Apologetics From the Time Capsule … Synod & The Gender Inclusive Language Issue — How I Spoke (2010)

The CRC has decided to gives its confessions a soft gender-inclusive makeover.

I rose to speak against this noting that there were many times where the word “man” was replaced by the word “Humans,” or “Human beings.” I noted that I had done some etymological spadework on the word “Human” and had discovered that it literally means “pertaining to man.” I then made the point that I did not understand what was accomplished by deleting the word “man” or “men” in favor of a word (human) that literally means “pertaining to man.” I also noted that I thought such gender-inclusive language “played with” our covenantal understanding of men having federal headship.

I had thought about proposing that instead of the word human we should require those who are re-working the confessions to use the words “human and huwoman,” but as this was the first issue that I spoke to I was a bit nervous and wasn’t sure that my humor would be appreciated. (Now, in retrospect, I am quite sure it would not have been appreciated.)

A female delegate spoke after me insisting that deleting man was important since her 12-year daughter had heard some scripture read where only the word man was used (as being inclusive of both men and women) and the 12-year-old daughter couldn’t figure out why women were left out.

I sat there thinking, after this comment, that we are spending an untold amount of money to revise these confessions in a soft gender-inclusive direction because people either don’t know or have not yet learned what words mean? All because a little girl and apparently many like her do not know that the word “human” is just as insulting to them as the word “man” means that we have to change the confessions? What happens then if these people ever wake up to the reality that the word “human” means “pertaining to man?” Will we have to change them again?

Look, the whole pursuit of gender-inclusive language – soft or otherwise – is nonsense driven by the attempt of feminists to escape what they can not escape and that is that their identity is derivative of the identity of man.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him.

One thought on “Apologetics From the Time Capsule … Synod & The Gender Inclusive Language Issue — How I Spoke (2010)”

  1. A child doesn’t understand the confessions, so instead of parents doing their job and just explaining it, they demand that the confession be changed. A perfect example of absolute blind selfishness to the point of insanity–truly the spirit of this age.

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