Fact check: Church of England's gender-neutrality study is ongoing, won't stop saying 'God'

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read
18

The claim: The Church of England will stop using male pronouns and saying 'God' and 'our Father' in prayers

A Feb. 7 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a photograph of the inside of a church.

"Church of England embraces 'Gender Neutral God' Will stop using male pronouns and referring to God in prayers, Will drop phrase 'our Father' from the Lord's Prayer," reads the post's text.

The post's caption advertises a recent article published on the user's website, which describes the situation by saying the church "may" make these changes in the future.

The post garnered more than 2,000 likes on the first day. Similar posts have been shared on Facebook and Instagram.

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Our rating: False

The church has created a five-year plan for a joint commission to look into the topic of gender neutrality, according to a church spokesperson. However, no changes have been made yet, and the church still uses male pronouns, "God and "our Father" in its liturgy.

New joint project hasn't made changes yet

The post overstates the nature of what the church has done to date. The church has not stopped using "God" or "our Father," a spokesperson said.

“There are absolutely no plans to abolish or substantially revise currently authorized liturgies, and no such changes could be made without extensive legislation," Nick Edmonds, a spokesperson for the church, told USA TODAY in an email.

The Liturgical Commission, which oversees prayers and services for the church, has been considering questions of gender neutrality since 2014.

"This is nothing new," Edmonds said. "Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female."

During the February meeting of the General Synod, the national assembly of the Church of England, the Rev. Joanna Stobart asked the Liturgical Commission what steps it was taking to develop more inclusive language for those that wished to speak about God in a gender-neutral way, according to the meeting's notes.

The Right Rev. Michael Ipgrave, who serves as the vice chair of the commission, said a joint project with the Faith and Order Commission, which advises the church on theology, would begin in the spring and take place over the next five years.

Changing authorized liturgy would require an approval process by the Synod, however. That would require various committees of the Synod to revise, amend and approve the submitted legislation before changes could be made, according to the church's website.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, speaks at the church on Sunday.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., a senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, speaks at the church on Sunday.

"In common with other potential changes to authorized liturgical provision, changing the wording and number of authorized forms of absolution would require a full Synodical process for approval," Ipgrave said.

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment.

The claim has been debunked by Lead Stories and The Associated Press as well.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that Church of England will stop using 'God'