Dog Christians and Cat Christians
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.
Matthew 6:10
Perhaps you’ve heard about the differences between dogs and cats.
A dog says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me. You must be God.”
A cat says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me. I must be God.”
Dogs want to obey their masters – cats want their masters to obey them. In fact, “masters” is the wrong word to use with cats. One person put it this way: Dogs have masters. Cats have staff.
Dogs will do whatever it takes to please their masters. Cats will do whatever it takes to please themselves. Which, by the way, is why I am NOT a cat person!
This difference between cats and dogs parallels two theological views that Gerald Robison and Bob Sjogren explain in their excellent book, Cat and Dog Theology.
According to the authors, those who follow Dog Theology say, “Lord, you have loved me, you have blessed me, you have provided for me. You must be God.” Those who follow Cat Theology say, “Lord, you have loved me, blessed me, and provided for me. I must be God.”
Spiritual dogs want to obey God. Spiritual cats want God to obey them.
Dog and Cat Theology: Spiritual dogs want to obey God. Spiritual cats want God to obey them.
Though we may smile about the difference between these two, it’s really no laughing matter. One man put it this way:
“Today we are reaping the harvest of man-centered conversions because we are more concerned for man than for God...We are more interested in God serving man than man serving God.”
DeVern Fromke, Unto Full Stature
“Today we are reaping the harvest of man-centered conversions because we are more concerned for man than for God...We are more interested in God serving man than man serving God.”
– DeVern Fromke
That is to say, we’ve bred spiritual cats who focus on themselves and that which will make them most comfortable.
Dog and Cat Prayers
One way to discern where you are in your dog/cat theology is in your prayers. Spiritual dogs have a lot of You’s and Yours in their prayers. Spiritual cats have a lot of me’s and my’s in their prayers.
Regarding the latter, James Mulholland writes,
“In December, I addressed my petitions to Santa Claus; the rest of the year I petitioned God. My real concern is how to get God to give me what I want. My desire is to manipulate God rather than to know Him...Prayer is about me: Bless me. Protect me. Take care of me.”
James Mulholland, Praying Like Jesus
Spiritual cats (to be bluntly honest) are in it for themselves. It’s not primarily about God – it’s primarily about them: feed me, provide for me, protect me, meet my needs. Why? Because it’s all about me.
Who’s the Master?
Perhaps our tendency toward “cattiness” is why, early on, in His classic prayer, Jesus instructed us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.” He intentionally prioritizes “dog theology” – that which obeys and seeks the glory of the Master.
To be sure, Jesus then moves from “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done” to “Give us this day our daily bread and…deliver us from evil.” He doesn’t shy away from instructing us to ask for provision and protection.
However, the order is important to note. Before ever getting around to asking for your needs to be met one needs to ask for God’s glory to be realized.
He is the Master and I am the servant. My kingdom is subordinate to His Kingdom. My will is submitted to His will.
So go ahead and enjoy your fur babies – whether they be dogs or (sigh) cats. And while their hair may rub off on you, don’t allow their behavior to rub off on you.
PRAYER
Lord, I have to admit to no small amount of “cattiness” when I come to You. All too often my attitude is one entitlement and my prayers are entirely self-focused. Help me to ever and always hold on to the priority of Your Kingdom and Your will.
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