The Church of England will look into using gender-neutral terms to refer to God in prayers, but the century-old institution said on Wednesday there were no plans to abolish current services.
The issue reflects the growing global awareness of the alleged use of pronouns that offend or annoy those who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.
«Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female,» a church spokesman said. “However, the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in Scripture has not always been reflected in our worship.”
But he added that there were «absolutely no plans to abolish or substantially revise» the licensed services and that no changes could be made without «broad legislation.»
The comments follow an exchange at the General Synod, the Church’s governing body, where a priest asked about developing more inclusive language in authorized forms of worship and sought options for those who want to speak of God in a «common way.» no gender».
The spokesman said there has been increased interest in exploring new languages since the introduction of its contemporary language service forms more than 20 years ago.
Bishop Michael Ipgrave, vice chair of the Church’s liturgical commission, said the Church had been «exploring the use of gender language in relation to God for a number of years.»
The deliberation is the latest attempt by the Church, central to one of the world’s oldest Christian institutions, to keep up with rapidly evolving notions about gender and sexuality in recent decades.
Last month, the religious body put forward proposals showing it would refuse to allow same-sex couples to marry in its churches, but said priests could bless them in church. He also apologized to LGBTQI+ people for the rejection and hostility they have faced.
The Church’s Commission on Faith and Order, which advises on theology, will work with the liturgical commission to discuss issues related to gender terms, the spokesman said.