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June 19, 2006

Trinity Withstands Presbyterian Vote

Delegates to the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Birmingham decided not to mandate new "gender neutral" language for the Trinity. The PC(USA) decided to "receive" rather than "approve" a report calling for more "sensitive" language for the Trinitarian persons than the biblical Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. According to CNN, the "fresher" names for the Godhead include "Mother, Child, and Womb." While more orthodox Presbyterians won the vote not to officially mandate such "diversity," they lost a vote to send the report back to committee.

Posted by Russell D. Moore at 08:19 PM | Permalink

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Is anything behind this other than hatred of men? I truly believe that God is expressed in the feminine and we can approach God through the feminine, but were those alternatives honestly the best they could come up with?

Posted by: Bobby Winters | Jun 19, 2006 9:21:19 PM

"Alternatives"? Why do we need alternative names for the Persons of the Holy Trinity? What is behind this is not mere hatred of men; it is hatred of God as He has been revealed in the Scriptures and in the Holy Tradition. One could wish that the perpetrators of this abomination could be honest with themselves and others and simply eschew the name "Christian". Maybe "Theists Walking Into the Swamps" or TWITS for short.

Posted by: Scott Walker | Jun 19, 2006 10:31:29 PM

I was thinking in terms of the veneration of Mary. Attempts to emasculate the Trinity don't really get to the core of what they say they are after. Veneration of Mary would, but they won't do it because they really hate men. Maybe they hate God too, but that is too deep a question.

Posted by: Bobby Winters | Jun 19, 2006 10:47:02 PM

"Mother, Child, and Womb."
Trying very hard not to take the name of the Lord in vain about those...yikes!!! I'm actually surprised that they didn't accept it, though. I grew up PCUSA (until age 10), and although at the local level people were pretty conservative, we wound up leaving because the higher-ups had already slid so far in that direction, and that was 7 years ago now.

Posted by: luthien | Jun 20, 2006 6:53:35 AM

They're just getting warmed up! Left Wing resolutions Israel, Iraq, Iran and all the usual suspects are on the way. But the real headlines will be when this dying church puts the final nail in the coffin by throwing out ordination standards. My family bailed two years ago when they came five votes short. The end is mercifully near.

Posted by: Jim Hale | Jun 20, 2006 8:32:49 AM

Whew! Glad God made it safe thru another near-death experience! What would God do if it weren't for us post-modern persons?...What a bunch of numbskulls we are! But isn't part of God's revealed wrath from heaven the act of letting us strangle ourselves with our own new-fangled rebellions (Romans 1.18-32). Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Posted by: Rev. Michael Philliber | Jun 20, 2006 8:58:01 AM

This URL has a picture of some Episcopalians on the march for abortion: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/41685_37993_ENG_HTM.htm

The problem with the Protestant church in general is made pretty clear by looking at that front row of folks. The Protestant denominations are all dominated by Baby Boomers who now have enough time to agitate for the cultural and classical Marxism of their college days.

Liberalism goes down easy, so unfortunately I don't see a return to tradition by the younger generations, who've been fed this pap for several decades. God willing I'll be proved wrong.

Posted by: Douglas | Jun 20, 2006 9:41:17 AM

History is certainly funny. As a youth in my Methodist-Catholic family I was always hearing how Catholics were making Mary into a god(ess), or a Fourth member of the Trinity. However, I always felt that she, as the holiest and greatest saint ever, is God's greatest gift to all, especially in her roll as the Blessed Mother of us all.(That is a prime reason I chose Catholicism over Methodism as a teen-ager).
Now I see God's genius in doing so. For without her (and remember most liberal Catholics--mainstream Protestants in disguise--have deep-sixed any serious veneration of Mary) the emasculation of God Himself must be the order of the day.

Posted by: Deacon John M. Bresnahan | Jun 20, 2006 1:53:18 PM

One, Two, and Three.

Posted by: Bro. Bartleby | Jun 20, 2006 4:24:38 PM

Why all the fuss? Those three are only some of the possible alternative names. If they don't appeal to you, there are plenty of others to choose from. Here are some others that the committee proposed:

1. Doctor, Lawyer, and Indian Chief
2. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
3. Tinker, Evers, and Chance
4. Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick Maker
5. Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub
6. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
7. Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
8. Gippetto, Pinocchio, and Jiminy Cricket

Two other proposed alternatives, "Peter, Paul, and Mary" and "Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria" were both rejected based on fears that they might constitute idolatry.

