By focusing on ‘woke’ issues, the Church of England is failing its flock

SIR – Church of England congregations are dwindling, and have been for years, yet Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is more concerned with “trans” issues (Letters, July 8), and Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, is suggesting that we shouldn’t use the phrase “Our Father” in the Lord’s Prayer (report, July 8).

I despair. The Church should be concentrating its efforts on recruiting more priests, relying less on unpaid volunteers and looking after its remaining flock, not on “woke” issues.

Eamon A Lambert
Tharston, Norfolk

SIR – Once again, the archbishops speak from the point of view of sociological appeasement and not from theological scholarship.

In the Old Testament, God is referred to by the masculine nouns Elohim and Yahweh. In the Greek New Testament, he is the masculine Theos. In the Lord’s Prayer, given by Jesus, he is Father. Jesus Christ is believed to be the Son of God. So far, so masculine. That is indisputable. However, the Holy Spirit referred to in the ancient Hebrew Old Testament (and the Aramaic and Syriac languages) is ruach, translated as wind or breath. This word is always feminine.

When Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, therefore, he was speaking of the inheritance of the “ruach” as the feminine comforter, rather than its Greek translation of the gender-neutral pneuma. It follows that the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is masculine and feminine.

The sociological intervention by the Archbishop of York is unnecessary and misleading. The ancient Church knew what it was doing. Today’s Church gives the impression that it doesn’t.

Rev H Beverley Tasker
Ettington, Warwickshire

SIR – So the Archbishop of York has problems with “Our Father”. What about “Mary, mother of God”, or should that change to “Mary, birth parent of God”? Indeed, why not rewrite the Bible and its gospels, because they are full of references to mothers, fathers, sons and daughters?

His concern exposes the total absurdity of this gender propaganda, which we are all expected to swallow.

Malcolm Allen
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire