The common pronouns for God are he/his. But is that what’s in the Bible? Or foundational theology? If God’s pronouns are they/them, does that make God trans?
The following is a text version of this posting.
The first book in the Bible is the book of Genesis. Many people think that because it’s the first it’s the oldest. The Book of Job was written about 500 years before Genesis. Genesis was compiled from a variety of sources into one volume around 1500 BCE.
The book of Genesis begins with these words: “In the beginning, God created….” As clear as that sounds in English, what word was used for “God” in this part of Genesis? In the Hebrew scriptures, the part of the Bible Christians refer to as the “Old Testament,” there are several different words for God. In the first verse of Genesis, the word, “Elohim” is used. Elohim is the plural form of Eloah. Eloah means God – one individual deity. Elohim is plural meaning gods or deities. While it’s customary in both Judaism and Christianity to translate Elohim as God, it’s the plural form. Does it mean that there is more than one God? By 1500 BCE when Genesis was compiled, Jews believed in one God .. a God who is One. So, could it mean that there is a multiplicity or multiple dimensions within God? Could it be that God is “they?”
The nature of God as being one or several became more complex in the early Christian era. Essentially, for the first two hundred years of Christianity, the concept of the Trinity didn’t exist. Remember that the Trinity is the belief that God is three unique persons, traditionally referred to as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but that these three persons are together as one deity. Theophilus of Antioch around 170 CE was the first to use the word, “Trinity.” It took until 381 CE for the concept of the Trinity as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be agreed upon at the First Council of Constantinople. But let’s be clear, if God is Trinity, then God’s proper pronouns are not he, or she as many mystics have suggested, but as Trinity, God’s pronouns are they and them.
My point is pretty simple: An honest reading of the Bible and an honest consideration of a foundational Christian belief demonstrates the appropriateness of using plural pronouns when referring to God. If Christians took the Bible seriously and honestly reflected on their dogma, people using plural pronouns because of a trans identity would make sense. God is neither male nor female. If that’s true for God, why should we assume that people are limited to being male or female?
But here’s the thing: I have become convinced that the majority of Christians don’t read or understand the Bible. Instead, they depend on whatever preacher or televangelist tells them is in the Bible. As a result, they learn a lot of things that either aren’t in the Bible or are out of context. Very clear evidence of this has been discussed repeatedly and publicly by Baptist minister and editor of the Evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, Russell Moore. Moore has spoken out about conservative Christians and Christian nationalists who are uncomfortable with Jesus because they see him as “too woke.” They deliberately avoid the central teachings of Jesus like the Sermon on the Mount because of the focus on love, forgiveness, and non-violence. Some advocate for a militant Jesus who will bear arms. The irony, of course, is that Jesus is recorded in Matthew’s gospel as saying to Peter: “Put away your sword. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.” They need to read the Gospels rather than pick random texts to support their prejudices.
In the end, religion is often used to support people’s preconceived notions and prejudices. But the role of religion should be to expand our understanding of the world around us and make us better people. When it comes to trans-identity, I think that trans-people have potent images for their inspiration because the Judeo-Christian tradition presents a deity that’s best described as “they.” The rest of us need to broaden our understanding of the Divine.
Perfect message, my friend.
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Thanks, Angela!
I liked how you ended with the idea of broadening our view of God. I read a small book once, Your God Is Too Small by Phillips on our tendency of putting God in a box. I respectfully disagree that we can leap to using your concept of the Trinity as a support for Trans ideology. I think it is apples and oranges. I have read literary scholars who are upset with their use of they and them. I think they would have served themselves better by using the ze/zer combination.
This is so interesting. In a weekly zoom meeting with 4 friends, wherein we are currently studying The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr, we discussed this very thing, almost like a revelation. It makes sense to me. Thank you.