Can anyone remember any of the others?

Posted by: Ethan Cordray | Jun 20, 2006 5:30:56 PM

Regarding "Brahma Vishnu and Shiva", as noted on the accidental trinity of posts above:

I've at various times gotten into arguments with people as to whether the Christian Trinity is really the same as the Hindu "Trinity". I've argued no, of course, but a lot of the confusion may be due to sloppy teaching about the Trinity. Which is probably a source of the PCUSA business too.

Posted by: Peter Gardner | Jun 20, 2006 7:44:02 PM

The Name of God is His essence. He is His Name. To "rename" God or to pick various "metaphors" for Him is nothing less than absolute blasphemy. The god who has been named "mother, womb and child" is not the God revealed in the Holy Scripture. The PCUSA is no longer a Christian church by any stretch of the imagination. They worship a false god and may the work of the general assembly be damned.

Posted by: L. Korossy | Jun 20, 2006 8:21:58 PM

Others:

Manny, Moe, and Jack.

Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Winken, Blinken, and Nod.

Posted by: Gintas | Jun 21, 2006 11:24:08 AM

Oh, don't forget the one that captures the real essence of the liberal theology game:

Dewey, Cheatham and Howe.

(You might remember them as the law firm staffed in the movies by that other triumvirate, Curley, Larry and Moe.)

Posted by: Joe Long | Jun 21, 2006 1:26:32 PM

Swallowing heresy like this Hook, line and sinker

may require that we get out the Bell, Book and candle

If not it will be Game, Set and Match

when they meet the Judge, Jury and Executioner

Posted by: Christopher Hathaway | Jun 21, 2006 2:36:46 PM

I still prefer "SNAP, CRACKLE, and POP!"

Posted by: Deacon John M. Bresnahan | Jun 21, 2006 2:38:00 PM

Could be this has something to do with Id, Ego and Super-ego.

AMDG,
Janet

Posted by: Another Janet | Jun 21, 2006 3:57:44 PM

No, the Ego, Super-Ego and Id are personified by Bert, Ernie, and the Cookie Monster, which is about how serious the PCUSAs are.

Posted by: JackONeill | Jun 21, 2006 4:55:27 PM

Bert would have to be the Superego. I have heard, sadly, that Cookie Monster is now something like Veggie Monster.

Posted by: Juli | Jun 21, 2006 5:32:31 PM

I can not understand why people resort to this "play" on words after over 1500 years. We know or are supposed to know that Faith and the Holy Spirit are the "way" for Christians.

Could it be that this effort is a cover for our known inability to follow the teachings of Jesus to love our neighbors as ourself? Maybe we could work on that?

Posted by: Ray Sizemore | Jun 21, 2006 8:54:04 PM

I'm just curious: has anyone actually read the paper? Because it isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be. Granted, there are some problems, but there are some bright spots as well.

Posted by: Alex | Jun 22, 2006 8:35:24 AM

Rock, scissors, paper. Oops, I mean Rock, Redeemer, Friend -- one of their suggestions. Rock breaks Redeemer, Redeemer cuts Friend, Friend covers Rock. It's the Trinity game, which they will play at their next social.

Posted by: Judy Warner | Jun 22, 2006 10:59:50 AM

The book of Revelations comes alive.

Posted by: Colleen Lee | Jun 23, 2006 1:38:35 PM

I can't believe you all think this is because they "hate men". Hasn't it occured to you that you could equally say not including the mother of god in the "trinity" was because you all hate women?

Especially considering things like recently tampon commercials were banned when the pope visited http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2006/05/26/tampons/print.html
I think there is a lot of evidence of misogyny in the church, not the other way around!

And as far as not changing the "received word of God"- Hello- it has been changed many times already! The very existence of these type of "votes" proves that is the case, and I have read that is actually how Mary was removed from the trinity in the first place.

Ultimately it comes down to why can't it be fair and balanced? Why is it only the father of god that is important? Why isn't the mother of god just as important? When that fundamental question can be answered, I'll be very happy.

Personally, I think the trinity should be a quartet. The father, mother, son, & holy ghost. Makes sense to me....

Posted by: mary | Jun 28, 2006 12:14:09 PM

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