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
(U.S.A.), which reads, "Like a mother who will not forsake her n ursing child, like a father who runs t o welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still." The General Assembly guidelines read, "our language about God should be as intentionally diverse and varied as is that of the Bible and our theological tradition." Confessing Jesus as Sovereign Many people refer to both God and Jesus as "Lord." In English, this mas- culine term derives from European social hierarchy, where lords and ladies were at the top of the social pyramid and others were arranged in descending social power. Men had authority over women, and people toward the top of the pyramid were authorized to dominate those in the underclasses below them. 2 Many writers and speakers try to minimize the use of the term "Lord." Many substitute "God," "Creator" or " Savior," to avoid sexist and classist connotations. "Lord," especially when it refers to Jesus, is hard to replace, though, because it is confes- sional. Confessing that Jesus is Lord is to confess, for example, that Cae- sar is not Lord. It acknowledges the divinity of Christ. 3 Author Marjorie Procter-Smith articulates the challenge that both linguistically and socially, women are devalued, and there are no female parallels to traditional terms of respect and authority assigned to God. "Queen is notAparallel to King; Lady is not parallel to Lord in com- mon use; Mother, carries wholly dif- ferent connotations from Father; Madame conveys negative associa- tions absent from Sir, Mistress has almost nothing in common with its linguistic parallel, Master and so on." 4 Writers of The Inclusive Bible (Priests for Equality, NY: Sheed & W ard, 2007) offer substitutes f or "Lord" that are meaningful in confessing Jesus as Sovereign, such as "Savior," "Most High," "Most High God," "Almighty," "Sovereign One," "Loving God," "Adonai," "Yhwh," "Rabbi," "Teacher," "Only Begotten," "Eternally Begotten," "Promised One," "Chosen One," and "Jesus Reigns." 5 What Should I Say? We are called to use words that glo- rify God and demonstrate love for our sisters and brothers in the faith. There are a few ways to do this: 1. Use gender-neutral language. We can avoid gender-specific lan- guage where possible, normally by avoiding the use of pronouns or by using non–gender-specific titles, such as "Sovereign" rather than "Lord." (Challenge: It is difficult to speak solely without using gender-specific references). 2. Use expansive language (or whatAMarjorie Procter-Smith calls "emancipatory language"), seeking to balance gender language. Use both male and female references. 3. Use a hybrid of gender-neutral and expansive language. Many of us choose this way of communi- cating, avoiding gender-specific language, where possible, and bal- ancing female and male references in our writings and speaking.A Words can affirm and express love. Words can also wound and degrade people. Words help us articulate our faith, yet they are lim- iting, as no words can ever fully describe the glory of God as found in Jesus Christ. I encourage you to use 12