Christian Women in Leadership

"Till the Heart Sings"

Against the institutional Judaism of his time, Jesus uphelp the humanity, the dignity, and the equality of womanhood. The name Father, which he favored as a designation of God, paradoxially reflected his radical overthrow of patriarchy. Jesus intended a metaphorical name that meant not master over slaves, nor tyranny over women and children, but on the contrary, tenderness and care and responsibility for the growth of a new family. Moreover, the notion of divine fatherhood did not at all mean for Jesus the physiological bond of paternity..., which depth psychology and anthropology have emphasized in our time. For him the name Father evoked a transcendence voluntarily curbed by self-immolation. [Julia's note: immolation = sacrifice]

The God who is compared to a father is, like a mother, the protector and the feeder, the one who tutors and nurtures, receives and forgives, supports and comforts, in order to lead from infancy to adu lthood.

From "Till the Heart Sings" by Samuel Terrien.

posted by the princess @ 4/27/2005 05:00:00 AM