What Do We Call God?
When I first began as a minister, I found that teaching methods had to change from when I was a child. In trying to teach children about God, I told them of the Heavenly Father who was sort of like our earthly fathers.
But there was a problem. Many of the children I encountered did not have good father figures. Several of them lived with mothers who had different boyfriends living in the house with them for relatively short periods. Others had horribly abusive fathers. A few of them had fathers who were in prison. Consequently, when I told them that God was like a father, it conveyed a difficult image to them to accept.
It’s over twenty years later, and those children have grown up. I wonder how their relationship with God is these days. I meet many adults who have the same problem with the male image of God that those children did. Some of them maintain that God is beyond gender while others say we should refer to God in the feminine form. The real problem is when one gives up trying to talk to God at all.
When Jesus told us that we could call God, “Abba Father,” he was helping us get close to God, to fear him less, love him more, and accept the love He has for us. What would he tell us these days with many having a problem with the Father figure? Would he tell us that we are commanded to address God as Father and that our feelings do not matter? Would he figuratively slap those people around who have already been hurt in childhood?
I doubt it. I think God is more concerned that we reach out to him rather than how exactly we address him, as long as we remain respectful.
I often encourage people to find a scriptural image that works for them. How about Redeemer, Encourager, Shepherd, Friend, Creator, Counselor, or Savior? Does a female image help? In Isaiah 49:15, God is compared to a nursing mother, only better. Some people think the writer of Proverbs referred to God as Wisdom, which could be translated as a proper noun in the feminine form (Sophia).
I say use whatever image you can find to get access to the God who heals us.
But pay attention to this: if you have a problem relating to male or female figures, you can change how you address God, but that doesn’t really solve the problem. Ask God to give you some healing because it isn’t healthy to go through life with negative feelings toward half the human race. Jesus told us that we have to mend our relationships in order to get closer to the Lord. This healing is the real issue to be addressed.
Copyright © by David Mercer
March 5, 2005