A theologically progressive LGBT advocacy organization centered on changing The United Methodist Church’s stance on sexual ethics recently sent an email using the female pronoun “she” to refer to God.
Reconciling Ministries Network sent an email to supporters last Wednesday commemorating the first anniversary of when the UMC General Conference voted to remove its ban on same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals.
“We wish we could say that this was an ending — a happily ever after for LGBTQ+ folks in our Church. To be clear: what we did together at General Conference was ground-breaking. And we did it because you showed up,” stated the email.
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“But queer and trans people are still experiencing discrimination in their ordination processes and from the pulpit. And moreover, the world is more dangerous for queer and trans folks than it’s been in a long time.”
The group claimed that many “of the most ruthless opponents of Reconciliation are right inside the house of God” and that they are “pinning the blame on God.”
“But God is not silent, and she speaks in part through our compassionate witness,” stated RMN.
This terminology contrasts with the historic usage of male pronouns to describe God, found in the Bible and throughout Christian history.
The Christian Post reached out to Reconciling Ministries Network to clarify if the comment was a typo or if it had referred to God with female pronouns in past emails. However, a reply was not given by press time.
Mark Tooley, president of the theologically conservative think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy, told CP that while some socially liberal Christian groups “try to be creedally orthodox,” RMN “has always been heterodox and radical theologically.”
“Scripture and Christian tradition use masculine pronouns for God while citing some feminine qualities. Citing God as ‘she’ or ‘mother’ is more pagan than Jewish or Christian,” said Tooley.
Founded in the early 1980s, RMN sought to change the UMC’s stance on LGBT issues, which at the time labeled homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching” in its Book of Discipline.
Over the years, several hundred UMC congregations have affiliated with RMN to become “Reconciling Congregations,” supporting its progressive views on LGBT issues.
The United Methodist Judicial Council ruled in Decision 871 that individual congregations could not affiliate with any unofficial advocacy group or movement.
In May 2015, a former RMN employee named Andy Oliver filed a complaint against the organization, alleging wrongful termination and gender identity discrimination.
“I filed a grievance with RMN’s Personnel Committee objecting to and refusing to participate in what I reasonably believed amounted to gender identity discrimination,” read the complaint.
“Specifically I stated that I believed RMN’s Executive Director, Matt Berryman, was trying to ‘bully’ me into changing a subordinate’s job title despite that I believed that the title change constituted discrimination based on the subordinate’s transgender status.”
Oliver alleged in his complaint that over the next couple of months, he was “subjected to unjustified adverse employment actions” that included “more severe scrutiny” of his work and eventually being fired “without giving me any justification at all.”
Oliver voluntarily withdrew his complaint later that year.
