    We explore some of the wounds to the planet that often go unseen and we realize that the path to hope begins with the acknowledgement that the wounds are deep and troubling. 

  • Video
    By David Brooks 

    David Brooks on Faith in Polarized Times

    New York Times Columnist David Brooks ponders what faith can offer us in polarized times, and reflects on his own conversion to Christianity in this excerpt from the BioLogos Faith & Science 2022 conference.

  • snake with tongue out
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Loren Haarsma 

    Loren Haarsma | Four Approaches to Original Sin

    Loren Haarsma lays out four different approaches in his book, When Did Sin Begin? and talks with us in the episode about the approaches

  • silhouette of man praying
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Tish Harrison Warren 

    Tish Harrison Warren | God Is A Bad Fairy Godmother

    How can we trust God when we can’t trust that God will keep bad things from happening to us? Tish Harrison Warren talks about how she has found answers to that question, especially through a practice of prayer.

  • Sunlight shining through plant foliage
    Blog Post
    By Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Signs of New Creation: Reflecting on Words of Hope from N.T. Wright and Francis Collins

    Ciara Reyes-Ton offers a reflection on words of hope N.T. Wright and Francis Collins shared on a recent Language of God podcast.

  • Trail into dark woods
    Podcast Episode
    • Featuring guests Richard Lindroth, 
    • April Maskiewicz Cordero, 
    • Bethany Sollereder, 
    • Willie James Jennings, 
    • Steven Bouma-Prediger, 
    • Norman Wirzba, 
    • Steve Roels, 
    • Sarah Bodbyl Roels 
    • and Patricia Bruininks 

    Creation Groans | Into the Darkness

    We allow ourselves to fully contemplate the woundedness of the planet and we reach into the Christian practice of lament as a way to find hope in the midst of the suffering we see around us.

  • burned trees
    Podcast Episode
    • Featuring guests Steven Bouma-Prediger, 
    • Richard Lindroth, 
    • Veronica Frans, 
    • Norman Wirzba, 
    • Margaret Miller 
    • and Steve Roels 

    Creation Groans | World of Wounds

    We explore some of the wounds to the planet that often go unseen and we realize that the path to hope begins with the acknowledgement that the wounds are deep and troubling. 

  • Video
    By David Brooks 

    David Brooks on Faith in Polarized Times

    New York Times Columnist David Brooks ponders what faith can offer us in polarized times, and reflects on his own conversion to Christianity in this excerpt from the BioLogos Faith & Science 2022 conference.

  • snake with tongue out
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Loren Haarsma 

    Loren Haarsma | Four Approaches to Original Sin

    Loren Haarsma lays out four different approaches in his book, When Did Sin Begin? and talks with us in the episode about the approaches

  • silhouette of man praying
    Podcast Episode
    Featuring guest Tish Harrison Warren 

    Tish Harrison Warren | God Is A Bad Fairy Godmother

    How can we trust God when we can’t trust that God will keep bad things from happening to us? Tish Harrison Warren talks about how she has found answers to that question, especially through a practice of prayer.

  • Sunlight shining through plant foliage
    Blog Post
    By Ciara Reyes-Ton 

    Signs of New Creation: Reflecting on Words of Hope from N.T. Wright and Francis Collins

    Ciara Reyes-Ton offers a reflection on words of hope N.T. Wright and Francis Collins shared on a recent Language of God podcast.

  • Common Questions

    Resources

    Christianity and Science
    Scientific Evidence
    Biblical Interpretation
    God’s Relationship to Creation
    Human Origins

    Getting Started
    Common Questions
    Resource Centers
    BioLogos Basics Videos
    Language of God Podcast
    Impact Stories
    Recommended Books

    By Type
    Common Questions
    Articles
    Series
    Videos
    Podcast Episodes
    Audio
    Books
    Impact Stories

    By Topic
    Bible
    Science
    Theology & Philosophy
    Church & Culture
    Views on Creation

    Resources by Audience
    Pastors
    K-12 Educators
    Small Groups
    Youth Ministry
    Campus Ministry

    Get BioLogos Resources


    About Us

    Our Mission
    Our History
    What We Believe
    Annual Reports
    Endorsements

    Get Involved

    Open Forum
    Homeschool Forum
    Attend an Event
    Donate

    What We Do

    BioLogos Conferences
    Resource Centers
    Events
    BioLogos Voices (Speaker’s Bureau)
    Language of God Podcast
    INTEGRATE Curriculum

    Social Media

    BioLogos on Instagram BioLogos on YouTube BioLogos on Twitter BioLogos on Facebook

    © BioLogos 2019  Terms of Use   Privacy   Contact Us   RSS

    It looks like your cart is empty!

    Subtotal: $0.00

    Sign up or log in to continue checkoutBrowse All Units