Non-Binary God? The Church of England Considers Making Language in Scripture Gender-Neutral

By /

In the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit…Amen; At least it is for now.

The Church of England is studying and deliberating on possibly changing the language of scripture to be gender-neutral.

After all, who are we to misgender God!? Oh, how crazy our world has become where we have to deliberate on the gender of God Almighty.

I didn’t grow up in a strict religious household. Still, I can tell you that over my lifetime and personal study of scripture, these ideologues have missed the point and perhaps could use a little more Sunday School and a little less faux outrage. So let’s dive into the arguments for adjusting the gendered language of the Bible.

RELATED: Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus Elects a Man to Chair Organization

The Bible is Sexist

The argument that God shouldn’t be referred to in masculine terms is not new. One only has to remember the 1999 movie ‘Dogma’ starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as fallen angels that depicted God as a woman played by not-ironic at-all Alanis Morrissette. 

An argument by many on the left side of this argument claim that referring to God as exclusively male is what drives a lot of discrimination and sexism against women. Add to that the recent surge in gender ideology that you can identify as any number of over 50 genders; the scripture gets even more complicated for the left.

In response to this societal fad, Rev. Joanna Stobart from the Diocese of Bath and Wells has asked the Church of England to “develop more inclusive language in our authorized liturgy.”

The Reverend is asking the Church to “provide more options for those who wish to use authorized liturgy and speak of God in a non-gendered way, particularly, in authorized absolutions where many of the prayers offered for use refer to God using male pronouns.”

However, not everyone sees this issue the same way, thank God.

RELATED: It’s ‘Adios!’ to ‘Aloha!’ as the Left-wing Word Police Strike Again

More Than a Man

The concept of metaphors and symbolism is lost on the left. Member of the Archbishop’s Council of the Church of England Rev. Ian Paul presents a masterclass on what God is.

“The use of male pronouns for God should not be understood as implying that God is male,” Rev. Paul claims.

Indeed, even a proponent of gender-neutral language can agree that God is neither man nor woman. As Anglican priest Dr. Dorothy Lee explains “The Bible is quite clear…that both male and female are made in God’s image and that God transcends gender.”

So does that mean God is non-binary? No, because that’s a made-up construct based more on personality versus biology. 

But does this argument mean he shouldn’t be referred to as he or God Himself? Not according to Anglican Bishop Dr. Michael Stead.

“To use the current idiom,” Dr. Stead explains, “God has told us his preferred pronouns. He is father, so he and him are the appropriate pronouns, and that’s how we ought to relate to him.”

It seems fair; we should respect God’s preferred pronouns just as the left would demand we respect the made-up pronouns of the trans community.

RELATED: Vanderbilt University Prof Claims Math is Racist White Supremacy and Anti-Gay

Hello Father? Hello Mother? 

To change the gendered language of the Bible would do more than change the ‘he’ and ‘him.’ It would also mean changing the numerous references to God as ‘Father.’ 

“The fact that God is called ‘Father’ can’t be substituted by ‘Mother’ without changing meaning nor can it be gender-neutralized to ‘Parent’ without loss of meaning,” said Reverend Paul. “Fathers and mothers are not interchangeable but relate to their offspring in different ways.”

As a parent, I can tell you that is true. How I engage with my children differs from how my husband engages, and how our children view us is also different.

That’s not to say we live in an antiquated ‘traditional’ family structure; quite the contrary. My husband is the primary caregiver of our children, and I am my family’s primary breadwinner.

What I provide my children as a mother is still vastly different than what my husband provides as a father. When we refer to God as ‘Father,’ it is in the context of God’s active interest in human affairs and development, similar to that of the way an Earthly father takes an interest in his children’s affairs and development.

The Bible is also riddled with nods to the great sacrifice mothers are demanded to make since the dawn of time.

RELATED: Liberal Bill Maher Says Biden Admin is ‘All-In’ on Youth Trans Movement, and He’s Right

Moms Never Get Enough Credit

Dr. Lee, like many other liberal Christians, argues that referring to God as our ‘Father’ and ‘He/Him’ makes women “invisible,” and puts “women down and not take their humanity seriously.”

The gendered language in the Bible is not why women continue to deal with a male-dominated world that continues to put us down and relegate us to the sidelines. Trust me, I felt the brunt of sexism every day of the 20 years I served in the United States military — and almost more so once I became a senior leader.

This is because humans are fallible, just as the good Lord intended. Unfortunately, that includes women, who have often been our own worst enemies in the fight for equality.

I also think that this argument doesn’t give the women in the Bible enough credit. There are plenty of strong women and mothers who emulate resilience, leadership, and power.

Take Deborah, the female judge that through her leadership and clarity of thought, brought peace to Israel for 40 years. Or Esther, who saved the Jews from destruction, thus ensuring their survival. 

And we can’t forget all the mothers in the Bible who were instrumental in the story of Us:

  • Elizabeth, mother to John the Baptist
  • Hannah, mother to Samuel
  • Jochebed mother to Moses
  • Leah, mother to Judah
  • Rachel, mother to Joseph
  • Sarah, mother to Isaac

These women had to show compassion, trust, faith, sacrifice, dedication, and unwavering love. These are not traits that men can’t or don’t have – but they are inherent to motherhood, and we must not minimize them.

