To most people the words father and mother immediately indicate the role of a particular parent. But these words have also acquired unique and interesting nuances of their own. For example, we may say "the professor 'fathered' the idea of interdisciplinary learning." Here we mean that the professor created something, initiated something new, namely putting two or three courses together for a new approach to learning.

In this sense, however, I've never heard anyone say, "the professor 'mothered' the idea of interdisciplinary learning." On the other hand, we just may hear someone say, "Please don't 'mother' me." Here we have the special nuance of protection-even over-protection. And in this regard, I've never heard anyone say, "Please don't 'father' me."

Our natural and human experiences of father and mother are really quite different from each other. This seems not to be so when we use these terms to speak of God, however. While we may call God "Father," we also really think of God as nurturing, loving, and protecting. And if we sometimes do think of God as "Mother," we are not denying the creating, initiating work of God.

Maybe what we have here, to quote a terrible out-of-context phrase, is simply "a failure to communicate." Maybe what takes many words to describe here on earth is said very simply in the realm of the divine-God. The word God is always and at the same time father, mother, creative, nurturing, strong, supple, and gentle. Just God-how absolutely wonderful! One word says it all!

© Harcourt Religion Publishers/BROWN-ROA