Saturday, June 20, 2009

First-class pronominal theological debate

There is not much point in writing when others are doing it and doing it brilliantly. If (like here) it's a freezing cold Saturday and there is nothing else to do (though unlike me ... essays to mark etc), you might like to follow some first-class theological debate!

Recently Graham Kings of Fulcrum (and Bishop-elect of Sherborne) published a Pentecost prose poem which refers to the Holy Spirit as She. John Richardson of The Ugley Vicar took up the challenge of this language usage in one and then another post. Then Peter Kirk of Gentle Wisdom took up the challenge of John Richardson's response with this post. Peter and John have been cross-posting comments; others have chimed in (even me), and the result is, I think, theological debate of the highest order, especially the sequence of comments here and here.

... and the debate continues with a complementary post by John Richardson 'In what sense is God 'He' (a first reflection)'.

... and also in this post 'In what sense is God 'He' (a second reflection)'.

Time to invent a new pronoun for God, perhaps?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

This is now supplemented by a further post on my own blog, In what sense is God 'He'? (A first reflexion).

Anonymous said...

"If (like here) it's a freezing cold Saturday and there is nothing else to do (though unlike me ... essays to mark etc)..."

You should be resting in order to get up for the rugby. Where you priorities, man?!
I see the debate continues on John Richardson's site. Some fundamental questions of linguistics and theology here - and I don't think Graham King has fully grasped them!

Peter Carrell said...

Ah, the rugby, that would be 14-10 to the All Blacks (but played in our early evening so no need to change nocturnal habits)!