CNI, Church of England differs on addressing God as 'He'

In the wake of the controversy stirred by the Church of England that recommended that people move away from viewing God in masculine terms, the Church of North India (CNI) has announced that it will continue to stick with the doctrine of the Trinity, the core of its beliefs, which states that God exists, simultaneously and eternally, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Church of England, in its new report entitled, 'Responding to Domestic Abuse, Guidelines for Pastoral Responsibility,' lays down new guidelines for bishops and priests on issues of domestic violence.

Quoting feminist Mary Daly, that "If God is male, then the male is God," the report warned the clergy that they must reconsider the language they use in sermons, as well as hymns, to remove signs of male oppression as the "uncritical use of masculine imagery," such as calling God 'He,' could validate "overbearing and ultimately violent patterns of behaviour."

Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has fully endorsed the report which states that sticking to traditional vows, where the husband promises to "to love and cherish" his wife "till death us do part" and the wife promises to "love, cherish, and obey" her husband, fostered a sense of ownership of the woman by her spouse, thereby giving men a sense that they could use force against women.

The Church had intentionally or unintentionally reinforced abuse, and failed to challenge abusers, the British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, has reported.

In the guidelines, the report recommended that when the clergy prepare couples for marriage, they should stress that men and women are equals, and that the word "obey" be dropped from the marriage vows.

"Domestic abuse is fundamentally an abuse of power, and many conceptions of God derived from the Bible and the Christian tradition have portrayed divine power in unhealthy and potentially oppressive ways," the guidelines stated.

However, its Indian counterpart, the Church of North India (CNI) is reluctant to agree.

"CNI is an autonomous, independent Indian church and we have no hierarchical links with the Protestant Church of England," the national daily, the Times of India (TOI) has quoted CNI secretary general Rev. Enos Das Pradhan, as saying.

According to Rev. Pradhan, the gender guidelines amounted to altering this basic tenet of faith. "While we are engaged in re–reading the Bible in the present cultural context, we cannot subscribe to any rewriting of the Holy Book," he said.

However, Rev. Pradhan added that the church believed the Holy Father also has qualities of a mother.

Though some strains of thought emanating from the Church of England did influence debates in CNI, the two were distinct and separate churches, he said.

Meanwhile, Bishop Karam Masih of Delhi diocese, CNI, has also stated that church could not possibly view God as a 'She' or a woman as it tantamounts to changing one's basic beliefs.

"In our church, God is very much a 'He'. Of course, any individual is free to look at God as a Mata (mother)," TOI quoted him as saying.

The Church of North India (CNI), the dominant Protestant denomination in northern India, is a united church established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together the main Protestant churches working in northern India. The merger, which had been in discussions since 1929, came eventually between the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican), The United Church of Northern India (Congregationalist and Presbyterian), the Baptist Churches of Northern India (British Baptists), the Churches of the Brethren in India, The Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences) and the Disciples of Christ denominations.

CNI's jurisdiction covers all states of the Indian Union with the exception of the four states in the south (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and has approximately 1,250,000 members in 3,000 pastorates.

The CNI is a trinitarian church that draws from the traditions and heritage of its constituent denominations. The basic creeds of the CNI are the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.