There is no questioning the fact- Jesus was a man: a male. And He called God Abba Father, but God certainly isn’t a man- male! When the Bible was written, men were dominant, they ruled the roost, and God couldn’t be anything but a MALE according to the Biblical authors. This isn’t deep logic, nor does it need intense investigation.
Saying that God is a man or male is absurd to say the least though there are many that both consciously and unconsciously believe such. Sex is the characteristic of we humans we have a need of procreation and growth. But God has no such needs (He, She, It, Thou) as He exists eternally in a realm wherein there is no sexual differentiation.
God has no gender!
That said, you are now beginning to see changes in how humanhood and society not only SEES God, but the WORDS used to describe this God. I can’t see myself changes the “he” in the God I know, but neither do I object to how those who view and describe God differently. And it’s happening faster than you know.
In 1992 the Methodist Church of Great Britain concluded that the use of “female imagery” is compatible with faithfulness to the Scriptures. More and more Bible translations are using inclusive language. Fatherhood verbage will be replaced by statements about God’s love for mankind. And there will be a focus on the filial relationships of Jesus to God rather than on His sonship.
One needs to know where to draw the line and I’d suggest this is not the place.
It saddens me to think that men are trusting in the wisdom of this world more than the unchanging love of our .Father.
I choose to believe in the written word of God more than the spoken word of man. If I am wrong, I have lost nothing. But what happens to them if I am right?
Doug
I agree with your either-or scenario above. That’s an easy one. But what about the written word of God (historical) vs the spoken word of God (current)?
I am a country boy from Oklahoma, what difference are you asking about? Is the word not the word? Does not the current confirm the historical, and the historical speak of the current.