UK: Anglican priest revolts against gender-neutral pronouns to refer to God
Referring to God as "she," "mother," or by neutral terms is not to the liking of Reverend Ian Paul. He reacted to the announcement of the Church of England, which launched a commission in the spring to reflect on the issue.
"The appellation of God as 'Father' cannot be replaced by 'Mother' without changing its meaning, nor can it be made neutral as a 'Parent' without loss of meaning," the Rev. Ian Paul told The Telegraph on February 8. The Church of England is launching a commission in the spring to determine whether to stop referring to God with the pronoun "He" during services. The Anglican bishops announced this the same day in a statement sent by e-mail to the British media. For the priest of Nottingham, "if the liturgical commission seeks to change this, then it will significantly move the doctrine of the Church away from its foundation on Scripture".
The alternative would be to use non-gendered terms or designations at the choice of one's sensitivity. According to the bishops, this reflection is far from new, and is part of a broader desire for adaptation, "given the vast changes in the understanding of gender and sexuality that are progressing in society."
On February 9, the legislative body of an increasingly liberal Church of England had already enacted a great novelty in its doctrine, voting in favor of blessing same-sex couples. A position that the congregation had assumed as early as January 18.
"The appellation of God as 'Father' cannot be replaced by 'Mother' without changing its meaning, nor can it be made neutral as a 'Parent' without loss of meaning," the Rev. Ian Paul told The Telegraph on February 8. The Church of England is launching a commission in the spring to determine whether to stop referring to God with the pronoun "He" during services. The Anglican bishops announced this the same day in a statement sent by e-mail to the British media. For the priest of Nottingham, "if the liturgical commission seeks to change this, then it will significantly move the doctrine of the Church away from its foundation on Scripture".
The alternative would be to use non-gendered terms or designations at the choice of one's sensitivity. According to the bishops, this reflection is far from new, and is part of a broader desire for adaptation, "given the vast changes in the understanding of gender and sexuality that are progressing in society."
On February 9, the legislative body of an increasingly liberal Church of England had already enacted a great novelty in its doctrine, voting in favor of blessing same-sex couples. A position that the congregation had assumed as early as January 18.
