Is it appropriate to refer to God as "It"? I have recently read in a book about some debate around the fact that God is considered a masculine figure (He/His) and that we should find gender neutral of expressing the same ideas.

In my native language it is very hard to do this (God is a masculine noun and it is also derived from Domine Deus which also sounds masculine). 

However, English has the advantage of having "it". According to Wordnick, "it" usage guide is also:


  Used of a nonhuman entity; an animate being whose sex is unspecified (..)


It sounds like a good fit, but I am wondering if this is ever appropriate or even offensive. 

Question: Is it appropriate to refer to God as "It"?
In English, the appropriate non-gender pronouns are 'they' and 'them', but this construction is clumsy if people attempt to use it all the time. It simply does not work as a substitute. It does not adequately express person.

Babies are sometimes referred to as 'it' because, I suppose, their personality is not yet apparent. But, no, it is not appropriate in English (and, yes, it is offensive) to call a person 'it'. English just does not work like that.

When a voice was heard from heaven saying :


  This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. [Matthew 17:5 KJV] ουτος εστιν ο υιος μου ο αγαπητος εν ω ευδοκησα αυτου ακουετε


the voice used the masculine gender pronoun, αυτου - 'him'.

I think that should be respected. Throughout the Hebrew and Greek scripture - God's revelation of himself - the masculine pronoun is used.