McFauge

• god as male in the bible

  In Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the New Testament, God was consistently referred to as male, Father and with the masculine pronoun ‘he’ (e.g. Genesis chapter 2). God is likened to a human father in that he provides for his children, disciplines and loves them. Jesus was the Son of God, his human form was that of a man.
• god as father in the bible


  Jesus called God father and taught his disciples to do the same (e.g. lord’s prayer). The term father is suggestive of God as the creator, having authority and being loving. God refers to himself as King, not Queen.
• Patriarchal

  A society where men have power over women
• The society of the Old Testament and New Testament was patriarchal
• It was in that cultural context that male language about God originated
• Feminist theologians

  Argue that male language about God benefits and perpetuates patriarchy by associating masculinity with divinity
• Mary Daly: '"If God is male, then the male is God"'
• The cultural belief and system of male power over women is enshrined by the claim that God, the highest authority of all, is male
• This association between masculinity and divinity had the function of making male supremacy seem like a fact of the universe which could not be challenged
• Male supremacy is not a fact of the universe but just the way we happen to organise our society
• Belief in a male God is a tool of male power which gives it the appearance of being beyond challenge
• theological issues

  The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is argued by some to be patriarchal, because the terms Father and Son are male language. It doesn’t seem inclusive towards females. There is a modern new version of the Trinity, which is Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. This gender-neutral language is more inclusive
• ecclesiastical issues

  Male language about God influences the issue of the ordination of women. Catholics claim that women should not have a role where they represent Christ – which means they cannot perform certain priestly duties in religious services where that is required. Catholic Conservative MP Anne Widdecombe said ‘A woman can no more be expected to represent Christ than a man could represent the Virgin Mary’
• pastoral issues 


  Women might not feel included in a male-centric religion and this might create pastoral issues in that women would be less likely to seek pastoral care or to feel fulfilled by it. Some feminist theologians suggest that women
• Sallie McFague argued that the language involved in Christian theology is ultimately a human creation and at best an interpretation of God, but too it is taken as a literal description
• God is beyond our understanding, but people overlook that theology must therefore be metaphorical
• Sallie McFague: '"we construct the worlds we inhabit, but … we forget we have done so"'
• All language about God is metaphorical, so it doesn't tell us about God's true nature
• Failing to understand that language about God is metaphorical causes us to turn metaphors into idols, so we end up worshipping metaphors rather than God
• Theology (according to McFague)

  Mostly fiction
• Metaphors "can and should enhance and enrich our models of God", especially in ways fitting "for our time"
• Each generation needs to create new metaphors to help deal with the ethical issues they face
• The pressing issues of our time for McFague are gender equality and ecological disaster
• McFauges critical realism


  It's about use, not accuracy
• Value of a metaphor, construct or model of God

  Not whether it corresponds to the reality of God, but how useful the metaphor is for life
• Value of a metaphor

  Not its accurateness but its usefulness
• Assessing whether a construct is "meaningful and true"

  By whether it is "useful in the conduct of life"
• McFague "stresses heavily the implications of certain models for the quality of human and nonhuman life"
• McFague sees her work as unmasking "simplistic, absolutist, notions of objectivity" in theology
• This includes feminist critiques, that images and understandings of God are often based in patriarchal cultural systems
• Successful metaphor (for McFague)


  One which gives an impression of an all-encompassing world-view
• The maleness of God has been so successful – it establishes a powerful world-view – but only for men, though it explains the attraction of men to it
• When Christians call God Father, they are using a metaphor which is useful for patriarchy
• This is the issue with male language about God
• Mother- instead of the traditional title father. Doctrine of creation. Agape/ selfless love which is the type of love God has for the world.

  Lover- instead of the traditional title of Son. Doctrine of salvation. the ethical element of healing- Eros/ desire, the way that God’s love works in the world.

  Friend- instead of the traditional title of Spirit- Doctrine of Escathology. Element of companionship- Philia/companionship- the way humans should act in the world.
• Creation of the world ex nihilo


  Suggests a God distant from creation
• Seeing God as mother


  Suggests a God more intimately connected to the world
• The metaphor of God as mother is better for our time as it means we should not destroy our environment
• God

  Beyond gender - neither male nor female
• There are problems with emphasising God as either male or female, but the metaphor of God as mother is helpful for our time