Earlier this month, Terry Mattingly wrote a misguided and poorly researched article, “Got News? Adios to God the Father?” suggesting that the United Church of Christ was about to move away from being a fully Trinitarian denomination. This kind of journalism is not what one would expect from Mattingly who writes the nationally syndicated “On Religion” column for the Scripps Howard News Service in Washington, D.C., and is director of the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Cathy Lynn Grossman, writing for the USA Today, uses these words to describe Mattingly’s piece and to explain what really happened at the United Church of Christ’s General Synod:
Mattingly, founder of the media critique site, thumped mainstream media for failing to notice a news release from
a critic of the proposed change. Without calling UCC to find out exactly what was at stake, or recalling that the UCC has long advocated gender-neutral terms for God, Mattingly proclaims it’s a major news story…
… since editing the ancient Christian creeds is a highly symbolic act — even for flocks as hyper-Protestant as the UCC. Of course, this denomination also serves as the home base for a very articulate and important layperson — President Barack Obama.
Hmm. That would be No and No.
No, Obama is not UCC any more. He hasn’t been part of any particular denomination since he left the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s UCC congregation years ago.
And no, the UCC isn’t “editing” the creed, says the Rev. Bennett Guess, spokesman for the denomination. Guess explained what happened last night in Tampa where the UCC wrapped up its biannual governance meeting.
We are still a Trinitarian denomination. This was not a theological document. It was a restructuring from five boards to one. And in doing this, we dealt with bylaws written decades ago, before the denomination’s commitment to using inclusive and expansive imagery for God.
We no longer use exclusively male language to refer to God. We haven’t for a long time.
So What?
The United Church of Christ has always been a progressive Protestant denomination. For those unfamiliar with the UCC, I recommend visiting UCC Firsts, which provides substantive data in support of that claim displayed on a timeline. I am thankful to belong to a denomination that acknowledges that God is Still Speaking and values inclusive and expansive language.
- Does your local congregation tend to use traditional masculine language for the Divine in worship or more inclusive and expansive language? What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each?
- Take a few minutes to review Expansive Language with Reference to God, Inclusive Language with Reference to the People of God.
- If you are a part of a tradition that does not use expansive and inclusive language, do you find this guide helpful in explaining why others, including those in the UCC, do?
- If you are part of a tradition in which expansive and inclusive language is normative, what aspects of the brochure are new information and/or do you find helpful to you in understanding why such language is important?