God Is Not a Dude: Rob Bell and the "She" Video

This Sunday is Mother's Day and instead of speaking to women, we will be discussing manhood, fatherhood, etc.  Needless to say there is an absense of what it means to be a man in our culture today. One of the recent trends in postmodern theology is to reject or at least downplay the masculine language of God in the Bible.  The Bible frequently refers to God as King, Father, Son, Judge, and Bridegroom.  Many argue that to speak in such language only encourages chauvinism and sexism in our culture.

I think it is all garbage.  Not that the Bible never uses feminine language, but that the motive behind this movement foolishness.

I fear that by making such an argument, what we are doing in essence is not defending women and uplifting their status, but refusing to hold men accountable.  If God is described as a Father, then I need to get my act straight.  Do I love my wife the way God loves His Bride, the Church?  Do I lead in a godly manner like God?  Do I sacrifice as a husband like Christ?  By undermining the masculine language of God we are letting men off the hook.

Well if you want an example (and I'll probably reference this Sunday morning) of this trend, I point you to Rob Bell.  Bell is perhaps the most recognizable face in postmodern Christianity.  He is the face behind the Nooma videos which are short (about 12-15 minutes long each) films dedicated to a spiritual topic.  In the following video, called "She," Bell argues that God isn't a dude, he's also feminine.  For a critique, see the links below the video.




For more:
Christopher W. Cowan - Rob Bell, NOOMA, and “Feminine Images” for God, Part 1
Christopher W. Cowan - Rob Bell, NOOMA, and “Feminine Images” for God, Part 2