Church of England says calling God ‘He’ or ‘Lord’ encourages wife-beating
| Church of England leaders warned yesterday that calling God ‘He’ encourages men to beat their wives.
They told churchgoers they must think twice before they refer to God as ‘He’ or ‘Lord’ because of the dangers that it will lead to domestic abuse. In new guidelines for bishops and priests on such abuse, they blamed “uncritical use of masculine imagery” for encouraging men to behave violently towards women. They also warned that clergy must reconsider the language they use in sermons and check the hymns they sing to remove signs of male oppression. The recommendation – fully endorsed by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams – puts a question mark over huge swathes of Christian teaching and practice. […] The guidelines also claim that abuse is common within marriage and says this is because marriage heightens a sense among husbands that they own their wives. |
Attention, Mr. Williams & Company:
| Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. (Ephesians 5:25-29) |
Now, please, make your case from the Scriptures, Mr. Williams and Co.