Q and A with Associate Pastor Chad Norman, First Baptist Church of Opelousas
Covenant Spotlight: With hunting season around the corner, is it permissible for Christians to hunt for sport?
Norman: I think this is a good question for a Christian to ask. Before we rush to answer it, we need to remember that hunting—however you may feel about it, whether you’re for or against it—is actually a result of the fall of man. Many of the elements that make hunting challenging and rewarding were not part of God’s original design, such as the pursuit of animals and the eating of meat.
Covenant Spotlight: What was God’s original design regarding mankind and animals?
Norman: We find it in Genesis 1, especially verses 27–31. Man was created on day 6, the pinnacle of creation, in God’s image—the Imago Dei. In Genesis 2, God Himself breathes life into man. We are created to reflect His glory.
In verse 28, God commands: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish… the birds… and every living thing that creeps on the earth.” This “Dominion Mandate” shows a chain of command—God over man, and man over the creatures.
But in verses 29–30, God gives plants, not meat, for food—to both man and animals. There was harmony: no hunting, no killing. In Eden, animals didn’t flee from man. God brought them to Adam so he could name them. It was all “very good.”
Covenant Spotlight: So when did that change?
Norman: Genesis 3. The serpent deceives Eve, Adam disobeys, and the fall brings curses on man, woman, serpent, and the ground. Death enters the world. Genesis 3:21 says, “The Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” An animal’s life was taken.
From then on, creation is broken—animals turn on each other, thorns and thistles grow, and mankind’s heart is filled with evil. Yet even in judgment, God shows mercy. Noah finds favor with the Lord, and God tells him to bring animals and all sorts of food onto the ark. Meat still isn’t on the menu.
Covenant Spotlight: When did God give permission to eat meat?
Norman: After the flood. In Genesis 9:1–3, God repeats the command to be fruitful and multiply, but now says, “The fear of you… will be on every beast… every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; as with the green plant, I give all to you.”
Fear of man enters the animal world. Hunting becomes what we now know as “fair chase.” God adds meat to man’s diet, not as a license for waste, but as a mercy to sustain mankind’s mission to repopulate the earth.
Covenant Spotlight: Does that mean hunting is still necessary today?
Norman: Yes, though in a different way. Our need for survival hunting has diminished because we can buy meat at a store. But I believe hunting is still a vital part of fulfilling the dominion mandate. God has given us the responsibility to care for this cursed yet beautiful creation.
Overpopulated herds can destroy habitats, starve, and spread disease. Wildlife biologists—often funded by hunters—study, diagnose, and manage populations so animals can thrive in the wild instead of in cages. It’s a practical outworking of God’s common grace.
Covenant Spotlight: Are there principles that guide Christians on how they hunt considering Proverbs 12:10 calls for a “righteous man” to “regard the life of his animal?”
Norman: Sure. While God established a hierarchy in creation, at no point in our stewardship does He give man the right to exploit or abuse animals. They still ultimately belong to Him after all. Permission to hunt is not license for negligence. God through the bible calls for intentionality in hunting such as sustenance, land management or the likes. We should not be wasteful, or hunt to satisfy some blood lust.
Covenant Spotlight: How does hunting connect with worship and spiritual growth?
Norman: Hunting takes you into God’s creation, which Romans 1 says reveals His power and divine nature. It humbles you—you face mosquitoes, thorns, poison ivy, and the reality of death. You must confront and process death, just as all creation groans for redemption. Hunting teaches discipline, ethics, and attentiveness to God’s creatures—the flick of a deer’s tail, the movement of a bird’s wing. It reminds you that life is fragile and cursed, making you yearn for the gospel and the final redemption in Christ.
Covenant Spotlight: Will there be hunting in the new heaven and new Earth?
Norman: Isaiah 11:6–9 paints a picture of a restored creation: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… the lion shall eat straw like the ox… they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” Predators and prey will live in peace. Meat will once again be “off the menu.”
So if you love hunting and eating wild game, your time is now. Get out there, enjoy God’s creation, and exercise your God-given dominion. But don’t doubt for a second that eternity with Christ will be lacking in any way when meat is no longer part of life.
Covenant Spotlight: While Revelation 21:4 does say, “death shall be no more,” can we at least hope they’ll be in the new Earth food that tastes like bacon and boudin balls?
Norman: I’m not sure of all that is waiting for us in heaven, but I am grateful to know that there is a feast as Revelation 19:9 teaches us. And even if there is no meat, I know that glorified veggies will be better than this Earth’s bacon and boudin (laughs).
J. Christian Lewis/AI assisted