As anyone who was there knows, this past Sunday’s sermon was very personal for me. Telling the story of my years as a young mother of two kids who had medical issues totally absorbed my attention. It was only in hindsight that I realized that I also introduced something that might have taken some people by surprise. I referred to God as “she.” It wasn’t the first time I’ve done it, but for some reason it was the first time that I did it in such a way that people noticed. Some people loved it and I’m sure for others it was a bit uncomfortable. I understand both reactions.
In all of the theological discussions I have had with people, I have never heard anyone argue that God is specifically male or female. People know that God is not human and, therefore, God is neither male nor female. Yet the church has referred to God as “he” almost exclusively over the centuries. This reflects what has been considered official, sanctioned, ordained authority in the church for most of that history. Ephesians 5:22 states “wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” Therefore, the authority of the newly emerging church was aligned with the model of male authority that was widely practiced in society. That alignment predominates to this day. There are many modern churches that would not accept a woman as a pastor or elder because, to their way of thinking, that would not reflect the natural order of things. Therefore, when someone refers to God as “she” turns that model upside down, or sets it aside completely. The question of how we refer to God isn’t about who God is, it’s about how we see authority.
The Bible was written in a time and place where male authority was largely unquestioned. That assumption made its way into biblical language, metaphors, and customs. But we live in a time and place that largely professes that men and women are equal in value and capacity. Our society (legally) accepts that women can hold positions of authority as well as men. But this can cause a little backlash, even among the most progressive Christian. Many of us have internalized the image of God as the wise, but authoritative Father. It can be unsettling when someone shatters that image with a strategically placed “she.”
So why do it? Why disrupt tradition? My answer is twofold. The first is that to refer to God exclusively as “he” sends the message to our mothers, daughters, and sisters, that they are secondary. If God is male, then to be female is to be in a degree of separation from God, never to be fully united. That can’t stand. The second reason is that it is unbiblical. The Bible does use a lot of male imagery for God, but it also uses female imagery. God is a nursing mother, a hen protecting her chicks, a woman sweeping the floor looking for a lost coin, a mother Eagle. God is also Sophia (or Wisdom). In addition, the Bible gives authoritative witness to women—women recognize Christ first, almost every time. The Bible is being very subversive in this. It is turning our understanding of authority upside down. That is why our faith can be so unsettling. I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable with my language this Sunday, but if you were, please come talk to me about it. I would love the chance to explore this more, because I believe it deepens our faith and it heals our injustices.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jen