The Methodist Church of Great Britain released a new woke “Inclusive Language Guide” to police language for its ministers and those who practice the faith.
The guide includes advises Methodists to avoid using “hurtful” gendered terms such as “husband” and “wife.”
The guide shares, “As Christians, we need to have the courage for conversations that can sometimes be difficult, to recognize that we sometimes exclude people, to listen with humility, to repent of any hurtful language and to take care with how we listen and what we say or write, in the Spirit of Christ.”
“There is infinite variety in the way that God’s creation is expressed in human life. This is worth bearing in mind as we speak and write. Terminology such as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ may sound inoffensive but it makes assumptions about a family or personal life that is not the reality for many people.”
“The words ‘parent,’ ‘partner’, and ‘child’ are a good place to start. ‘Carer’ is also a neutral yet understandable way to refer to the primary carer of a child, who may or may not be their parent.”
In sections addressing ‘gender identity,’ the guide claims that “using a person’s chosen pronouns is helpful as it honors their identity.”
“Language such as ‘brothers and sisters,’ while intended to be inclusive and friendly, doesn’t take into account our non-binary friends.”
The Christian Post shares additional guidelines:
The guide goes on to list extensive categories of people with whom Methodists are advised to use “sensitive and inclusive” language when addressing minorities that have been “marginalized and/or demonized by common culture.”
The guide urges steering clear of “ageism” by avoiding terms like “old people,” to embrace “anti-racist language” by encouraging use of “ethnicity” instead of “race,” and to avoid language that negatively emphasizes a person’s immigration status or English skills.
Antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric are also discouraged, and the guidance also encourages Methodists to tread carefully with their terminology when addressing “disabled and neurodiverse people” and those with mental illness.
The guidance also encourages congregations to “share your own pronouns in conversation,” directing them to controversial LGBT activist groups, including Stonewall and GLAAD, and controversial trans-activist Jeffrey Marsh.
Influencer Shumirun Nessa shared a video questioning the appropriateness of Marsh targeting kids and trying to get a private audience with them. She was subsequently doxed and her children were threatened by trans activists.
The woman who exposed Jeffrey Marsh for child grooming is now being doxed and her children are being threatened by trans activists. pic.twitter.com/ycidrpRdhL
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) March 12, 2023
