The World Needs Women Priests

All4Christ

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So this is a classic example of where positions on women’s ministry / ordination varies even across the groups that do not believe in women ordination to the priesthood and often the diaconate (or different version of the diaconate). While our church does not ordain women, I definitely do not agree with @Sammy-San ’s position. I think most of the traditional /a older / ancient churches who do not ordain women would not agree with that reasoning either.
 
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Why... don't I feel the need for feminine nouns for women in ministry? For all the reasons we've discussed. It tends to be used to diminish, dismiss and insult. It draws undue attention to gender.

And there's absolutely nothing wrong with seeing nouns like "priest" or "minister" or "pastor" as gender-neutral, just like "doctor" or "judge" or - dare we hope? - "president."

I agree. No-one uses the word actress anymore for example. We're all actors now, quite properly!
 
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Christian women shouldnt write things that are authorative. Youth groups function as a disclaimer similar to a supplement person can say people report to us good results.

Should men write things that make no coherent sense whatsoever as wirh your second sentence?
 
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Yes, it did exist in antiquity, and we know this.

What wasn't part of it is use of the word clergy which we use now when explaining this matter. People often jump at that whenever our discussion turns this way, but that's not the actual issue.


Well, again it's terms. But we know for a fact the very different responsibilities, functions, and standing of deacons as opposed to those of deaconesses.

The latter were actually more necessary in antiquity than they are today, and as for the (male) deacons, their duties were far more than most churchmen and women today imagine.

In other words, the difference between the two, deacon and deaconess, was much clearer than it is today in churches which have deacons of both sexes and they do basically the same work.

Under today's set-up, it is no wonder that the average person thinks that the only difference IS gender. Not surprisingly, that tends to make people think that not having women deacons is nothing more than prejudice in action.

But the Bible specifically identifies Phoebe as a Deacon.

And then there's this. You and I go round and round on this topic, but why is the Anglican Communion the only Catholic communion of significance that does not see history and Scripture supporting the ordination of women??

The Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Oriental Orthodox churches, and the only Old Catholic church body of significance, the Polish National Catholic Church ALL consider that practice to be in error.

How is it that none of these venerable religious bodies with all their scholarship is persuaded by the same few points made by just about every advocate of women's ordination, whether here on CF or in the churches?

Perhaps the Anglican Communion is the only body in the Catholic Communion whose gotten it right thus far.
 
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Christian women shouldnt write things that are authorative. Youth groups function as a disclaimer similar to a supplement person can say people report to us good results.

Saying "Christian women shouldnt [sic] write things that are authorative [sic]" is nonsense (as well as careless English). Christian women can and should write and/or speak whatever they are led to do by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that is given to all regardless of their gender.

There is neither male nor female in Christ Jesus! The Bible says that, I believe it (and so should you and everyone else), and that settles it.
 
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Strong in Him

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Christian women shouldnt write things that are authorative.

In your opinion.
I assume you refuse to sing hymns, books and poems written by women then? Shouldn't you also stop reading posts on this forum written by women?
There has never been any problem over the centuries with women writing things - Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Hilda of Whitby (who trained bishops).
Some people think that Priscilla wrote the book of Hebrews.
 
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While our church does not ordain women, I definitely do not agree with @Sammy-San ’s position. I think most of the traditional /a older / ancient churches who do not ordain women would not agree with that reasoning either.

The Catholic church doesn't ordain women, but googling "female saints" led me to a Catholic website which listed hundreds of them. Many of those seemed to have been authors.
 
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Would you argue for a ballot of all believers to decide every Christian doctrine, then?

If not, what makes the difference?

No, I wouldn't want to see that. It's a good question, what makes this issue different. I think it's two-fold. Firstly and most importantly, opinion seems to be divided on all levels: clergy, scholars and laity. Secondly, sexual discrimination is now illegal in many countries and is taken for granted as something that's naturally fair. So people who don't go to church can't understand why it's such an issue in the church and it is, I believe, a big stumbling block for them. I'm not saying, and don't believe, that the church should always follow secular society but on an issue like this, where church opinion is so divided with no end in sight of an agreement and where the principle at stake, equality, is self-evidently a good one, as with slavery and I do equate the two on many levels, I would welcome anything that will make the church fairer and more relevant to most people.
 
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No, I wouldn't want to see that. It's a good question, what makes this issue different. I think it's two-fold. Firstly and most importantly, opinion seems to be divided on all levels: clergy, scholars and laity.
Well, there are plenty of other doctrines about which the same thing could be said, you know.

