Sophie Robinson
The Church of England is considering whether to stop referring to God as “he”, as priests highlight the need for gender neutral terms.
The church said in a statement that Christians have recognised “since ancient times that God is neither male or female.”
The vice chair of the liturgical commission responsible for the matter, who is also the Bishop of Lichfield, Rt Rev. Dr Michael Ipgrave, says the church has “been exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years”.
As a result, the clergy are now to decide whether language used in church services could better reflect this belief. Any alterations made would have to be approved by Synod, the Church’s decision-making body.
“Although no plans or aims for the project are yet to be announced, there has already been criticism towards the possible changes”
Some clergy have begun to use inclusive language in services, however a spokesperson has said that there are no plans “to abolish or substantially revise” the existing liturgy and that “no such changes could be made without extensive legislation”.
This topic is being explored in a joint project launched by two commissions in response to a question asked by Rev. Joanna Stobart, vicar of Ilminster and Whitelackington, in Somerset at Synod, who wished for “more inclusive language” in Church of England services.
Although no plans or aims for the project are yet to be announced, there has already been criticism towards the possible changes.
Rev. Dr Ian Paul told the Telegraph that it would mean moving the doctrine of the Church away from being “grounded in the scriptures” and that it would be an abandonment of the doctrine.
“She argues that speaking about God in exclusively masculine terms underpins male dominance in society”
Feminist theologian Mary Daly, however, highlighted the importance of gender neutral language in church as she wrote: “If God is male, then male is God”. She argues that speaking about God in exclusively masculine terms underpins male dominance in society.
However, in 2018 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that descriptions of God are somewhat “metaphorical” and that God is not a father in the same way a human would be.
The joint project on gendered language in church services will begin this Spring.
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