The Point

Besides the fact that focusing on the gender of God is an immense waste of theological study, trying to remove gendered language from God and the Bible, in general, is ill-advised.

Dr. Stead explains “The essence of what it is to be Christian is to have a personal relationship with God.”

If we removed gendered language from God, Dr. Stead argues that “God just ends up being a kind of cosmic plot-maker that built the universe and wound it up and let it run out – not the loving Heavenly Father that we come to in our time of need.”

But that is precisely the point. The left-wing ideologues would love to separate us from our connection to God.

To what end? I believe the idea is if you take away our faith in something larger than ourselves, whether it be God or our love of country and family, then all that’s left is to follow false idols like gender ideology, race ideology, and various other poisonous concepts.

Don’t fall for the distractions and train your mind to think more profoundly than just the baseline of the words in the Bible. Perhaps the most crucial figure in the Bible next to God himself is Eve.

Many focus on Eve’s disobedience and weakness when she takes a bite of the forbidden fruit, but there is more to this woman than just her poor taste in afternoon snacks.

Eve was made from the rib of Adam, not because she was less than Adam, but because she was equal to him and meant to stand by his side, not in his shadow. God may be our Father, but he revered the role of women and mothers, and we shouldn’t so easily forget it.

Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”

13 thoughts on “Non-Binary God? The Church of England Considers Making Language in Scripture Gender-Neutral”

  1. cincinnatus

    they think 3 is equal to one and an anniversary can occur on different date every year

    what difference does it make if their ritual cannibalism is male female or ??????

  4. George Flinn

    It is for reasons similar to this that I left the Episcopal Church in the late 1970s. They still ordain paedophiles so the road back in entirely blocked. Now this, is there no garbage that will not be canonized?

  5. Clever Bev

    Many denominations in the US have long believed that God is so powerful that the idea of God cannot be limited to gender. This is not new and has been an issue of genuine religious scholarship since well before 1999. One can see, if one wants to, that God’s gender, or even God having “human” characteristics at all, is a human invention. You’re ridiculing people because they are better thinkers than you are. Open your eyes. I suppose one could posit an argument that Jesus called God “Father,” but how would you know? Humans wrote the Bible using the patriarachal language they had and understood.

  6. keith Diggs

    The “church” of England has never at any time been a Christian church. This is how Christians are baptized in the bible, IN JESUS NAME. Period. Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16-17, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-6 the reason being Acts 4:12.

    NO ONE in the ENTIRE BIBLE is baptized using the pedo churches formula which uses the words “Father Son and Holy Ghost’ AS IF THEY WERE NAMES, they are not. Jesus told you to baptize in the NAME (SINGULAR) OF the Father and of the Son and Of the Holy Ghost which the Apostles and years later PAUL who had not yet been called ALL INTERPRETED TO MEAN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST . In fact, in Acts 2:38-37 after Peter and the Apostles commanded that ALL be baptized IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST GOD HIMSELF SHOWS HIS APPROVAL OF THEIR INTERPRETATION by PERSONALLY ADDING PEOPLE” TO THE CHURCH .

    Acts 2:38 King James Version38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
    Acts 2:47King James Version47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

    THE APOSTLES who knew that evil people would try and CORRUPT THE GOSPEL warned you repeatedly AGAINST FALSE DOCTRINE and were also careful to tell you that CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MIGHT GROW TO BELIEVE ……THERE IS ONLY ONE BAPTISM. PERIOD. One Lord (Not 3) , One Faith (Not may “denominations” ) and ONE BAPTISM (doesn’t matter what YOU think). Ephesians 4:5.

  7. Ohio Conservative

    Personally I agree this would lessen my relation to the Diety, espessially when praying. Somehow, “Our It, which art in heaven . . ” just doesn’t do it. Perhaps some could feel close to the Godhead saying “Dear ze” but not me. Although this doesn’t affect me here in the US I’ll bet the US nuts will start a new movement (along with protests) to do the same thing here, beginning with the Episcopal Church. From there all the mainline Protestants will see the same thing. I think that would be just another reason for more people to leave the mainline churches.

  8. Carolyn

    There is a saying (as Above so Below), meaning that we have a mother and father below on earth we also have a set of parents above Mother/Father God. Regardless of whether it is true or if you believe it, my question is how did our Heavenly Father give birth to all the population we have on Earth now? How many other churches have already taken God/Christ out of the church? From my observations more and more churches are leaning toward the Satanists teaching.

  9. MyBattleax

    It’s becoming ever clearer that the culture in this nation has become reprobate and malignant while the “church” has been busy trying to be friends with the world and avoid offending them. God forgive us; revive us lest we make You vomit and send the judgment this nation undoubtably deserves. James 4:4 warns “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.” When Jehoshaphat, who loved the Lord, disregarded the warning of the prophet Micaiah because he was “friends” with Ahab, who hated the Lord and His prophets, he was rebuked by Jehu in 2 Chronicles 19:2 “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you.” We can’t be concerned by the world’s opinions of the truth. Paul said to the Galatians, ” Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” I would rather have the world as my enemy and the Lord as my friend. We might as well speak the truth, because the world will hate you anyway if you don’t submit to their ways. The kisses of enemies are deceitful, but real love speaks the truth even when it it’s painful. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Eph. 5:11)

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top