Category Archives: Devotional thoughts

Basic thoughts on the Bible and our response

Female Pronouned God Experiment: Week 1 Review

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For the past week, I’ve been referring to God as “She” or “Her” when the need to use a pronoun arises. I mentioned this experiment on the blog last week and it brought with it a string of conversation I found very interesting. It’s also shaped some of my thoughts through out the week. You really should go read the comment section on the post, there are a lot of great thoughts. I felt a clarification or two might be in order.

This Is An Experiment

I think experimenting is important (don’t take that the wrong way). Christians especially are notorious for our sort of black and white stances on so many things. Sometimes I think it’s justified, but many times I think it’s not. When I decided to spend the month referring to God as “She” I did not make a fundemental switch in my doctrine or theology. I’m not making a definitive statement of the gender of God or even of my social or political leanings. If I decide to go back to referring to God as “He” come January, I don’t think any irreversable damage will be done. I think we need to be open to trying new things, hearing other opinions, walking a mile in another persons shoes. This is just an attempt to do that in a small way.

Men and Women have experienced life Differently

Regardless of what you think about gender, gender roles, sexual orientation, societies stereotypes, and more, there is the undeniable reality that we have been shaped by our experience; and men and women’s life experience is fundamentally different. I’m not attempting to make any statement about biology or innate traits of men and women, I’m simply acknowledging that the way we are treated as “boys” and “girls” affect the types of adults that we become. One way I believe we’ve been shaped differently is in our understanding and connection with “God”. The reality that we have almost all grown up with God being a “He” has an impact on us, particularly differently if we ourselves are “he” or “she”.  That being the case, this experiment is also an opportunity to see this small aspect of my life differently then I have for the past 26 years.

I’ll try and share more of my thoughts thus far on the actual practice of calling God “She” later this week if I can. For now, I hope these two points open your mind a bit to what this is about.

[photo credit]

My December Experiment: Female Pronouned God

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For 26 years I’ve grown up hearing “God” referred to with male pronouns. Occasionally it’s acknowledge that God is neither male nor female, but following the tradition of our male-centric, paternalistic society (and original bible writers) we refer to God as a male, frequently and often.
For reasons, whether doctrinal or societal, we are hesitant to move away from, in any way, referencing God (specifically the God God part of the trinity [Jesus, Holy Spirit, God]) in any feminine term or pronoun.  Any attempt to do so is often written off as “new agey” or “feminist” as if referring to God as a “he” is one of the central doctrinal issues of our faith. Yet, we do acknowledge that God is spirit, and though extremely rare there is scripture acknowledging female attributes of God.
The truth is that both males and females have been impacted by this “male” God and what that means for us as people, individuals and within our gender. My wife has spoken about the impact she’s felt it’s had on her, not just of seeing God as male, but the near silence or absence of woman’s value and voice in the scriptures she sees as the foundation of her faith.
One month is not nearly enough to reverse any long term psychological impact, but for the month of December (or longer), I’d like to refer to God as a female (with female pronouns). We currently do this to a small degree in our own home, but I haven’t moved beyond.
I’ll refer to God as “she” in my blog posts (I’d encourage others whom I read or read here to do this as well), around and amongst family and friends, and in any other “God” talk. I won’t go out of my way to say it and make a scene, but I won’t shy away from it either.
I’ll write about the impact the experiment has had on me and how I think about God.
I’d love to hear your feedback or thoughts on this topic, and if there are any others who want to experiment with me I’d love to have some fellow adventurers.

Blasphemy or Not? You Decide!

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Okay, this will be a terribly undeep discussion. Aaron sent me a link to WorldNetDaily the other day and I read the article, commented and then browsed a couple of the links. From what I gather, WorldNetDaily is a christian news website (I think it used to be a magazine?), so one of it’s article titles struck me: “Obama aide says he didn’t mean to blaspheme Jesus”

The title doesn’t strike me because it has anything to do with politics, but that it seems to imply that they think this guy blasphemed Jesus. I clicked the article to see what they considered blasphemy; wouldn’t want to show up in one of their articles myself. Here’s what they said:

(Subtitle of article) Stopped using ‘gay’ video piece after Christian confronted him

[Larry Lessig] denies he had blasphemous intent by including in his lectures a video of a ‘gay’ Jesus Christ sashaying nearly naked down a city street to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” only to get run over by a bus.”

From what I gather what’s blasphemous is:

  1. The writer at WorldNet finds the way Jesus is depicted in the video as ‘gay’.
  2. Lessig’s showed the video (not made by him) to others.

But, here’s what’s crazy about this to me:

  1. From what I can see in the video and the article, the only person insisting Jesus is ‘gay’ is the WorldNet author. The character in the video is certainly expressive, but it is quite simply reinforcing a stereotype to say that his personality in the video is ‘gay’.
  2. WorldNet news actually shows the video on their website article! They have a concise youtube video embedded in the article, available for you to see the whole thing. If Lessig’s blaspheme was in showing the video to others, then WorldNet is just as blasphemous.

