Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/521232
May/June 2015 11 I was previously a solo pastor, and I often received letters inviting me to a clergy lectionary group, and they began in this way, "Dear brethren." Though these letters were intended to be an invitation, they were not very inviting because of the gender-biased language. The General Assembly guidelines encourage Presbyterians to make efforts at every level in the life of the church to avoid exclusive dependence on exclusively male references or the personal pronoun " he," when referring to the people of God. By using the term "people," for example, rather than "men," "we testify to the fact that both women and men are called by God into service and are equally valued before God and the community of believers." Specific suggestions include using "those of faith" instead of "those who are men of faith"; "no one is justified" instead of "no man is justified"; "therefore, friends" instead of "therefore, brethren." Expansive Language Another way of communicating is to use expansive language—utilizing the rich variety of imagery for God in scripture and our theological tra- dition—when we refer to God. "Definitions and Guidelines" names expansive language as "language which intentionally seeks to express the diverse ways the Bible and our theological tradition speak about God." Rather than utilizing only a very small number of terms refer- ring to God, like "Savior" or "Father," for example, we seek to employ the rich reservoir of imagery found in the Bible. Expansive language challenges exclusively masculine terms, images and stereotypes in order to build gender-balanced ways of speaking about God. An example of this is found in The Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church "Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still. " The Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Resources Well Chosen Words This free brochure includes examples of inclusive language for talking about the people of God and expansive language (with scripture citations) for talking about God. www.pcusa.org/site_media/media /uploads/pw/pdfs/wellchosenwords.pdf In Her Own Rite: Constructing Feminist Liturgical Tradition By Marjorie Procter-Smith Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1990 This book includes a feminist critique of gender-biased language and introduces "emancipatory language," as a way to challenge and transform language itself. The Divine Feminine: The Biblical Imagery of God as Female By Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2014 This short book offers a more in- depth look at some of the feminine descriptions of God that are highlighted in the Well Chosen Words brochure. Mollenkott stresses the importance of gender-inclusive images for the triune God. Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language Read the report and recommendations, as adopted by the 197th General Assembly (1985) www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/theologyandwo rship/issues-inclusive/ Read the Inclusive and Expansive Language policy of your mid-council, congregation, seminary, organization or agency. A