SermonA Reflection by Tams Nicholson, OFS


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Audience: Faith-based People


Hierarchy of Worth – When Compassion Becomes Selective

July 29, 2025, by Tams Nicholson, OFS and Executive Director of All-Creatures.org

Reflection Guide

Scripture for Meditation:

“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:9 (NIV)

In nearly every Christian tradition, we affirm that God shows no partiality. We preach that all are equal before the Lord, that His love does not rank or diminish. And yet, when it comes to how we treat God’s creatures — especially animals — many of us preach compassion while living out a hierarchy of worth.

In practice, we often divide the world like this:

• Humans at the top

• Pets next — beloved, protected

• Wildlife — admired from afar, but still “other”

• Captive creatures (aquariums, zoos, circuses, labs) we pay to admire or use them and then objectify them

• Farmed animals — invisible, expendable, forgotten

This is not biblical compassion but cultural conditioning.

Scripture tells us plainly: “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” —Psalm 145:9 (NIV)

Not “some.”

Not “only the useful.”

Not “only those with voices we understand.”

All.

If the Lord is good to all He has made, how can we justify drawing lines where God has drawn none? Many clergy passionately advocate for human dignity — and rightly so. But when that passion excludes animals, it becomes a partial love. An inconsistent justice. A divided gospel. When our compassion becomes selective, we unintentionally bless systems of cruelty. We reinforce the lie that some lives matter less — not because God said so, but because it’s convenient for us to believe.

Let us be clear: selective compassion is not compassion. It is favoritism dressed in theology. Ethical veganism challenges this hierarchy. It is not about loving animals more than people. It is about refusing to love some while harming others. It is about restoring moral wholeness — aligning our practices with the God who is good to all. Let us be shepherds who reflect the love of the Good Shepherd. One who leaves the ninety-nine for the one — even when the one is not a person, but a creature. And let us teach one another that compassion was never meant to be portioned out like rations. It was meant to overflow.

Kindness,

~ Tams Nicholson, OFS

Key Takeaway:

True compassion does not come with qualifiers. God’s goodness is for all He has made — and our lives and ministries must reflect that same fullness.

Heart Questions:

1. Have I been taught to withhold compassion from certain beings because of tradition or cultural habit, rather than God’s truth?
2. What would it look like for my ministry to reflect God’s compassion without hierarchy — across species, roles, and status?

Journaling Prompt:

Reflect on how the world uses our biases about hierarchy to promote us to sin concerning how we regard creatures.

Action Step:

Spend time journaling or praying over the phrase “compassion on all He has made.” Ask God to show you where your own compassion may have limits, and commit to one practical change this week that breaks down that internal hierarchy — whether it’s in your theology, your consumption, or your community engagement.

Closing Prayer:

God of mercy and life, help me to live in a way that reflects Your love to all creation.

Return to: Tuesday with Tams