In a bold move, one Scottish church has taken a progressive leap toward remedying the former patriarchal notions about God that have become commonplace among many churches. According to the Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, bishops in the Scottish Episcopal Church removed words such as “Lord,” “he,” “his” and “him” from their sermons. The bishops see this as a step toward moving away from suggestions that God is of a male gender.

“We are not saying God is not masculine. God is also feminine. The problem is trying to use human language to describe the indescribable,” said Darren McFarland, convener of the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Liturgy committee.

The notion that God is of the male gender has always struck me as strange. I believe the idea is rooted in patriarchal notions about gender, assuming that since men were the heads of most institutions that meant that God was also a male. It stems from the same source as notions about God’s color or race, primarily that those with the most power and influence got to determine which human characteristics to ascribe to God.

The Scottish Episcopal Church has come under fire from traditionalists who believe that the changes are based on nothing other than political correctness. However, this is often the case when those in the dominant class do not want to give up their power to define and designate. Many Black theologians fought hard to combat notions that God was of the White race, beliefs that were grounded in white supremacy. These Black theologians, much like the Scottish Episcopal Church, came under attack from traditionalists who wanted to keep ideas about God rooted in the past.

Ultimately, the decision to remove masculine references to God is central in making the concept of God affirm all persons. Many women in the clergy find it difficult and problematic to accept patriarchal notions about the gender of God that do not relate to them, just as many Black theologians found it difficult to worship a white God. One of the quickest ways to create a culture of sexism and gender privilege is to instill in the masses that the highest being in their cosmos is a male.

Hopefully other churches will look at the example of the Scottish Episcopal Church and begin to examine ways in which they conceive of God. As one reverend was quoted, “God is above and beyond human gender.”

This story was originally published in the FAMUAN Florida A&M’s student-run newspaper where Derrick McMahon is a senior history education student.

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