CASE STUDY

BOLD 101

In the bustling town of Dugger, IN, booming business and job growth have created the need for more housing to accommodate the influx of eager workers. An area of land on the west side of town has been purchased and designated for housing development. Since the other fields surrounding the town either cannot be purchased or have been destroyed by strip mining, this tract of land is the only viable option. The plans for the first subdivision are under way.

However, it has been discovered that this field is the primary habitat of the Indiana spotted tree frog, a species once highly regarded for its bright, purple spots and its dry sense of humor. It has been driven to this small haven largely by the local mining. Unfortunately, the frog’s gaudy appearance and perceived snobbery have attracted animal and human predators alike, causing the amphibian to be near the top of the federal government’s endangered species list.

Due to its already fragile disposition and emotional baggage, past attempts to transplant the tree frog to another region have been unsuccessful. Thus, if the woods vanish, so will this endangered species. Moreover, if housing is not available soon for its employees, Necking, Inc., will be forced to outsource its necktie factory and 5,000 jobs to India, leaving Dugger in a state of economic depression from which it will not soon recover. There is no way out of the dilemma: either the housing plans must go or the tree frog will be extinguished forever.

Read Gen. 1:28-30. Interacting with this passage, and using your own theological ingenuity, make a decision in support of the housing or the tree frog. Sustain your conclusion with clear reasons.