'Father' no more? Church of England considering gender-neutral pronouns for God

LONDON (TND) — Leaders of the Church of England are reportedly considering shedding the practice of referring to God with "gendered" terms such as the male pronouns "He" and "Him" along with the traditional Christian phrase "our Father."

Priests with the church will launch their "project on gendered language" this upcoming spring, according to The Telegraph.The report claims the proposed changes would "mark a departure from centuries of tradition."

Arguing for the alteration for a "non-gendered God,"Reverend Joanna Stobart reportedly says that some members of the clergy wish to refer to God without saying "He" and "Him" while asking for forgiveness during prayer.

Please could the Liturgical Commission provide an update on the steps being taken to develop more inclusive language in our authorized liturgy and 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?"Reverend Stobart asked, according to The Telegraph.

Reverend Stobart's question was reportedly welcomed by the groupWomen and the Church (WATCH), which campaigns for "gender justice" in the Church of England.

In response to Stobart's inquiry,Bishop of Lichfield Rt. Rev. Michael Ipgrave said the church has "been exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years, in collaboration with the Faith and Order Commission," according to the report.

After some dialogue between the two commissions in this area, a new joint project on gendered language will begin this spring,"Rt. Rev. Ipgrave reportedly confirmed.

More conservative members of the church have criticized the project, claiming that "male and female imagery is not interchangeable," according to The Telegraph.

The use of male pronouns for God should not be understood as implying that God is male – which is a heresy. God is not sexed, unlike humanity,"Rev Ian Paul, a member of the church's Archbishop council, reportedly said. "The Bible uses feminine imagery and metaphors of God, but primarily identifies God using masculine pronouns, names, and imagery. Male and female imagery is not interchangeable."

The fact that God is called ‘Father’ can’t be substituted by ‘Mother’ without changing meaning, nor can it be gender-neutralised to ‘Parent’ without loss of meaning. Fathers and mothers are not interchangeable but relate to their offspring in different ways," Rev. Paul continued, according to The Telegraph's report. "If the Liturgical Commission seeks to change this, then in an important way they will be moving the doctrine of the Church away from being grounded in the Scriptures."

The proposal is also reportedly seen as the church attempting to boost congregation numbers with younger generations who, for the most part, are shying away from attending services, something that is also happening in the United States.

The announcement comes asthe Church of England prepares to vote on blessings for same-sex couples, reportedly to come in the following weeks.