Getting To A Broader And Deeper Understanding of God Through Images
Rev. Erik Swanson
May 10, 2026
Mother’s Day invites us not only to celebrate mothers and women, but also to reflect honestly on the ways our culture. And perhaps especially the church, which still struggles to create truly inclusive and equitable spaces for women.
The Language and Imagery We Use
One of the clearest examples is found in the language and imagery we use for God. Both the Bible and church tradition are filled with male-centered language and structures. In many ways that reflects the patriarchal cultures from which the scriptures emerged, where men were primarily the writers, interpreters, and leaders. While that historical reality helps explain it, it does not mean those are the only faithful ways to understand God.
Feminine and Non-gendered Images
As I look more deeply into scripture, I notice that the Bible actually contains many feminine and gender-neutral images for the Divine that we often overlook. Wisdom in the Hebrew scriptures is personified as Sophia, a woman. Isaiah portrays God like a woman in childbirth. Elsewhere, God is compared to a mother bear fiercely protecting her cubs. There are also many non-gendered images of God: Rock, Light, Fountain, Living Water, Holy Mystery. Yet despite all these rich images, most of us who grew up in the church instinctively picture God as male. Church art, theology, and language have shaped us that way for generations.
Shaping Our Understanding Of God – And WomenI think about visiting churches in Rome and standing in awe beneath the beauty of the Sistine Chapel. The artwork was breathtaking, but almost every image of God I encountered was unmistakably male. Over time, I have realized how deeply that imagery shapes not only our understanding of God, but also the way we value women in society.
God Is Beyond Gender
I am not suggesting that God is female instead of male. Rather, I believe God is beyond gender altogether. God is the Eternal Mystery, far greater than any one image can capture. Human beings naturally use symbols and metaphors to connect with the Divine, but those images are meant to open us up, not limit us. One of humanity’s recurring mistakes is creating God in our own image instead of remembering that we are created in God’s image. Genesis reminds us that both male and female bear the image of God. Any single image of God is incomplete because no image can fully contain the depth and breadth of the Divine.
Listening For The Image Of God In People
I remember hearing a speaker in college who said she tried to listen for the image of God within every person she met. As she listened to different perspectives and experiences, her understanding of God grew wider and richer. That insight has stayed with me. If we truly want a fuller understanding of God, then we need diverse images: African, Asian, Latinx, Indigenous, feminine, masculine, and beyond. Each one helps illuminate another facet of the Divine.
Healing Wounds
Including feminine imagery is especially important because many people carry wounds caused by men or male-dominated systems. For someone harmed by an abusive father, partner, or authority figure, relating to a God presented only as male can feel impossible. Feminine images of God can bring healing, compassion, tenderness, and emotional availability into spiritual life. They help balance centuries of male dominance and challenge the unhealthy tendency of powerful men to see themselves as godlike.
The Justice Dimension
There is also a justice dimension to this conversation. We tend to elevate those we associate most closely with the image of God. Throughout history, women have too often been marginalized, underpaid, excluded from leadership, and denied equal opportunities. Even today, enormous inequalities remain in politics, business, and sports. These disparities reveal that our society still does not fully value women equally.
The Need For Feminine Energy
Beyond justice, I believe the world desperately needs more feminine energy right now: wisdom, compassion, relational strength, nurturing, and emotional intelligence. These qualities are not limited to women alone, but they have often been associated with the feminine and undervalued in a culture dominated by aggression and power.
Opening New Doors of Spiritual Understanding
I want to continue exploring feminine images of the Divine in my own prayer life and spiritual imagination. Doing so opens new dimensions of understanding, healing, and connection. It reminds me that God is bigger than any category we create and closer than our very breath. On this Mother’s Day, I celebrate all women as bearers of the image of God, and I pray that all of us may encounter the Divine who is beyond gender yet holds us with the tenderness of a mother cradling her newborn child.