Father Is Not the Same as Parent

(Proverbs 3:12 KJV)  For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

I just finished reading a book called The Shack.  I hear they made a movie from it.  One of the startling aspects of the book is portraying God the Father as a black woman and the Holy Spirit as an Arab woman.  Literary license and shock value can be useful teachers.  There was a point made about having stereotypes about God.  I was good with that.  What I was not good with was the way in which the book feminized the character of God and the way in which He deals with man.

God is referred to as “father” (1) [ab] in the Bible.  Here the word refers to a human father but the behavior is compared to God.  In case you are not aware, there are a few places where God is referred to in the feminine but it does not negate the basic principle.  The world rejects this idea because radical feminists have intimidated and infiltrated education, media and government.  The church is conforming to the world instead of the Bible.  You can see the paraphrases substituting “parent” for “father”.  We need to be open to honest scholarship and hard truths without becoming new age pagans.

So?  God does not march to the drumbeat of the popular culture.  He will not be mocked.