At a synod of the Anglican church, the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, declared the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father”, problematic because the words are patriarchal, and he goes on, some individuals have had a bad experience with patriarchy. He said, “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” (ref. 1).
First of all, what has God to do with earthly fathers that have been destructive and abusive? The logic of likening God to an evil man is plainly wrong. For an archbishop to even try to make this argument is to reveal to all his apostasy or even his outright treachery.
The Bible is clear that God is masculine, and furthermore, that God is the Father of Jesus Christ.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Hebrews 1:5
Jesus Christ was begotten of the Father from the beginning. Jesus Christ is “the Son of God”.
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
Proverbs 8:22-23
In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:1-2
Jesus Christ is also the creator of all life and all things, visible and invisible. Therefore, he is also described as “Father”.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:3-4
… and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Then, some two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was made flesh, born through the line of David, and through the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit. He was born on earth as “the Son of man”.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
Mankind was created in God’s image.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:26-27
Notice the Bible reads, “And God said, Let us make man in our image”. “Us” and “our” are plural, because Jesus Christ is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7
There is also the Hebrew grammar of the very first sentence of the Bible.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
“Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz.”
The verb “bara” for create in the past tense is conjugated masculine and singular. In Hebrew, “he created” is “bara”, “she created” is “bar’a”, and “they created” is “bar’u”. Despite the singular “bara”, “Elohim” meaning God is plural. So, God is singular and plural at the same time, one and three. From the word bara, it is also clear that God is masculine.
Therefore, God is indeed “Our Father”.
In the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer occurs in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.
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.
Matthew 6:9-13
And he said unto them When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:2-4
The way the Catholic church has it, with “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us” is ok, because “trespass”, “debt” and “sin” can be read synonymously. It was William Tyndale in 1526 who first translated the Greek as “Forgive us our trespasses”, taking into account Matthew 6:14-15.
Now, the line “Give this day our daily bread”, or “Give us day by day our daily bread”, is one for these last days, because this is a time of tremendous and profound evil. I mean, it takes certain kind of sadistic cruelty to take what little there is from a poor person but apparently this happens.
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
In the future, starting in the kingdom of God, people the world over will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour, as it was always supposed to be.
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain…
Isaiah 65:21-23
The next point about the Lord’s Prayer to notice is that the word “temptation” has the same meaning as “tribulation” or “test” or “trial”. In the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, one of the definitions of “temptation”, albeit an archaic one from the 17th century, is this: “A severe or painful trial or experience; an affliction.”
To face tribulation is to be tempted by the Devil into choosing his side. In these last days, especially when the Antichrist begins his reign, the whole world, including Jews and Christians, will face tribulation.
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:21
Today and until the day the LORD, there is tribulation because the Devil and his angels, numbering in the tens of millions, are roaming about seeking whom they may take with them to hell.
But even so, if you are Christian enough – if you know enough of the word of God – then you should be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail…
Isaiah 34:16
This latest news about the Lord’s Prayer means the archbishop of York has succumbed to the temptation of evil.
The spiritual fall of York is meaningful because York in the British isles was where Constantine first transformed the Roman Empire, making it Christian. Back then, England was called Britannia. The transformation of Rome from polytheism to Christianity, “in hoc signo vinces”, was prophesied in Isaiah 53:12.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong [Rome]; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bared the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12
The Roman Empire, which waved a flag that was red, gave rise to the Franks and subsequently Charlemagne. The Latin Bible at the time of Jerome was accurate and faithful. When Rome fell spiritually, Protestantism and the King James Bible came about.
York is so significant historically that Satan thought it necessary to create a New York as the centrepiece of his eighth and final kingdom (ref. Revelation 17:10-11) – Babylon the Great. In New York, there is even a place literally called “Babylon”.
Continuing with the LORD’s prayer, the part that stands out in these last days especially is “Thy kingdom come”, a reference to the coming of the kingdom of God, which is the very gospel of Jesus Christ (ref. Mark 1:15).
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God, an Israel redeemed by God, will transform the world.
Unlike other kingdoms – the ones built by men and others built by angels pretending to be gods – the kingdom of God will go on forever, because God is all powerful. Once here, the kingdom of God will be a “world without end”.
They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go into confusion together that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end… Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Isaiah 45:16-22
References:
1. Harriet Sherwood (8 July 2023), “Lord’s Prayer opening may be problematic, says archbishop”, theguardian.com