Of God and Dogs, With Constant Reference to Sunny

“Cultural Critique Column”

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It is not silly or sentimental to say that I have learned much about the spiritual life from my dog, Sunny, a goldendoodle, whom we bought from a breeder in 2012. As Sunny ages and develops new problems, I often reflect on what he has meant to me as a Christian. Sunny and I are both senior citizens, which causes me (at least) to ponder who he is in God’s world. Sunny doesn’t seem to ponder, but you never completely know what is happening in a dog’s mind.

Despite my love for my dog and dogs in general, I cannot go so far as the heretic Richard Rohr does in the epigraph to his egregious book, The Universal Christ: “I dedicate this book to my beloved fifteen-year-old black Lab, Venus, whom I had to release to God while beginning to write this book. Without any apology, lightweight theology, or fear of heresy, I can appropriately say that Venus was also Christ for me.” ¹

I cannot say that Sunny is also Christ for me, since only Christ is Christ for me, but I can be grateful to Christ for Sunny. We must also resist the temptation to view dogs as children, as “fur babies.” Given our declining birth rate, they are not, and we need more human babies in America. Pets should not be fetishized or made into idols. Nevertheless, here are some reflections on how and what dogs can teach us about God.

God and Animals. Many biblical psalms are called nature psalms, since they exalt in God’s creation and care of the natural world. God not only created and controls nature, but nature returns praise. In some sense, even the non-human creation praises God. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6; see also Psalm 104).²

The prophet Isaiah tells us something similar. “The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen” (Isaiah 43:20).

If the wild animals honor God, I imagine the domesticated one can as well. Job also speaks of this: “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

Paul teaches that the entire creation reveals the Creator. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:19–20; see also Psalm 19:1–6). All of creation — the inanimate world (Psalm 95:4–5), the plants (Psalm 96:12), the animals (Job 12:7–10), and humanity (Psalm 8) — reveals in some way that it is God’s handiwork. The Bible offers specific animals as moral examples (even the lowly ant, Proverbs 6:6–11) and Jesus speaks of God’s care for the sparrow (Matthew 6:26). But what about dogs?

Of God and Dogs. My dog’s favorite verse is spoken by the Cyro Phoenician woman who responded to Jesus: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table” (Matthew 15:27). Sunny can identify with this, if we let him sit close enough to the table. Another of his favorites is “Better a live dog, than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4 NASB).

A dog is given some credit in this verse about poor Lazarus: ^“At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:20–21).

But beyond these verses, the Bible says little in praise of pups. My dog’s least favorite verse is “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:15). Since Sunny does none of these terrible things, he is puzzled by it.

Well, that is enough canine personification. In Bible times, dogs were not domesticated; they often roamed in packs, were dirty, and posed dangers to people. Dogs may have herded animals, but they were nothing like the pets we own. However, given the Scriptures cited, we know that they are God’s creatures and that they reveal something about God. Since dogs have been selectively bred and domesticated since biblical times, their range of ways they speak to us about God has increased, or maybe we are simply more attentive. Dogs speak to us about God in at least four ways: (1) by their very existence as living beings, (2) by their beauty, (3) by their skills, and (4) by their emotions and bonding with humans.

Let There Be Dog. Biological life itself is a kind of miracle in that mere mindless nature could never have arranged for all the variables needed for life on Earth or for the development and complexity of life. The fine-tuning design argument claims that the universe’s various laws, constants, and proportions all needed for conscious and embodied life could not have come about by chance. The universe is balanced on a razor’s edge for life. I and others have made the detailed philosophical case for this,³ and it is well illustrated in two sections of Lee Strobel’s video, The Case for a Creator (Illustra Media, 2006), which is supported by the book of the same name.⁴ The evidence for design from fine-tuning is so powerful that atheists invented the idea of the multiverse — there are many universes, and we are the likely one that came up with life — to resist the conclusion that one Designing Mind designed this one universe. Doggone it, that’s a bad argument.

