"The Grace of Dogs" by Andrew Root is a must read for anyone who has had a special dog in their life. It is one of the best books I've read from a theological perspective that deals with the questions of whether or not dogs have souls and whether or not dogs go to Heaven.
Andrew Root is a professor at Luther Seminary and a graduate of Princeton Seminary. He and his family were the guardians of a special black Labrador named Kirby. Kirby had a very close relationship with Andrew's son, Owen. When Kirby had to be put to sleep, Owen made the sign of the cross on his beloved dog and told his friend that he loved him. This action made Andrew Root start his journey to discover the grace of dogs.
In this book, the author takes the reader through much of the current research into how dogs came to live among humans and how dogs have learned to respond to us in a close friendship. Mr. Root examines psychological, theological, biological and medical disciplines that shed light on the human dog relationship.
There are two passages in this book that are quite good. The information about Levinas and his story about the dog that visited the prisoners is extremely touching. The story of the encounter of Bonhoeffer and the boy who asked him if his dog was in Heaven is also moving. Bonhoeffer's statement, "God loses nothing that God loves" is a priceless statement in this context and in our relationship with the Lord in general.
I hope that many people will read this fine book. I highly recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment