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June 23, 2025

Cat and Dog Theology

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Psalm 100 & 150

Using God versus Loving Him

I don't recall the specific date, but when I was a seminary student at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of our chapel speakers spoke on "dog and cat theology." I thought the topic was provocative, but I had no clue what dogs or cats had to do with theology—until he explained the connection.

He explained that dogs and cats view their human masters differently. A dog wants to obey their master, while a cat desires their owner to obey them. Said differently, and jokingly, "dogs have masters, but cats have staff." One views their master as someone to love and obey, while the other sees them as a servant. One exists for their owner, and the other makes life all about themselves, considering their owner to exist for their purposes. It's an interesting observation. (My apologies to all you cat owners; I have two dogs!)

The connection between theology, cats, and dogs was fascinating. The speaker eventually connected dogs and cats to how we view God. Do we consider God someone to love and obey (e.g., dog theology), or do we think God is meant to serve us (e.g., cat theology)?

Of course, we'd never express the second option out loud, but it can certainly be reflected in how we live. A case in point is our prayer life. What occupies the content of our prayers? Is it mostly about us? Our needs? Our wants? Me, me, me? Scriptures encourage us to pray for our needs (see Matthew 6:9-13, especially vv. 11-13), but that isn't all we're to pray for (see Matthew 6:9-10). Notice the priority in the Lord's Prayer: The first two verses are about God—making His name great, praying for His kingdom to come, and for His will to be accomplished on earth. It isn't until after praise and a preoccupation with God's glory that we're encouraged to pray for our needs. The order is important.

Another example is the songs we sing. Do our worship songs lift the greatness of our God, or do we hear, if we stop to ponder the lyrics, a song about how God serves us, makes our lives better, and gives us what we want? As you continue to read the book of Psalms, consider the songs that magnify our awesome God (see Psalms 19:1; 100; 136; 147; 150). Let this encourage you to be more like a dog and less feline in how you view God.

For more on this, I suggest Cat & Dog Theology: Rethinking Our Relationship with Our Master by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison.