Tampering With the Bible?

The Church of England is at it again, only this time it proposes tampering with the Word of God.

The Church of England, which recently declared that same-sex couples cannot marry but they will “receive God’s blessings,” is now looking into the use of gender-neural terms to refer to God in prayers, including changing Matthew 6:9-13 to exclude the words “Our Father.”

Several media outlets have reported the proposed change.

The book of Revelation, Chapter 22:18-19, reads: “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and out of the things which are written in this book.

By taking out the “Our Father” in Matthew 6, isn’t that what the Church of England is trying to do?

Church officials are adamant in their beliefs and their actions for COE.

“Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female,” a spokesperson for the COE told Reuters News Service. “Yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship.”

The spokesperson said that no changes could be made without “extensive legislation,” but said there has been “greater interest in exploring new language since the introduction of its forms of service in contemporary language more than 20 years ago.”

The COE’s governing body, the General Synod, convened recently where a priest asked about developing more inclusive language in authorized forms of worship and sought options for those who wish to speak of God in a “non-gendered way,” Reuters reported.

Bishop Michael Ipgrave, vice chairman of the Church’s liturgical commission, said COE had been “exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years.”

It is the latest attempt by the COE, one of the world’s oldest Christian institutions, to keep up with rapidly evolving notions around gender and sexuality in recent decades.

Last month, COE apologized to the LGBTQI+ community for the rejection and hostility it has historically faced.

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.