I continue to be deeply saddened to realize that just over a third of the Annual Conferences in The United Methodist Church voted against a proposed amendment [1] to the denomination's Constitution which added language that both men and women are made in the image of God and that the UMC will confront and seek to eliminate discrimination against women and girls. [2]. The vote was enough to prevent the amendment from being ratified.
It is stunning to realize there were enough United Methodist Annual Conference delegates to defeat this amendment, when it should have passed with 100% of the Annual Conferences in support of it. Its failure has driven me to ask why it did not pass.
From what I have been able to discover, much of the resistance came from a misogynistic theological perspective which alleged that the amendment would erode a belief in the "masculinity" of God – an allegation impossible to deduce from the amendment itself. And even more, an allegation which overlooks key factors in a long-held theology of the nature of God. I note the following selected elements in a sound theology of God, which should have prevailed.
First and foremost, God is "genderless" in the sense that we typically use the word today. Or more accurately, God is a composite of genders, the essence of Being that is neither defined by or limited to any specific gender. God simply says, "I AM," and as pure Being embraces anything and everything we parse out when we use the word "gender" today.
But beyond that, the Bible clearly affirms the full genderness of God through the attributes it ascribes to God from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, the first reference to God in the Bible (Genesis 1:2) is feminine – the metaphor of a mother bird hovering, fluttering, and brooding over creation – a metaphor that attributes the qualities of care and protection to God. And in other places we find the Bible using femininity to describe additional attributes of God. [3]
But the most obvious revelation of this comes from biblical references to Wisdom – a "she" who, from the beginning, "radiates from God as God's eternal reflection and image." [4] The earliest reference is likely in Job 28:20. An extended reference is found in Proverbs 1:20-33. The idea of Wisdom (along with related feminine qualities) is related to the concept of Logos that John made use of in the opening verses of his gospel. [5]
The fact that our ancestors in the faith (both Jews and early Christians) had no trouble ascribing feminine attributes to God is an indictment of any Christians who want to assert or maintain an exclusively or predominantly "masculine" God – which is why the defeat of the amendment is so sad and troubling. The fact is, God transcends gender, while also reflecting it in the various attributes of deity.
That an erroneous and misogynistic view of God could play a decided role in the defeat of an amendment aimed to recognize the equality of women, and to advocate that they be protected from discrimination and abuse, is a travesty, foisting counterfeit theology onto the Body of Christ – an embarrassment of the highest order to the people called Methodist.
[1] Here is the text of the proposed amendment...
Proposed Constitutional Amendment – I
On May 16, 2016, at a session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church held in Portland, Oregon, the following Constitutional Amendment was adopted by a recorded vote of 746 Yes, 56 No (Calendar Item 121, DCA p. 2106).
In the 2012 Book of Discipline, Division One, add a new paragraph between current ¶¶ 5 and 6: As the Holy Scripture reveals, both men and women are made in the image of God and, therefore, men and women are of equal value in the eyes of God. The United Methodist Church recognizes it is contrary to Scripture and to logic to say that God is male or female, as maleness and femaleness are characteristics of human bodies and cultures, not characteristics of the divine. The United Methodist Church acknowledges the long history of discrimination against women and girls. The United Methodist Church shall confront and seek to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, whether in organizations or in individuals, in every facet of its life and in society at large. The United Methodist Church shall work collaboratively with others to address concerns that threaten the cause of women’s and girl's equality and well-being. If voted and so declared by the Council of Bishops, this would become the new ¶6, and the current ¶¶ 6-61 would be renumbered as ¶¶ 7-62.
[2] Another similar amendment failed, dealing a double blow to UMC women. But my focus in this post is on the first amendment that failed to be ratified.
[3] See also Psalm 22:10, 131:2; Isaiah 42:14, 49:15; Matthew 23:27; Luke 13:34, 15:8-10
[4] Additional lengthy references are found in apocryphal books, 'The Wisdom of Solomon' and 'Sirach.'. For more on the feminity of Wisdom, see the sidebar article in the 'CEB Study Bible,' 89AP.
[5] Aikaterini Ladianou, "Gynaikos Logos: Feminine Voice in Archaic Greek Poetry," a PhD Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 2009.
Steve Harper New
The Rev. Dr. Steve Harper and his wife, Jeannie Waller Harper.
The Rev. Dr. Steve Harper is a retired seminary professor, who taught for 32 years in the disciplines of Spiritual Formation and Wesley Studies. Author and co-author of 31 books and a retired Elder in The Florida Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, he and his wife Jeannie Waller Harper are frequent leaders of workshops and spiritual retreats. This post is republished with permission from his Facebook page.