Gendered Language and God

As ownership of individual pronouns becomes normative, the idea of gendered language has become more intriguing to me. I ran into this unexpected article by CBE titled A Non-Gendered or Gender-Inclusive Faith: Lessons from Finnish and German. I was floored by the unexpected ramifications of gendered language.

Even in my experience with the English language and translation barriers, I experienced what the author mentions about reading a Bible where most of the New Testament used to be translated as addressing “Brothers” only. More current translations acknowledge that the original word used for “Brothers” is actually a more inclusive word meaning “Brothers and Sisters”. Such small gendered mis-translations as these may not seem significant to someone identifying as male, but to me as a woman, the updated and more accurate translation gave a sense of being included, seen, and valued.

But beyond this, Hannele Ottschofski compares the gendered German language with the less gendered Finnish to delve deeper into the subtle differences that gendered language produces.

The bullet point summary is that because of the less-gendered Finnish language:

• God is not specifically a male noun, which allows people to experience the multi-gendered nature of God
• Women in Finnland are much more likely to have careers that males dominate in other cultures (including pastors, government leaders, doctors or professors.)
• Finnish women achieved the right to vote over a decade before Americans

I encourage you to read the full article, as the implications are fascniating.

Personally, the article has ignited a desire for me to understand the effects of gendered language more fully, and to explore gender in the Bible without bringing cultural or historical assumptions into God’s heart.

First, I believe that we are missing a large part of who God is by over-masculinizing. There are multiple references/ metaphors to God as a woman (Isaiah 49:15, Matthew 23:37, Matthew 13:33, etc), and we miss much of the fullness of who God is by a single-gendered view.

Second, I wonder if we are over-gender focused in our view of people as well.

I’m extremely intrigued by the passage in Isaiah 56:4-5

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant—

to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.

Not only do we have the well known and often quoted passage from Paul that there is no male or female but all are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28), this passage seems to further underscore God’s heart and love beyond gender. I do not believe this means gender is irrelevant, but that perhaps it is not the be all end all debate we have made it into.

Though it is not entirely clear how Isaiah or other passages in the Bible would define a eunuch, (by physical castration, position, etc.) the statement here is very powerful.

God does not say that eunuchs will have a name equal to sons and daughters but BETTER THAN. In the patriarchal society, to have the title of SON would signify the full rights of a child with an inheritance. A daughter, even at worst, would have been valued above a servant. But no- the eunuch is given an even BETTER name.

Perhaps this is because there is a name, a blessing, a status under God which defies any other name or title we can understand in our cultures on earth.

Perhaps stepping back from our understanding of gender is necessary to grasp God’s heart in new ways.

I have more questions now than I’ve ever had of God. But I’m allowing the questions to flow and giving myself permissions to bring them all to God instead of hiding them. Faith that forces us to sweep questions under an ambiguous theological rug will always keep us from knowing God.

I’d be interested to know what questions you are bringing to God lately and what insights you are finding as you keep walking humbly with Him?