A question pastors will face occasionally (especially from pet-lovers): Are there animals in heaven? How do you approach this? I frankly can't recall a decent pastoral/theological article on this one (though literalists have a stock answer: 'Course there are... wot about the four horses of the apocalypse?')

Some responses from netfriends:

A few very cursory thoughts on the question of animals in heaven;

First, I think the question itself says something about our humanity and our sense of "connectedness" with creation. There seems here to be an intuitive feel that our existence would be impoverished without the presence of other living species. It's a very sad thing that humanity only recognizes our connection with creation after that connection is severed - often irreparably.

Second, I think I have more problem with the "in heaven" part of the question than anything else. At first blush this may seem a tad pedantic but bear with me while I explain. It seems to me that a biblical view of humanity doesn't place us "in heaven" in the eschaton. Rather, the biblical imagery is that heaven somehow becomes present on earth in a renewed creation. A telling characteristic of this renewed creation is that "the lion shall lie with the lamb" etc, etc. This all suggests that there certainly will be animals "in the eschaton" if not "in heaven" per se - the entire biblical view of humanity, of creation, and of God's redemptive activity seems to me to demand it.

Third, the question is (as you know!) often more concrete than abstract. That is, the question is not "will there be animals in heaven" (and I've gone back to the more common, less pedantic use of terms here) but "will Fiffi/Tiddles/Spot be in heaven?" I think this is very difficult to answer. One would, of course, like to say "yes" without hesitation - but this would seem to me personally to border on misrepresentation as, in all honesty, I simply can't see how one could offer any definitive answer. My feel is that the best response is to assert that God will do what is just (Gen 18:25b) and to let people work out the implications of that for themselves.

There was, incidentally, an episode of the Simpsons in which the same question was asked. Homer answered in the affirmative - but with the caveat that certain animals (like Kujo and one of the Lassies) will go to hell. Apart from lauding the logical consistency of the theology here, I'll make no further comment ;)

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Well my pat answer (sorry had to get that line in before someone else used it!) that there will be no disappointment in heaven or the eschaton so even if there is not you won't mind.

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With regard to animals in heaven, while the gospel will always focus our attention on a clear and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, there are several 'keyhole' verses that provide a glimpse of the harmony throughout creation as God intends. You have rightly picked a few, with the beautiful imagery of Isaiah 11, though Romans 8:19 - 21 also comes to mind, within the crescendo building towards the end of the chapter. Here there's a promise that the frustration and imbalance that's been inflicted on the creation will one day cease, though what shape the fulfilment takes is not clear.

While it's a 'Sirius' issue for lovers of departed Fifis or Spots, it's safe to assume that these promises aren't there to extravagantly prove points that feed the narcissism of Christians who are on a strong eschatalogical diet.

Have a happy day, unless you have made other plans...

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