Wisdom Speaks With God’s Voice (and many times, that voice is not that of a man)

Read Proverbs Chapter 8

Very early in my ministry, Proverbs 8 was at the center of a controversy within the denomination of which I’m a part (United Methodist).  It wasn’t limited to any one denomination, but the controversy started at an event hosted by UMC and attended by members of many others.  The conference had “Reimagining God” in it’s title and the speakers used images in Proverbs merged with other agendas to imagine God as feminine, even naming God “Sophia,” the Greek transliteration of Lady Wisdom encountered in Proverbs.  In 1994, this sent shockwaves through the church, mostly of outrage amidst cries of heresy. As the presenters presented these thoughts and conclusions, it was heresy.  I bring this up not to explain why I thought the “Reimaging God” conference committed heresy nearly 30 years ago, but to point out that some of the good ideas presented back then are NOT heresy. 

We do not need to reimagine God to include within our orthodoxy feminine imagery to describe God.  Such imagery is in Proverbs 8 and in other places.  God is neither man, nor woman, but both man and woman are created in God’s image.  It is healthy to include male, female, and other images not related to gender in describing God.  The Bible does this and we should not ignore portions of the Bible that use images for the divine that make us uncomfortable. 

I like thinking about “Lady Wisdom” being incorporated into my experience of the character of God.  Some of the wisest people I know are image-bearing women who have helped me become a better image-bearing man.  The church has been wise to embrace the callings of now a majority of women (more women than men attend seminary).  Spend some time today thinking about the top adjectives you would use to describe God.  Then think about these questions.

Questions:  Once you have short list, what does your list suggest about your assumptions about God?  Does anything from scripture that you are aware of suggest that your adjectives might not include all that God is?

Prayer:  Lord, when we encounter heresy, give us the courage to call it out as such.  But also help us be humble enough to always be open to You showing us more of Your character that we have not acknowledged before now. Amen.

Prayer Focus:   Pray for people who are in hospice today preparing themselves and their families for their own death.

Song:  One of my favorite feminine voices of all time (and also an unparalleled Gospel singer.  I look forward to hearing her singing in heaven someday)

Aretha Franklin – RESPECT