Letters
Dear Christis,
As I read the Thinker column in issue Nineteen, it stuck me that most of your contributors were very keen to perceive “God, our Mother,” either for themselves or for the sake of others. At the risk of sounding unduly contentious, I must say that I do not find this concept very helpful — in fact it seems to leave the Bible far behind in an attempt to mollify the human desire for sexual equality.
I believe the Bible teaches that God is Spirit and thus above the created distinctions of gender (Gen 1:27; 2:24; John 4:24; Gal 3:28). Furthermore, when the Bible does talk of God in a gendered manner, it refers to “Him”. When Jesus, who significantly talks and ministers to women as much and as lovingly as to men, refers to God, it is in masculine terms: “Abba! Father!” (Mark 14:36), then we should respect Jesus’ insight and be content ourselves to refer to God, our Father.
Of course, the Bible also describes the Church as the “Bride of Christ”. If believers walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, so that this lady receives the honour and respect that she deserves, then surely we do not need to talk of “God our Mother,” to show that he is not wicked, mysogynistic or irrelevant.
God Bless You,