So, I guess the decision is up to you. Is the video blasphemous? And if so, are Lessig’s and WorldNet news both guilty? (And I guess I might be guilty as well in suggesting you should go watch the video)

It’s Not a Passion of Mine, Jesus Said, “Go and Do Likewise”

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Caring for the poor is not some unique passion of mine. My awareness of my need to care for the poor came during some of the more spiritual dark times of my life, when I picked up my Bible and starting reading the words of Jesus…

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13)

‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

And then this one:

Luke 10:27-37
He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Wearing Mother Teresa’s Shoes

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Shane Claiborne shares a beautiful picture of loving sacrifice by Mother Teresa in his book, Irresistible Revolution:

People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. … She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a little ornery, like a beautiful, wise old granny. But there is one thing I will never forget – her feet. Her feet were deformed. Each morning in Mass, I would stare at them. I wondered if she had contracted leprosy. But I wasn’t going to ask, of course. “Hey Mother, what’s wrong with your feet? ” One day a sister said to us, “have you noticed her feet?” We nodded, curious. She said, “Her feet are deformed because we get just enough donated shoes for everyone, and Mother does not want anyone to get stuck with the worst pair, so she digs through and finds them. And years of doing that have deformed her feet.” Years of loving her neighbor as herself deformed her feet. -pg. 168

It’s an awe-inspiring story, certainly not something to scoff at. It speaks of sacrifice out of genuine love for others. Now, imagine for a moment that there was more to that story… You see, though Mother Teresa’s digging through the shoe bin for proper shoes is a noble act, she actually has many other pairs of shoes in her closet as well. The sandal’s that were being referred to in this story were her ‘charity shoes’ she wore them to appear more sacrificial and ‘like the people’ when she was doing charity work. However, when she attended fancy dinners she had a nice pair of high heels (she was a short lady you know). When she traveled around on speaking campaigns she had a good pair of running shoes and a pair of Birkenstocks. Oh, and meeting folks like the Queen or president’s required other shoes that matched her attire for the occasion. Does this diminish the awe you feel at Mother Teresa’s sacrifice? Before, you get to worried and shocked, I completely made up that addition!

Bear with me for a moment while I try to explain what that illustrated. But first, a picture of my shoes:
my shoes
I didn’t pull these out of the bottom of a bin of donated shoes, I actually purchased them new and have worn them since. I really enjoy my shoes, they’ve served me well and I hope they will continue to. Before you think I’m trying to be all self-righteous let me explain: These are not my only shoes. I like wearing these shoes, but on many occasions I do not. I don’t wear these shoes to work. I didn’t wear them at the wedding I was in this summer. I leave them at home when we are meeting new people or attending a ‘formal’ event. And I don’t just adjust for other people, I have a different pair of shoes to run and bike in, another pair for playing soccer and still another for hiking. Not that self-righteous anymore.

You see, I want to wear Mother Teresa’s shoes. Not literally, but in the sense of the sacrifice that she made by choosing to live a life in such a way that she only had enough for what she needed. Mother Teresa had one pair of shoes, and they seriously messed up her feet. I imagine those are the shoes she met the Queen in, and I don’t think the president scoffed at her when she chose to wear them. Why is it that we recognize and our touched by the sacrifice of Mother Teresa that we here about in a book, but we’d scoff or think it odd if I showed up for a formal dinner with holes in my sneakers? It wouldn’t be very long I think before someone, a co-worker, family member or friend offered me a pair of shoes to replace the ones I have. Few people look at the guy with holes in his shoes and think of it is awe inspiring sacrifice as we do Mother Teresa.

How Do These Apply To Us?

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The wife and I were reading some Deutoronomy today and I was curious what your take might be on the following passages. To they say anything about our society today, or how we should be living?

In no particular order.

1 If you see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. 2 If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. 3 Do the same if you find your brother’s donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it.

15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. 16 Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

6 If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

(this is the same ‘promise’ that children receive for honoring their parents. Don’t know which is more difficult…)

19 Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

and this last one was pretty interesting…

1 If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke 4 and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 5 The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. 6 Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, 7 and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. 8 Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man.” And the bloodshed will be atoned for. 9 So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

I’d Rather Just Talk About The Easter Bunny

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I don’t know that I have any profound Easter thoughts. The latest is that, with an 8 month old, I’m finding a lot of the sort of foundational, theological stories of my faith, to be well, hard to explain.

Someone gave us a book about Easter, and though like all her books, the kiddo has no idea really what I’m reading, I still find it a little hard to stomach. On the one hand, I think being able to communicate ideas and stories on a level that little children will understand is hugely important. High brow academics that speak in a way only other intellectuals can understand does not appeal to me at all. At the same time, I sometimes wonder if our attempt to communicate certain foundational truths to little kids, maybe causes them to be too watered down and lose the depth of their meaning.

Like, do you use Easter to tell kids about how there’s this dude named Jesus who was dead, but then he rose again, and walked around and wasn’t dead anymore? It’s a pretty crazy story, but then, so is Humpty Dumpty, amongst others. Could we just tell that story and leave it as it is, maybe for the kid to understand many more years down the road? It doesn’t seem like we think that’s a good option.

Instead, we communicate to kids from as early as they can comprehend, not just the story, but the theological meanings. We tell them they are sinners, we try and explain how Jesus dying and raising from the dead somehow has something to do with them being bad kids, but now they aren’t bad anymore, or something like that.

I think if we look to Jesus as an example, there was a whole lot of stories he told that he didn’t explain the meanings, though for most adults, a lot of the meaning was fairly obvious. I’m not saying we shouldn’t help kids to understand the details of the faith, I’m just having a hard time figuring out when.

I was talking to a friend the other day who teaches a little kids Sunday school class, and she was looking up Easter lessons to try and do. Disturbingly, she found bunches of lessons which involved kids actually participating in the crucifixion process. One lesson was to get bread and Cheeto’s and have the kids hammer the Cheeto’s into the bread thinking about how Jesus must have hurt when he was nailed to the cross. Are you kidding me?! I’m sure the lesson went on to discuss deep theological implications such as ‘substitutionary atonement’ and other foundational truths, but in kid friendly language.

Personally, I’m starting to think I’d rather just talk about the Easter Bunny.