Sparked by a comment from the Archbishop Justin Welby, a long-held debate about the gender of God has been reignited

Source: The Independent Voices

A church that attempts to appear modern and hip in attempts to lure in millennials is as embarrassing as it is off-putting, like a drunk uncle trying to join in a conversation unbidden

By Dawn Foster; @dawnhfoster

Asked in a church in Trafalgar Square whether God had a gender, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said “God is not a father in exactly the same way as a human being is a father. God is not male or female. God is not definable.” The argument is extraordinarily dated in Christian circles, but arguments and discussions over gender pronouns and whether people can define as whichever gender they feel they belong in are a considerable part of the modern discourse. Welby will have been aware his comments would spark a large argument, and of course, many words have been spilled over his belief by writers, myself included.
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As a practising Catholic, the guiding books of the faith make clear Welby is right: that there should be any argument is bizarre. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “In no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes.” As Welby says, human language is utterly inadequate when trying to describe many aspects of faith, including the Holy Trinity. But Welby’s intervention has led to many others speaking out and complaining that gendered language is still used in religious services, referring to God as “our father”.

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