She?

I just came across a quote from Rob Bell's Nooma video - She I've not seen the video (in fact though I've read Bell's books I haven't actually seen any of the Nooma videos!) but I may well buy this one...

There is this maternal impulse, this ancient nurturing instinct. And it transcends time; it transcends culture; it transcends economics. There is an ancient mothering impulse, and it's also a divine impulse. Throughout the Bible, God is described as compassionate. In Hebrew, the original language of the Scriptures, it's the word "raham." It's also the word for "womb." So, God is compassionate. God is "womb-like"? This is a feminine image for God.

Now see a lot of people are very comfortable with male imagery for God. So God is the Father; God is the Warrior; God is the Judge; God is the Lawgiver. But feminine images for God?

Well there's this great line in the book of Job. God is pointing out all the complexity and creativity of creation and essentially saying to Job, "Who do you think made all of this?" And at one point, God ask Job, "From whose womb came the ice? Who gave birth to the frost from the heavens?" God's answer to Job is "God." God's womb? God gave birth? Obviously it's poetry here, so you can't take it too literally. But this is feminine imagery for God.

Now these images can be very helpful in describing the divine. But Jesus said that God is Spirit. And Spirit has no shape; it has no form; it has no physical essence. I mean, God is, in essence, beyond male and female. Or perhaps you could say it more accurately: God transcends and yet includes what we know as male and female.

the first and last paragraph really stir me... I really connect with the images in the first, I'm not sure of his etymology but, that there is feminine imagery for God is without doubt.  It's not enough to dismiss the feminine of God to metaphor and claim the masculine as reality, nor can we fall back on the old argument that the divine Feminine is a sign of and rooted in paganism, there has to be a recognition of, as Bell says in the last paragraph, God's transcendence and yet encompassing of gender... as God is neither Male nor Female, God is also both Male and Female.

I'm not big into "political correctness" for it's own sake, tbh I think most of it's a myth anyway, but I think in holding on to a male primacy within the nature of God we do two things; 1) we elevate Male as the truest reflection of God (therefore reducing Female to a more distant echo of God's nature) and 2) we limit our ability to engage with God's nature, we caricature God as Father rather than exploring the fulness of *both* the Fatherhood and Motherhood of God... in losing sight of the divine Feminine do we not only do damage to the place of women within church and culture, but also deny God!?  We cannot and must not reduce God to a single characteristic; we must not lose sight of the justness of God in the midst of God's mercy, nor the anger of God in God's compassion, we must not lose sight of God the artist when we speak of God as king, nor the majesty of God when we call God Abba (Daddy)... so we must not ignore the maternal when we speak of God as Father, nor the feminine when we consider the fullness of the nature and image of God.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church: Nooma: theology: Video: Feminism

Comments

[Simon]

Hi Mark, good post. I listened to John Bell speak about this the other day, where he talked about the femininity of the Holy Spirit (which is also brought out in the book The Shack, I think) and made a few other good points. I posted about it, I think the title was 'the femininity of God'.

I'm with you, let's challenge the hegemony.

[Mark]

Thanks for the encouragement as ever Simon... and the reference, I'll check out the post.

[chris]

Hi Mark

The gender thing is quite an important thing , I think. The useful set off goggles brought to spirituality by feminist theologians, pointing out how we have made God in the image of male-power stereotypes should give us all pause for thought.

Have to confess to being strangely irritated by the practice of always calling God 'she', or 'her' as a way of compensating for this though! What I have found myself doing, almost as a reaction, is not using Gender specific language at all- which becomes difficult when quoting the Bible... I am not sure whether this is helpful or not- it feels more like a restriction than a positive choice.

You should check out some of the Nooma DVD's. WE have used them quite a lot in group discussions etc- but they are quite pricey. If you want a preview, someone posted one of them on you tube- which (copyright nonwithstanding!) I posted on this link
http://thisfragiletent.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/rob-bell-breathe/

Cheers!

Chris

[chris]

Hi Mark

The gender thing is quite an important thing , I think. The useful set off goggles brought to spirituality by feminist theologians, pointing out how we have made God in the image of male-power stereotypes should give us all pause for thought.

Have to confess to being strangely irritated by the practice of always calling God 'she', or 'her' as a way of compensating for this though! What I have found myself doing, almost as a reaction, is not using Gender specific language at all- which becomes difficult when quoting the Bible... I am not sure whether this is helpful or not- it feels more like a restriction than a positive choice.

You should check out some of the Nooma DVD's. WE have used them quite a lot in group discussions etc- but they are quite pricey. If you want a preview, someone posted one of them on you tube- which (copyright nonwithstanding!) I posted on this link
http://thisfragiletent.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/rob-bell-breathe/

Cheers!

Chris

[matybigfro]

It would be terrible limiting to never refer to god (directly to or indirectly in talking about) in non gender language, i mean its dead difficult and often ends up de-personallising God and possibly reducing her to an idea of an object or force

also when we reffer to God in the femmine its a wonderfully jarring thing for us if we're not used to it, i remember siting with freinds listening to sara miles at greenbelt and seeing them cringe and then resolve themselves in acually see them break their goggles
simply saying God is not a man is just too easy too comfortable and doesn't change are goggle we say it but nothing changes, its so acceptable its even in a american worship song http://www.myspace.com/michaelgungorband . when we say it if we feel uncomfortable we either have to justify why we feel uncomfortable or change

[Sally C]

Good post,Mark.One reason I was attracted to Wicca in my youth was the inclusion of the Divine Feminine. As a Christian now, I often lament the lack of the Mother aspect of God being mentioned and honoured within the Church.Some Eastern European Christians still see the Holy Spirit as the feminine aspect of the Trinity, which I like. Many people are still horrified by the idea though. But I find that when i need to be held and nurtured and healed I call on the Mother in God.

[matybigfro]

count zinzendorf of the order of the mustard seed and the old hundred year prayer room lark was of the same persuasion about relating better to the holy spirit when expressed in femine terms