Secondly, sexual discrimination is now illegal in many countries and is taken for granted as something that's naturally fair. So people who don't go to church can't understand why it's such an issue in the church and it is, I believe, a big stumbling block for them.
So....the church should adjust its beliefs to agree with what the world, secular society, likes at this particular moment? And worse, do it mainly in order to assist with recruiting?

I'm not saying, and don't believe, that the church should always follow secular society but on an issue like this, where church opinion is so divided with no end in sight of an agreement and where the principle at stake, equality, is self-evidently a good one,
as with slavery and I do equate the two on many levels, I would welcome anything that will make the church fairer and more relevant to most people.
There are, lest there is any doubt of it, many denominations that fit the description you just laid before us, so for people who are not particularly concerned about Scripture or Tradition or any of that stuff, there should be no problem.

But then...

they are not necessarily content with belonging to a church that fits their beliefs. It's not uncommon for some among them to then begin explaining how unjust it is that we do not conform our beliefs to theirs as well!
 
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Sammy-San

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In your opinion.
I assume you refuse to sing hymns, books and poems written by women then? Shouldn't you also stop reading posts on this forum written by women?
There has never been any problem over the centuries with women writing things - Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Hilda of Whitby (who trained bishops).
Some people think that Priscilla wrote the book of Hebrews.

No women wrote the Bible because women tempted Adam to sin.
 
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Strong in Him

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No women wrote the Bible because women tempted Adam to sin.

What's that got to do with it?

Adam heard God's word for himself and knew perfectly well what God had forbidden him to do.
Eve was created after Adam was given the command by God. She was tempted to eat the fruit - Adam deliberately disobeyed.
Following your logic, we shouldn't read anything written by men either. Who wants to be taught by someone who knows what God wants, and deliberately disobeys?

What would you do if you discovered that a woman HAD written a book of the Bible?
 
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What would you do if you discovered that a woman HAD written a book of the Bible?

That's funny, worthy of a film! I look forward to the response. Should be even funnier.
 
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No women wrote the Bible because women tempted Adam to sin.

Your post makes no sense. So no women wrote the Bible; so what? No women crucified Christ!

"No women wrote the Bible because women tempted Adam to sin" is totally meaningless!

Eve offered Adam a bite of the fruit and => HE <= made the decision to eat it. Genesis 3:6, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. He could have refused but he didn't so he voluntarily ate the fruit. It's time to stop blaming Eve for Adam's decision! It's ridiculous to call that temptation!

Let's look at this carefully: Eve thought "the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom". There is no evil there; she made a mistake. When Adam was offered the fruit he could have refused but he didn't; he made the same mistake as Eve of his own volition!

It's Western sexist nonsense to try to spin this story differently than what Scripture says.
 
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Christian women shouldnt write things that are authorative.

While I disagree with the premise, I'd also argue that blogs aren't really "authoritative."

No women wrote the Bible because women tempted Adam to sin.

Actually, we have bits of Scripture we know to have come from women. The parts of Proverbs that king Lemuel's mother taught him, for example.

All humans have sinned, yet in spite of that, God inspired some to write Scripture. There's no particular reason why those people should only have been men.
 
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There are, lest there is any doubt of it, many denominations that fit the description you just laid before us, so for people who are not particularly concerned about Scripture or Tradition or any of that stuff, there should be no problem.

I am concerned about Scripture, but not so much concerned about tradition and not concerned at all if it's spelt with a capital "T". But I'm saying that scripture isn't clear on this issue so what's the way forward if not a vote on the issue every generation (or until women's ordination is voted for - once that happens it can't be undone because it obviously wouldn't be right to remove existing women priests).
 
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I am concerned about Scripture, but not so much concerned about tradition and not concerned at all if it's spelt with a capital "T". But I'm saying that scripture isn't clear on this issue...
Actually, it couldn't be much clearer. We could run through all that evidence once more, but in these debates--as with those that have taken place in church conventions--it never makes any difference.
 
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Actually, it couldn't be much clearer. We could run through all that evidence once more, but in these debates--as with those that have taken place in church conventions--it never makes any difference.

That's because it isn't clear.
And that what God IS doing today - and has been for a while - is calling women to ordination.

Unless you are seriously suggesting that all those who testify to this are disobedient/deluded, and all the men who have recognised the call, and trained and ordained the women are gullible or too ignorant to read the "clear" teaching in Scripture.
 
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Paul was perfectly capable of writing the words "this is a command from God and is for all time; omen must never be leaders, ever", and repeating it in all his letters. Jesus could easily have taught this. THAT would be clear teaching. Yet neither of them said this.
 
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