To Whom Do We Confess Our Sins? A Feminist Liturgical Critique of the Scottish Episcopal Church’s 1982 Confession

Abstract

Feminist theologians have been making arguments for moving away from strictly male-gendered terms for God for decades, yet many churches continue to refer to God as ‘Father’ and ‘Lord’ in their weekly liturgies. This article will explore the place of ‘Father’ in the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Confession as found in the 1982 Liturgy. The 2022 General Synod authorised revisions to the 1982 Liturgy, which include the removal of ‘Father’ from two of the post-Communion prayers offered. However, the Confession remains unchanged. Considering the historical foundations and the nature of language about God, this article will use feminist theological arguments to suggest changes that should be made to the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Confession. The article concludes with suggestions for alternate approaches to writing a contemporary version of the prayer for the Scottish Episcopal Church.