Is the American version of the "Father Abraham" song anti-Christian?

Upvote:1

"Father Abraham" is a construct used by Jesus himself, in the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where in Luke 16:24, the rich man uses the term as a form of address for Abraham the Patriarch. I'm not an expert on Aramaic, but I suspect that because of the number of contemporary individuals in the Jewish community at any one time named "Abraham", that "Father Abraham" always refers to the Patriarch, of whom God's promise is recorded in Genesis 17:4, where God makes the covenant with Abram,

Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

Just before renaming Abram to Abraham.

Upvote:3

Paul calls the faithful 'sons of Abraham':

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” [Galatians 3:5-8 NKJV]

and refers to Abraham as 'our father Abraham'

And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. [Romans 4:11-12 NJKV]

Given that, it seems reasonable for Christians to refer to Father Abraham. Note that Paul is not referring to Abraham in any clerical manner, but in reference to being part of God's people. I don't think that any Protestant objection to addressing the clergy as 'Father' is relevant in this case.

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