Comments on: God as Masculine and Feminine… This Isn’t Goddess Worship

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:00:37 +0000

amen. That’s all I have for this. Well, that and this: it’s great to hear this coming from a man. Thanks.

By: E

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:56:24 +0000

The texts you used to show God’s “feminine side” aren’t saying anything about God and genre but about His kind of love and character (by closest comparison with human life and relationships).

For sound biblical theology, one needs excellent exegesis and hermeneutics – otherwise, you fall into all kind oh heresis and false teachings.

And whatever our wounds are (abusive father or mother), we cannot change Truth tohelp others relate better to the Real God. If He says He is our Father, then He is the Father and only the FAther!

By: ed

ed — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:37:24 +0000

That doesn’t settle things for me. If that’s the absolute, final word on the matter, than God must have screwed up by making Deborah a leader of Israel, using Huldah as a prophet, and Junia as an apostle. And then there’s this:
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

It’s not a clean and neat issue. It’s messy, so I think we need to beware becoming too dogmatic in quoting one scripture to settle the matter. The Bible presents different perspectives on women, Paul being just one of them.

By: wesley

wesley — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:06:47 +0000

1st corinthians 11

man was created in the image of God;
the woman in the image of man

By: ed

ed — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:40:12 +0000

Good point Kristine. There are some references to the Spirit using feminine words, but it’s not something I’d stake my faith on.

By: Kristine McGuire

Kristine McGuire — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:10:34 +0000

God is “spirit” therefore God is “genderless”. I agree that because of the limitations of language and our finite understanding it can be hard to wrap the mind around God being representative of both male and female. Jesus did, however, address God as “Father” and the Holy Spirit as “He” (correct me if I’m wrong because I’m no scholar) so I imagine this is where the idea that God can be only “male” enters in. I personally don’t see the issue with understanding God as genderless. I do think we have to be careful not to divide God into god and goddess can that just gets sticky.

By: ed

ed — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:36:46 +0000

Thanks Steve. I think you’re simply dealing with the full revelation of God and finding life there. That’s a wonderful thing!

By: SteveW

SteveW — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:59:37 +0000

I just want to say that I am glad I stumbled on this post. I read this book and heard this critique from the “certain pastor” as well. I felt that by becoming so defensive of God depicted as a woman, a broader view of God is missed. This may sound dumb, but in my journey with (God), I have discovered an authentic love for him in a new way by comparing how I conduct my relationship with him, to how I would conduct a relationship with a girl. All too often I find that I fall short in the former and could put so much more energy into my relationship with God.

By: ed

ed — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:43:31 +0000

Thanks Tony. Powerful story. I didn’t get into the Holy Spirit here, but you’re absolutely right. Just another way that God is beyond our comprehension.

Blessings,
Ed

By: Tony Whittaker

Tony Whittaker — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:32:42 +0000

I recall a story I heard a long while back – a preacher felt strongly constrained to change his message to speak about the mother-love of God, using verses such as you mention. Turned out, visiting the church was a woman who had been badly damaged by an abusive and over-strict father and who therefore could not respond to any sort of message about God as father. But God as mother was something she could relate to, and came to faith as a result.

I also by chance saw a blog posting yesterday, highlighting the point that the Hebrew word used for the Holy Spirit is feminine.

Blessings

Tony