DC Episcopalians Neuter God

God, needless to say, is neither male nor female. He is, however, referred to in almost exclusively male language in Scripture. Jesus, for instance, usually calls Him "Father," and presumably knew a thing or two about the proper way to address the Almighty. To the extent that feminine language is ever used, it is strictly metaphorical, and refers to one of God's attributes. There's good reason for this, aside from God's self-revelation, the most important being the need to distinguish the God of Israel from the female fertility gods of the Canaanites. 

None of this matters, however to the modern female [anti-]fertility cult that the Episcopal Church has become. So at its diocesan convention this week, the delegates of the Diocese of Washington DC decided that they knew better how to address God than Jesus. According to LifeSiteNews:

The Episcopal church in the Diocese of Washington, D.C., passed a resolution last week to stop using masculine pronouns for God in future updates to its Book of Common Prayer.  

The resolution to stop using 'gendered language for God' was passed quickly by delegates to the Diocese's 123rd Convention.   

'If revision of the Book of Common Prayer is authorized, to utilize expansive language for God from the rich sources of feminine, masculine, and non-binary imagery for God found in Scripture and tradition and, when possible, to avoid the use of gendered pronouns for God,' the resolution stated.  

'Over the centuries our language and our understanding of God has continued to change and adapt,' the drafters of the resolution stated. The drafters said that referring to God using masculine pronouns is to 'limit our understanding of God.'

'By expanding our language for God, we will expand our image of God and the nature of God,' they stated. 

But Clergy delegate The Rev. Linda R. Calkins from St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Laytonsville, Maryland,  challenged the delegates to go further.  

Calkins read from Genesis Chapter 17, in which God tells Abraham 'I am El Shaddai.' She said that if Episcopalians 'are going to be true to what El Shaddai means, it means God with breasts.' 

'Having studied much feminist theology in my masters’ degrees, I wrote a thesis on liberation and freedom and non-equality in feminist theology and existential counseling,' Calkins told the delegates, as reported by The Institute On Religion & Democracy. 

'And I am still waiting for the Episcopal Church to come to the place where all people feel that they can speak God’s name. Many, many women that I have spoken with over my past almost 20 years in ordained ministry have felt that they could not be a part of any church because of the male image of God that is systemic and that is sustained throughout our liturgies. Many of us are waiting and need to hear God in our language, in our words and in our pronouns,' she added. 

I fully expect the Episcopal Church to bring back Asherah poles at some point.