Will Christian prayer that is more than two thousand years old change because it establishes the patriarchal order? If you ask the Archbishop of York, a senior member of the Church of England, the answer should be yes.
At the beginning of the meeting of the General Synod (the governing body of the Church of England), the Archbishop referred to the words "Our Father in Heaven" in which the prayer begins, saying: "I know that the word 'father' is problematic for those for whom the experience of childhood in the shadow of earthly fathers was destructive and offensive, and for all of us who have worked hard to break free from the patriarchal grip on life."
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell. Influenced by culture more than the Bible?, Photo: GettyImages
The archbishop's casual remark provoked a theological debate in miniature. Father Chris Sedjen mentioned that this is a prayer that Christians believe Jesus himself taught and is mentioned in two Gospels in the New Testament. "Jesus called to pray to our Father," Sedjen said, "In the opinion of the Archbishop of York, was Jesus wrong or did he not understand his role? It seems symbolic to me that some church leaders draw conclusions not from the Bible but from culture."
For her part, the Reverend Christina Rees said: "The real question is, do we really believe that, in God's opinion, males are made in His image in a higher and more accurate way than females? The answer is absolutely not."
This is not the first time that the issue of God's gender has come up in discussions in the Church of England. In February, the Synod announced that following requests from the clergy, it would consider whether to stop talking about God in "He." In order to examine the issue, it was even promised to establish a committee. But the idea of talking about God in a neutral way also aroused fierce opposition. "You can't replace God's epithet 'father' with 'mother' without changing the meaning, just as you can't call him 'parent' without losing the meaning. Fathers and mothers are not the same, and neither is their attitude toward their children."
A Church of England spokesman said at the time: "This is nothing new. Since ancient times, Christians have known that God is neither male nor female, yet the variety of ways to address or describe God is not always reflected in the prayer text. Unequivocally, there are no plans to abandon or re-examine the current prayer orders."
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