In God’s image humankind was created; male and female.

There is a largely-invisible issue in the church today in the form of gender and expectations. The dominant trend in congregations around the world is toward male leaders, masculine mentalities and adoration of ‘Father God’, and this trend has held for centuries, the tensions shifting and morphing to fit the appropriate cultural contexts, but the bias remaining a constant of church life, often to the degree that it is an assumed necessity.

This behaviour likely has its roots in the very birth of Christianity: Christ (a man), and the apostles (men) created the church in the patriarchal society that was Judea at the time. Education was largely limited to the men, as were the trades, and politics. The empire that had established a base in Judea was likewise patriarchal, with an all-male military driving their imperial engine.

This dominance of the male perspective has continued more-or-less unchecked until recent times, and even then change has come last to the church in many respects. Modern Christianity is an institution, and Paul R. Smith (a Southern Baptist minister) says that “what institutions do best is defend themselves. Churches do it particularly well because they think they are defending God.” Evelynn Fox Keller, a scientist and a feminist, argued in 1982 that there were four gender-based impediments in the scientific community, and they likewise exist in the spiritual communities. The first and foremost was that when given less attention, less materials and generally shunted in scientific education, girls did worse than boys. Equal treatment and opportunity was the most conservative of her claims, and the only one that universities took seriously. This is a hurdle many in the church are only beginning to cross, and the debate of whether or not women can lead at all is still a hot one.

But the next three observations of Keller’s are even more damning. She argues that the dominance of men in the sciences have determined the types of questions that are being asked, how they are answered, and how the answers are interpreted. Few now believe that women are not sexual creatures, but it was scarcely that long ago when women went to their doctors to relieve their ‘female hysteria’ and ‘paroxysms’ (which was not sexual tension and orgasms because the scientific consensus was that women did not experience sexual pleasure).

In the same way, the questions being asked in seminaries, the ministries being funded, and even the theological foundations that are being laid must be put into question because they are the groundwork of but one segment of society. It does not mean that they are completely wrong; rather it is the danger of half truths that are most concerning. The most fundamental of these is the concept that God is male. I know of no denomination who actually endorses this belief – most regard God as beyond gender, or a transcendent fusion of male-ness and female-ness. Nevertheless our hymns, worship songs, prayers, books and sermons betray us. Count how many times God is referred to as a ‘he’, as ‘Father’, as ‘his’ and ‘him’ in contrast to comparative feminine terms. Our actions betray our true beliefs, whatever the belief statement claims.

How we refer to God affects our image of God, and our image of God affects our relationship to God. We are made in God’s image, and if that image is distorted we mold ourselves to fit that distortion. This distortion affects theology, missions & evangelism, and it sets an artificial barrier to seeking God. Sexism in religion forces both men and women to subvert their ‘ungodly’ characteristics to become ‘like God’. Manhood and patriarchy has been so enmeshed for so long, that a separation of the two yields uneasiness and unclear gender roles. Women have to overcome the conception that they must become like men to fit the kingdom mold – in fact many of the pioneer female pastors showcase this issue better than I can describe.

There are strong reactions to this kind of understanding of God, and many of the most vocal may even be women themselves. There are people on both sides of the gender gap who see maintaining the status quo as a protective measure against the uncertainties of new revelation. For those who find this article intriguing or infuriating, I highly recommend Paul R. Smith’s monumental work, “Is It Okay to Call God ‘Mother’ – Considering The Feminine Face of God”, in which is covered both the scriptural and ecclesiastical support for these ideas, as well as the roots of many of the most common objections. Peace to you.

As often as I speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my womb trembles for him;
I will surely have motherly-compassion
upon him,
says the LORD (Jeremiah 31:20)

Author Bio:: Jordan Peacock lives and works in Minnesota with his beautiful wife and daughter. When not playing with technology or music, he’s writing comic books and wrapping up a university education.

About Jordan Peacock