Dogs were bred from wolves a very long time ago, but God created all the original kinds of animals before creating us in His image and likeness (Genesis 1). Dogs are, thus, the result of God’s original creation of life on Earth and humanity’s stewardship of that creation, given the creation mandate (Genesis 1:26–27). Their very existence owes to God’s creation of life and the human contribution to life through breeding and domestication.

Dog Beauty. Some dogs evince a beauty that speaks of God’s design as the Great Artist and God’s beauty. This argument will have no effect on aesthetic relativists, since it is predicated on the existence of objective beauty. But my claim is that beauty is not dependent on human experience or evaluation, and I have developed this argument elsewhere.⁵ Often, when I take Sunny to doggie day care or when people see him for the first time, they say things like, “Hello handsome,” or “He is so cute.” Sunny makes people happy just by his appearance and personality (unless it is someone who dislikes all dogs).⁶ Of course, I am partial to my dog, but canine beauty can be extended to other dogs and other breeds. Even if people vary as to which breeds they take to be beautiful, beauty is evident and beauty is something beyond what is necessary for survival (the Darwinian reduction). Beauty is also something beyond physical properties, although it involves them. If so, materialism is false, and the world becomes enchanted again. The argument is thus:

1. Objective beauty is found in various forms in both creation and culture. This includes the beauty of animals and dogs.

2. God (monotheism) best explains the existence of beauty by viewing God as the ultimate and personal Artist. Naturalism and pantheism fail, since there is either no God or an impersonal god who could not be an Artist.

3. Therefore: the existence of God gives the best explanation of this beauty.⁷

Or reduce the argument to simply: Dog, therefore God.

Dog Skills and Abilities. We often love dogs because they possess abilities that we lack and that spark awe in us. Dogs have more acute hearing and sense of smell than humans. They can be amazingly agile and fast. My childhood dog, Nina, a husky-German shepherd mix, could run at great speeds and clear a five-foot fence. She once escaped from a kennel where she was boarded across town while my parents were on vacation but managed to find her way back to our home several miles away. We have no idea how.

Various dog breeds were originally bred to help humans hunt and herd, as guide dogs for blind folks, for pulling sleds, and for protection.⁸ Most pets today are simply companions, although they might serve as guard dogs. A popular gig for some dogs now is that of a therapy dog. Since we should attribute all good gifts to God (James 1:17), we should thank God when we appreciate the dogginess of dogs, their canine quiddity, and their difference from us, their fellow creatures.

Dog Emotions and Attitudes. A dog’s relationship with humans can illustrate our relationship with God. For all their glory, dogs are inferior to humans on the scale of value. We are made in God’s image and likeness; dogs are not. We euthanize dogs if they are disabled, but we should not euthanize humans, since that would be murder. Nevertheless, dogs (unless wild) are dependent on humans and form a special bond with their masters especially. I find this with Sunny. Sunny is a people dog. He wants to be around people, especially those he knows best.

Since we recently moved to Michigan, he has had separation anxiety when we leave the house. Sunny follows us around the house, although he is more reluctant to go up steps now that he is older (as am I). Sunny’s need for people is analogous to our need for God, to be near God and to remember His presence always. James tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). Of course, God is always with us and for us, if we are Christians. However, we can stray from God relationally and forget our need to remember Him in all things. Sunny, and many other dogs, are not content to be by themselves. They need their people and will seek them out. They are distressed when they think their people have abandoned them. As David cried out to God, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). Jesus assures us that He is with us always, but we need to remember His presence and find our bearings in life thereby.

A dog’s trust of its master can also instruct us about our relationship with our Lord. A dog’s understanding is limited, since it is not a creature of sophisticated verbal interaction. Dogs can understand only some words and phrases, and they cannot read. We are less limited in our understanding of the world and of God, but our knowledge is also limited by our being finite beings and our sin. Scripture speaks to this.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. (Ecclesiastes 8:17)

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
  How unsearchable his judgments,
  and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
  Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God,
  that God should repay them?”

