“Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?” (Proverbs 8:1)

Grace and peace to all.

I reclaim the long-silenced Sophia language of our ancient biblical and theological tradition.

I believe in God-Sophia, Woman Wisdom present at the dawning of creation (Prov. 8), who fashioned us in the image of the divine as women and men.

I believe in Jesus-Sophia, wisdom incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth (Matt. 11:18, Lk. 7:35, Lk. 11:49, I Cor. 1:21-31), who liberates to live in love and justice.

I believe in Spirit-Sophia, God’s interpretive wisdom, indwelling, sustaining, and enlivening us for community and relationship (I Cor. 2:1-13).

Being convinced that Christ-Sophia is “making all things new” (Rev. 21:5), I call the church to let go of patriarchy and to work toward the elimination of the attendant evils that it brings: poverty, hunger, oppression, exploitation, domination, and violence.

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

In the spirit of Christ-Sophia, I call the church to a new reformation, to practice equality of all people, to reject dominating power, and to affirm equal opportunity for the expression of diverse gifts within the discipleship community of equals.

I call the church to acknowledge that standardizing any one world view in the interpretation of Scripture distorts the gospel and does violence to women and men.

I call the church to acknowledge and confess that for too long the female imagery for God in Scripture has been suppressed and marginalized in favor of male imagery which serves to legitimate patriarchy.

I call the church to confess that it participates in idolatry when it adheres to exclusively male images of God.

“So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another.” (Romans 12:5)

We call the church to acknowledge and confess the fragmentation and pain caused when only a few people hold power and exercise gifts.

I call the church to depend on the diverse gifts of all Sophia’s children, to seek and to be a non-hierarchical, egalitarian community of equals.

I call the church to provide education and models for living toward and equitable sharing of the world’s economic and natural resources now and for generations to come.

I call the church to condemn all violence against women including rape, harassment, mutilation, domestic assault, economic injustice, and physical and psychological torture.

I call the church to demand an end to the abuse of women’s spirit through demonizing, stereotyping, victimizing, and scapegoating.

I call the church to advocate vigorously for an end to violence as a method of resolving conflict between individuals families, groups, and nations.

 May Sophia bless and give wisdom and voices to all.