Wokeness comes before Jesus.
After this story came out, the AP was quick to point out that there was no concrete plan to change the pronouns on the “Our Father.” That’s true. But that’s not what the initial report said. The initial report said that many in the Church of England are considering such a thing. Some are advocating. The report is making it clear that this is a battle currently going on. The AP comes in and tut-tuts everyone like a schoolmarm as if there should be NO reporting on it until it actually happens.
How would such a thing happen? Would they change it to “Our Creator” instead of “Our Father?” I have no idea how language even works anymore.
Summit News: The Church of England is considering dropping the phrase “our Father” from the start of the Lord’s Prayer, and instructing clergy to refrain from using male pronouns when talking about God, according to a report in The Telegraph.
The move comes after Reverend Joanna Stobart, a vicar in the diocese of Guildford, claimed that some clergy want to refer to God without saying He or Him in order to be “more inclusive.”
Stobart wrote, “Please could the Liturgical Commission provide an update on the steps being taken to develop more inclusive language in our authorized liturgy and to provide more options for those who wish to use authorized liturgy and speak of God in a non-gendered way, particularly in authorized absolutions where many of the prayers offered for use refer to God using male pronouns?”
The report notes that the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Rev Michael Ipgrave, responded “We have been exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years, in collaboration with the Faith and Order Commission.”
On a side note, the “Our Father” is a pretty scary prayer. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” That’s a pretty tall order with some major consequences. We must forgive if we hope to be forgiven.
HT Revolver
February 14, 2023 at 10:10 am
This brings to mind an memory of an administrator of our parish who since moved on several years ago. He was big on changing the words of prayers to make them more trendy/inclusive/woke. Which drove me crazy. I am ashamed to say, instead of actually praying, I would wait for the moment when he would predictably intone, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people … ” instead of, “and peace to His people …” And he would do this to as many of the standard prayers of the Mass as he could.
In fact, when the Gospel was of the loaves and fishes – instead of doing the logical thing and preaching on Communion – he indoctrinated us on the merits of Universal Healthcare. (I walked out and attended a Mass elsewhere).
So, rather than silently squirm or complain behind his back, after one Mass when I had had enough, I walked up to the sacristy after Mass to talk to him about it. We have quite a large sacristy, and my husband was putting things away across the room. The seminarian in residence unobtrusively stood behind Father and listened, no doubt to learn how to deal with pain-in-the-neck parishioners like me.
After I politely asked Father why he kept changing the words, and explained why it bothered me, Father launched into a lengthy, breathless dictation of the duality of God (being neither male nor female), etc. When he stopped for breath, I asked, “Why, then, did Jesus specifically ask us to call God ‘Father”?”
Father started spluttering and said that He was dealing with macho First Century Jews and had to speak in those terms. I answered that I never remember Jesus *ever* speaking down to anyone, and that I found His teaching clear and without exageration or deception. Father then proceded to say the only difference between men and women was, (and then he made a very vulgar hand gesture, placing a finger inside a closed circle made by the fingers of his other hand). The seminarian’s eyes rolled back in his head, and I steeled myself not to blush. And then I walked away.
Fortunately, after several years of Fr. Administrator and the ensuing similarly difficult pastor, we are now *blessed* with a young, very faithful pastor, and I do not take him and his clear theology and pastoral care for granted. Peace to all here.
February 14, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Whether you know it or not, you were sexually abused by this a**hole.
Letter to the Bishop time.
The guy is out of control.
February 14, 2023 at 5:38 pm
Oh, make no mistake. I wrote to the Bishop. He was moved to another parish as a pastor for a short time, and his title changed to Parochial Vicar and he was sent to work under a pastor. As far as I know, that is where he remains.