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
  To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33–36)

When I take Sunny to the veterinarian, he is not too happy. He looks at me as if to say, “Why are we here?” But when I comfort him, he accedes. As Jehoshaphat said to the Lord in a challenging situation, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Dogs can be examples here. When I see a physician about a physical concern, I trust the doctor, but more importantly, I should trust the Great Physician, who knows far more than I do, and who will one day raise me from the dead in a deathless body and soul, putting the world to rights forever.

Some dog breeds, such as border collies and blue heelers, are remarkably intelligent. Other dogs have great physical strength, such as German shepherds, who are often police dogs. Some dogs excel in emotional intelligence, such as goldendoodles and especially Sunny. We got him a few years before my first wife was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Sunny and Becky had a special bond, as I noted in my book Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness — A Philosopher’s Lament (IVP, 2017). Sunny always sensed when Becky was sad, often before I would. He would jump into her lap to nuzzle and lick her. There is a photo of this in Walking Through Twilight. Sunny was with Becky when she left her body to be with her Lord on July 6, 2018. He jumped up on her bed and looked over at her for the last time. Surely you can see something of the love of God and His sweet affection for His children in the response of a faithful dog.

Sunny is a dog of peace. He does not appreciate strife between his humans. If my voice shows any irritation in a discussion with my wife (even if it is not an argument), Sunny goes over to her to make sure she is alright. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” said Jesus (Matthew 5:9). Sunny is among them. He can also sense if I am bothered by something almost before I know it. When I would read The New York Times Sunday paper (my wife finally talked me out of it), Sunny would often nuzzle me when I was reading something I didn’t like (which was often). Or, if I am bothered about something I am writing about at my keyboard, Sunny will come over and look at me soulfully. His emotive watchfulness reminds me of God’s loving presence and my need to submit to the Holy Spirit in all my responses to the world (Galatians 5:13–25).

More could be said about dogs and God, put permit one last reflection. Sunny — and most dogs — delights in simple pleasures. In some ways they don’t have a choice, since the pleasures of, say, reading G. K. Chesterton or listening to jazz are not available to them. Although Sunny gets the same dry and dull food twice daily (not counting treats), when he knows I am getting his grub, he makes happy sounds, smiles, and jumps up expectantly. It’s party time again.

Dogs, God, and Us. Entire books have been dedicated to a theology of dogs,⁹ and I won’t be writing another one, but I aimed to reflect on several ways that these non-human creatures speak to God’s existence and His goodness. While the Bible offers little appreciation of dogs, a wider theology of the animal world and theological reflection on our experience with our canine cousins give ample reason to thank the God of dogs and men. Right, Sunny?

Douglas Groothuis, PhD, is Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone University. He is the author of Christian Apologetics, 2nd ed. (IVP Academic, 2022) and, most recently, Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (IVP Academic, 2024). Access his website at DouglasGroothuis.com.

NOTES

1. Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe (New York: Convergent Books, 2019). See my review of The Universal Christ, Douglas Groothuis, “A Heretic’s Christ, a False Salvation,” Christian Research Journal, March 11, 2021, https://www.equip.org/articles/a-heretics-christ-a-false-salvation-a-review-of-the-universal-christ-how-a-forgotten-reality-can-change-everything-we-see-hope-for-and-believe-richard-rohr.
2. Scripture quotations are from the NIV, unless noted otherwise.
3. Douglas Groothuis, “The Fine-Tuning Argument,” Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2022).
4. Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004).
5. See Groothuis, “The Argument from Beauty,” in Christian Apologetics; and Douglas Groothuis, “True Beauty,” in Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000).
6. These things happen in a fallen world.
7. Adapted from Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 257, Kindle Edition. The argument can be expanded to single out the God of the Bible as the divine Artist by adding several premises. See Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 257–266.
8. AKC Staff, “Working Dogs: 31 Purposefully-Bred Dogs,” American Kennel Club, June 9, 2023, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/working-group-dogs.
9. See, e.g., Stephen Webb, On God and Dogs: A Theology of Animal Compassion (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).