(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) A bishop in the Church of England has attacked a prayer given to Christians by Jesus Himself.
Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York, criticized what many Protestant Christians call The Lord’s Prayer and Catholics commonly refer to as “the Our Father,” which Jesus gives to his followers in Mathew 6:9-13, the most iconic English translation is that of The King James:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Cottrell said that the problem with the prayer is the opening.
“I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive, and for all of us who have laboured rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life,” he said in his opening remarks addressing the Church of England’s General Synod.
Some in the Synod agreed with Cottrell.
“[He] put his finger on an issue that’s a really live issue for Christians and has been for many years,” one unnamed, female Anglican Priest said. “The big question is, do we really believe that God believes that male human beings bear his image more fully and accurately than women?,” she continued.
“The answer is absolutely not.”
Dr. Chris Sugden, a conservative Anglican, took exception to the statement.
“Is the archbishop of York saying Jesus was wrong, or that Jesus was not pastorally aware?” he asked. “It seems to be emblematic of the approach of some church leaders to take their cues from culture rather than scripture.”
Father Calvin Robinson, in his analysis of the remark, commented on the origin of the prayer and its centrality to Christianity.
“We call it the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ because it is the prayer the Lord gave us. He taught us to pray it,” he said. “We call God ‘Our Father’ because that is how he instructed us to address him,” he continued, highlighting that God chose his own title.
