God's gender?

[SueS]

Of course, I know God is a "He" - that fact is found all through the Bible. But, in regard to the situation with my former choir, the director defended the use of "she" in the contested Bluegrass Mass by saying that God exhibits both male and female attributes and thus, can be referred to as "she". Chances are pretty good that I will have to defend my decision to drop out because of this and it would be great if I were able to present the Hebrew word which represents God as "He".

So, can anyone help me here? TIA!

 

[Davidius]

Of course, I know God is a "He" - that fact all through the Bible. But, in regard to the situation with my former choir, the director defended the use of "she" in the contested Bluegrass Mass by saying that God exhibits both male and female attributes and thus, can be referred to as "she". Chances are pretty good that I will have to defend my decision to drop out because of this and it would be great if I were able to present the Hebrew word which represents God as "He".

So, can anyone help me here? TIA!

I got in trouble for speaking against it in another thread, but much of this has to do with people deciding what men and women "are like" without using the bible. If women are the "caring" gender and men are the "rational" gender, and God is both rational and caring, then the liberals have a premise for calling God male and female.

 

[SueS]

Right, but that is reasoning based upon feeling and opinion, not on accurate reading of the text. That's why I need the Hebrew terminology to back up what the Bible says.

 

[moral necessity]

When scripture describes God with words we can understand, it uses a masculine term. It calls him Father, not mother. The Word became flesh as a man, not a woman. So, if scripture refers to God as "he", as a masculine word form, who are we to make it into a feminine or a neuter word form. I'm not much of a Hebrew or Greek scholar, but I don't think you'll need to be in order to win this point. To me, if one is inclined to refer to God as "she", then they are doing something that Christ himself did not do, (nor anyone else in all of scripture), Jn.15:10 - "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." I would present that point with gentleness and see what she says.

 

[Davidius]

God is neither male or female. God is God. He is lofty and high above. Like no other. Is God a man that He should repent? God is masculine, but He's not a man.

Good point. The divine nature has no body. Authority is the main characteristic of masculinity.

 

[Grymir]

Hi SueS. Here is a link with the Hebrew word he looked up

Strong's Hebrew Lexicon Search Results

Some of the problems arise because it can in certain situations be translated 'her' or 'it'. That is why certain people try and use her for he when refering to God. But don't let that confound you... God is neither male nor female...And a person doing this (Her) was/is a feminist, and they have authority issues and don't want to do the submitting part. So if God is a she...well, you are seeing the results before your eyes. Good Luck and Keep Up the Good Fight.

 

[DMcFadden]

Part of the issue relates to the difference between analogical and metaphorical language. We say that God is a rock, a fortress, a deliverer. But, nobody I know thinks that God is actually composed of granite. When his care is likened to a mother hen, we do not anticipate that he is a holy chicken (no blasphemy intended).

The use of the language of "father," however, moves from the metaphorical to the analogical. There is something about God that we cannot understand apart from the concept of "father." It is not, as Freud alleged, that we project our father images and create our deity. Rather, because God is our Father, he has graciously condescended to give us fathers from whom we may learn and understand some things about his nature.

In the creation account, we are told that God created us in his image. Then it specifies that this is found in our maleness and femaleness. The bipolarity of the sexes somehow partakes of the image of God in a way that nothing else does. That does NOT (contrary to the professors at my alma mater) give us permission to revise the revealed language given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray "Our Father . . ."

 

[SueS]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I have found lately that every time a controversy like this comes up it sends me to my Bible and handy-dandy Strongs to research it so as to understand and refute it better. You folks are an added dimension to this as I can pick your brains as well - it keeps me from having to constantly bother my pastor - he's extremely busy these days with a new baby in the house and trying to write his doctoral dissertation on top of his regular church duties. Thanks again!!