Ordination of Women

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Ordination of Women
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Why does ordination matter?

• As a symbol?
• For decision-making in the whole church body?
• For the congregation?
• How to best use the gifts of members?
• How to best minister to needs of members?
• For the individual?
• What if someone discerns a calling from God to
  minister?

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What is ordination?

• Community approval of a person as minister
• Usually involves education and a formal ritual
• Sets person apart in the community
• Catholicism priesthood distinct from laity
• Protestants Part of priesthood of all
  believers
• Gives person responsibilities and powers
• Preach, teach
• Counsel, pastoral care
• Can consecrate sacraments

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Some historical precedents

• Unusually spiritual, perhaps marginal forms of
  Christianity
• Quakers, Shakers women can speak with
  inspiration of Holy Spirit
• Congregationalists (1853)
• Holiness and Pentecostal female preachers (late
  19th/early 20th c)
• Early 20th century possible but rare
• Presbyterians (1922 as deacon, 1956 as minister )
• Methodists (1926 as elder, 1956 as minister)
• Second Wave Feminism Possible and more frequent
• Lutherans (1970)
• But note more conservative Lutheran denominations
  do not ordain women
• Reform Judaism (1972)
• Conservative Judaism (1985)
• Episcopal Church (1976) and Church of England
  (1992)

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Historical context

• 1948 Investigating Status of Church Women
• What were women currently doing in
• Local congregations?
• National church boards?
• American society?
• What were main questions confronting church and
  women?
• 1971 Raising the Consciousness of Baptist
  Women
• How did women think of themselves?
• How had men changed?
• Why does the author focus on the uniqueness of
  each individual woman?

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Arguments against Protestant

• Main Biblical verses that restrict womens
  teaching
• 1 Timothy 212
• 1 Corinthians 1434
• Created order God intends for a wife to be
  submissive to her husband males are intended to
  be in authority
• Genesis 316 Ephesians 522
• This does not imply superiority, but
  complementary roles
• Hierarchy is good, b/c it is Gods way of
  maintaining order

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Arguments for Protestant

• Biblical arguments
• Women in NT were deacons, apostles,
  fellow-workers, and house church leaders (see
  Romans 16)
• Therefore passages prohibiting womens teaching
  cant really be that broad
• Jesus included women in his group
• Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles, is
  the first to spread the good news of Jesus
  resurrection
• Created order does not imply submission this
  comes from interpretation of the Fall of Eve
• Cultural arguments
• Bibles teachings reflected culture, were totally
  appropriate at the time, but culture has changed
• Protestant Reformers like Luther and Calvin

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Arguments against Catholic

• Bible alone does not answer the question (1976
  Pontifical Biblical Commission)
• Issue is not teaching authority, but tradition
  and sacramental power
• Cannot represent Christ because she lacks a
  natural resemblance to Christ
• the faithful must be able to recognize the
  sign with ease
• Male priest represents Christ the bridegroom
• Tradition cannot be changed
• Jesus only chose male disciples, even though he
  associated with women and thus could have had
  female disciples
• Church does not have the authority to change the
  doctrine
• Thus calling only men to priesthood

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Arguments for Catholic

• All people can be in persona Christi,
  otherwise, Christ could not be their savior
• Salvation depends upon Christ becoming human,
  just like us what was not assumed was not
  healed
• The Last Supper was not an ordination ceremony
  rather, ministries developed in the early church
• Women did participate in early Christian
  ministries, which give us a fuller view of what
  ministry was about
• Is this a genuinely new moment for the tradition
  of the church?

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Remaining issue diaconate

• Form of Holy Orders in Catholicism
• Three types deacon, priest, bishop
• Includes ministries of preaching, instruction,
  counseling
• Women were deacons in early Christianity (cf.
  Council of Chalcedon, 451)
• Included a ritual
• Ceased ca. 500s
• Diaconate changed, but was restored in 1960s to
  lay men, who can be married
• So, can it be restored to women?