Would you mind giving some examples of the theological topics you have in mind?
Regarding YOUR question:
I think, in part, it matters what we mean by “animal.” Biologically, we are. We fit all the descriptors.
But there are things about us that are distinctly different from other animals…
…… Such as what we are doing at this very moment and the means by which we are achieving it.
In the scriptures Christians use, humans seem to be understood as a different category than “mere animals.” But clearly seen as having similar qualities. I’m thinking at the moment of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.
Like Terry mentioned regarding his parents, there are different views held by reasonable people. And like Klax said, being human is natural.