Posted on 06/12/2018 11:40:41 AM PDT by Gamecock
The Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church has removed the term, ‘Father,’ from the Apostle’s Creed in an attempt to be more gender inclusive to God.
The ancient creed of the Christian Church reads:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.
However, United Methodists in the Minnesota Conference decided that referring to God as “Father” wasn’t inclusive enough for the 21st century United Methodist Church. At the conference, held May 30 through June 1, conference organizers omitted reference to God the Father. Instead, they changed the phrase “God the Father Almighty” to “God the Creator Almighty.” The creed passed out to attendees also removed the phrase, “Jesus Christ, His only Son” to “Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.”
One attendee, Keith Mcilwain, posted a screenshot of their newly revised creed via social media:
McIlwain is currently the pastor of Slippery Rock United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania. Mcilwain said, “No United Methodist individual or body has the authority to edit those creeds which were formulated by the early Church and have helped define orthodox Christianity for the better part of 2000 years.”
The United Methodist Church has repeatedly become more egalitarian in the early twenty-first and latter twentieth century, beginning with the ordaining of female clergy with full ordination rights in 1956. The roots of the egalitarian movement among Methodists began, however, with the 18th century female preacher, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, convincing John Wesley that some women should be given limited preaching abilities. In most recent days, the United Methodist Church has been drained of male clergy, with more than 10,300 female clergy members nationwide.
A United Methodist Church website provides a blog explaining the concept behind removing the “Father” understanding of God (taught by Jesus and the rest of Scripture). In the following quotiation, their use of the term, “God language,” means language used by people to refer to God:
Leaders need to establish the ground rules: Everybody’s God language is appropriate. People’s God language signifies a relationship that you can’t interfere with. You can raise questions and offer additional perspectives, but you can’t dictate. You can’t prohibit anybody from using any language about God. Whether they want to call God “Jehovah” or “Big Dog,” you can’t judge the validity of how that name connects them with God. People just need to get used to that.
Pastors and other leaders should give attention to teaching people what the church’s traditional images mean and what they don’t mean. For instance, the “fatherhood” of God is about relationship, not biology. Our people won’t know how to reflect theologically about these things — instead of just reacting emotionally — unless we give them the tools.
Pastors and other worship leaders should expose people to a variety of images of God, both familiar and new, both comforting and provocative. People should regularly hear God referred to in public worship with images that are male, female, and gender neutral. In a worship service the choir may sing an anthem with thickly sexist, male-dominated language, while the prayers are full of feminine imagery. People can sing their own words, with their personal substitutions, if they wish. People should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own faith.
In the meantime, Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”
“McIlwain is currently the pastor of Slippery Slope United Methodist Church”
FTFY.
The UMC just might disintegrate at the conference next summer.
I was going to say, "OK, I believe in God the poodle?"
"Whether they want to call God 'Jehovah' or 'Big Dog,' you can’t judge the validity of how that name connects them with God."
But yikes, they went there.
Reality overtakes parody. Self-parody overtakes satire. Why all the comedians are out of work.
It's pretty obvious that Jesus refers to his daddy as Father. Are they saying that they know more than Jesus?
Now I have to apologize to God and wash out my mind.
LOL
There’s a lot o’ that going around these days.
Yes.
That's exactly what they're saying.
One more reason to abandon the Methodist “Church”, where they can’t find any Biblical admonishments to stop abortions and homosexuality.
To remove the male reference to our Father in Heaven is disgusting and worthy of all their parishioners’ contempt.
The Creation was Created by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It was created by the Trinity.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Ping!
Does this mean that they do not consider Jesus Christ (God) to be inclusive enough for them? (Think how many times He referred to the FATHER.....and to doing the will of the Father.)
Ohhhh wow....how the idiocy expands....
Yep!
Aside from being my own Pope, I have my own Council of Trent edict for these types: Anathema!
Cue the face-palm. Lord, these Yankee Methodists are idiots!
Beautiful.
Precisely.
If God self-identifies as a man, I think we should embrace His decision to live out that lifestyle.
Can it be a tradition if they just made it up?
Maybe 'transient preference' would be a better way to put it. Soon enough they will find a word for God that they like better.
The church where I am a member (UMC) offered 3 books for summer reading; a book on White Privilege, a book supporting gun control and a book supporting Global Warming.
The church we attend offered a book on witnessing to non-believers/Muslims.
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