On today's episode we’re continuing our discussion on how we talk about God, specifically the metaphors we use for God. We start off by defining metaphors, both using Merriam Webster and a theologian’s description. We then move into naming some of the metaphors for God that are found in the Bible.

We talk about which metaphors feel comfortable, and which ones are more difficult for our modern ears. We find ourselves talking about how some of the metaphors are used predominantly for one person of the Trinity, but not all of them. We also talk about how the metaphors we use to understand the Trinity itself also break down. There is a reference to a funny St. Patrick’s meme about the heresies of understanding the Trinity. (St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies from Lutheran Satire)

We also talk about how some of the metaphors we use are there for us when we need them. Rick talks about how God the shepherd is actively in his mind when he goes into certain situations. We also discuss how some of the metaphors for God that we have are also contradictory: shepherd and sheep being one example.

We then move into talking about gendered imagery for God as found in the Bible. We also discuss our use of masculine and feminine imagery throughout our liturgy and conversation. We discuss the emotional responses that come when our learned assumptions about God are challenged.

We move into a discussion about how we know if a metaphor for God is a good one and which ones break down too easily. We recall that as Christians the main way we understand the meaning of the whole Bible is through the person of Jesus Christ. We also talk about Divine accommodation, the Christ as different from Jesus, and the problems with absolutizing any of our understandings of God. We close out by recalling that metaphors are meant to help us open up our understanding, not to close it off.

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Cross Connections is a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, PA and is hosted by the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill.

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