By Dr. Kristen Barnes-Holiday, Ph.D., Contributing Columnist
We live in a generation where pronouns are used to self-identify. And honestly, I believe that it has been a long way coming. Instead of automatically addressing someone as she or he, it is now commonplace to first ask which pronouns the individual prefers—she/her, they/them, or he/his.
As I sat in a meeting several months ago, pronouns were a part of the conversation, as the discussion leader wanted to know how the individuals in the group would like to be identified. In that instant, my mind took a detour, reflecting on the gender of God—and to be transparent this is not the first time that I’ve pondered God’s gender, audibly questioning why I, and so many others, refer to God as Father, Him, He, and His. Is God a man or is there another factor that allows humans to see God through this lens?
As a budding theologian, I typically lead with the ideology that the Bible is not inerrant, meaning there is room for inaccuracies. Yeah, I know. Most of us were taught that God authored the Bible, and God is perfect, therefore, the Bible is without error. And because of this we did not question the Bible.
I’m no longer in alignment with this school of thought, as I Believe that though God authored human existence and all the universe, and even oversaw and dwelled within humanity since inception, the Bible was written by human beings and revised God-knows-how-many-times. Considering my perspective, the idea that the Bible was written by man, yet authored by God, we must consider that the Bible quite possibly was recorded through the lens of the writer(s). And during this period, men would’ve been writing the Bible. So, when one takes a deep dive into Genesis, the very first book in the Bible, it should be noted that God is referred to as He—a male pronoun—and honestly this makes sense.
As I thought about the pronouns of God even further, I considered my personal perspective for identifying God as the Father, first considering the famous painting “The Creation of God” by Harmonia Rosales. In Rosales’ depiction of God, a woman of color takes center stage. And because this artist illustrated God as a woman, she caught a lot of backlash and gasps. If you’re confused by the reactions of folk, I get it, because as I’ve already stated, we were conditioned to believe that God is a male. But I also considered another thought. Perhaps, human beings characterize God as the important individuals within our own lives.
You might be really confused at this point but allow me to share an intimate thought with you.
For my entire life, I’ve been a daddy’s girl. And since I am my father’s little princess, I’ve always recognized my father as a leader and provider who takes great care of his children. I then rationalized that since I view my father in this light, it only makes sense that God is the Supreme of all fathers. And since my father leads and takes care of me, God must be the one who leads takes care of my father. Logical, right?
I also considered several passages in the Bible where Jesus identifies God as Father. In John 20:17, Jesus refers to God as His father and the father of humanity. As Jesus prays in Gethsemane, he cried out to “Abba, Father” in distress. (Note: Children often use “Abba” to refer to their father.)
Contrary to Jesus identifying God as father, God is also identified as mother, though many Christians overlook God being framed through the female gender. In Isaiah 66:13, God is likened to a mother nurturing her cub. And in Deuteronomy 32:11-12 God is described as a mother eagle.
If you’re noticing what I’ve noticed, you’re now able to see that, “God morphs into what God needs to be in that moment” (Pastor Marieno Brisbon, 2023). So, could it hold true that God isn’t male nor female, and thus lacks gender-specific pronouns?
I call God Father, because I’ve been conditioned to identify God as such for as long as I can remember. Have you considered why you identify God as Father or maybe even Mother or otherwise? Give this some thought and at some point, let’s revisit this dialogue.
Until next time…
Love and blessings,
Dr. Kristen Barnes-Holiday, Ph.D. is a professor of English at Wayne County Community College District, a second-year divinity student at Duke University, and a Christian blogger. In addition, she is a teacher, preacher, and lifelong student of the Word of Jesus Christ.
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