Inclusive Liturgies and Scriptures

Gender Inclusive Language - The Language of Hospitality

What does it mean to use "inclusive language" when talking about God in the context of a religious service, reading the bible or even praying? Why is it important? Isn't it awkward to use male and female pronouns to refer to someone whose gender we do not know?

Linguists tell us language serves to organize information into some semblance of order. Words conjure images and vice versa. The rhythms of language convey emotion. They capture experience. Words subconsciously shape our worldview. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_hypothesis

"Language is one of the most significant tools for creating and shaping society's perceptions, whether for good or evil," as linguist Mark Buckley, former coordinator of the Quixote Center's Priests for Equality and resident biblical scholar and translator has written. "Language not only expresses ideas-including subconscious attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes-it shapes perceptions. It not only says what is, but what ought to be." In short, language is prescriptive.

One of the ways social conservatives have fought the gender wars is by framing the discussion around "political correctness." The term conjures up a certain fussiness and judgmental attitude toward the correct use of language that is inherently awkward and inhibiting.

We need a new framework in our discourse about inclusive language. By hearkening back to our Middle Eastern Christian and Jewish roots, we can find an ancient religious virtue to frame its use: hospitality. Hospitality is a requirement in Jewish, Christian, and Koranic scriptures, a duty that some traditions place above prayer. It is rooted in the Greek word philoxenia, welcome and love for the stranger; it is a duty that stretches beyond the familiar circle of friends, family, and tribe. Hospitality evokes welcoming, participation, care for the other.

One of the marks of modern life is a lack of hospitality toward women and homosexuals, notes Buckley. "Sexist, racist, and homophobic attitudes expressed in language are violations of hospitality." When women are excluded from the realm of the sacred in liturgy and sacraments precisely because of their sex, use of exclusively male pronouns in reference to the deity, in recitation of the Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed, or church documents convey a painful reality to women: Women are neither wanted nor valued.

Finally, use of exclusively male pronouns in talking about God conveys a fundamental heresy about the nature of God. Christian theologians and scripture scholars point out to us a rich Judaic and early Christian tradition of referring to God in ways that are not exclusively male. To refer to the God of Abraham as a man is anthropomorphize the sacred deity who is beyond our human capacity to define. The moment one tries to capture God in a single word or image, one has committed a sacrilege.

For inclusive language lectionaries and scriptures, click here. To read Buckley's article, click here.