http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7982904/God-no-longer-male-Scottish-Episcopal-Church-rules.html
The Episcopalian church of Scotland have decided that in order that no-one gets offended by the nature of God, they are making provision that you can make Him to be 'what you want Him to be' - in this case a woman. This is largely to cater for female priests who felt excluded on the grounds of the long held view that God is masculine in nature.
The thing that interests and concerns me here is this, the folly of political correctness that will change a doctrinal belief of such fundamental importance to appease and make God seem 'nicer' and more 'egalitarian' to all. The problem with this modern stance is that it filters belief and Biblical interpretation throught the lens' of apparent 'progressive thought' which is rooted in a reaction to global inequalities toward women.
The root of the issue is the statement of belief (and non-belief) that asserts 'To me God is like this or that....' The problem with this is that God's character, attributes and nature are not dependent on what you and I think about Him! I'll sometimes hear people say things like 'To me...God is like an angry school teacher in the sky', or 'To me God is like a big cuddly Santa Claus..' or 'To me...God is a feeling called love...' The list of 'lens-filtered' popular ideas of self appraised perspective on God is endless. However, here is the deal. God revealed Himself to Israel and said, 'I AM who I AM' and refered to Himself as the 'I AM'. Thats fairly emphatic isn't it? God will just continue being God. He is absolutely delighted in being Himself. He is fully satisfied in His masculine identity and surely doesn't need any of us to try and 'popularise' Him. Indeed, I would hold the view that trying to 'market God' is a huge mistake. Love Him, proclaim His Gospel, witness of Him, but for goodness sake don't try and make Him into a discounted special offer just to keep everyone happy, no, a thousand times no.
The Bible provides a living record of the nature of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If we take that away as our reference point all we have left is human wisdom or in many cases what the Bible calls folly. Using the 'To me, God is like this/that...' approach is all about us, making God fit into our needs, wants and comfort zones where we can pull Him out in a crisis but reject the transforming influence of the 'I AM' in favour of what suits us and appeases our sensitivities. Dear reader, Ladies and Gentlemen, this should not be so. Any comments?
JS.
1 comment:
I don't think it's fair to give God attributes that are part of the physical realm. He is not a man or a woman, but a spiritual being. There is no such thing as a male or female in the spirit. God uses images like Father to reveal part of His nature, not because he is male.
These kinds of arguments arise because carnal people try and put spiritual things into physical boxes. We try and bring God down to our level. Those who are proponents of this kind of thing are completely distracted from a pursuit of God and are trying to fit the Creator into their understanding and life. They have no idea about life by the spirit but are completely carnal in their life and thinking. The only solution is for them to actually encounter Him and become born again and then be discipled into living a spiritual life. I find it really sad how the so called church has fallen so far from the glory of knowing him. They are left squabbling over scraps on the floor, instead of sitting at the banqueting table.
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