When Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain announced that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was his choice as running mate, I was excited and pleased. The more I read about her, her husband and family, the more I find myself happy with his choice. The decision will be explored in great detail throughout the week before us as the Republican Party has its convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is not, however, my task on this Blog to explore the ins and outs of political campaigns. What I want to look at from the Biblical viewpoint is the question of the ordination of women into the public office of the holy ministry, especially in the light of the strong influence of American culture.
With the nomination of Governor Palin, much is being made of the fact that women suffrage in the USA did not take place until, in August 1919, the 19th Amendment gave women full voters rights. Around the world women won voting rights in New Zealand (1893), Australia (1902), Finland (1906), Norway (1913), the Soviet Union (1917), England & Poland (1918), Sweden (1919), Germany (1919), and Ireland (1922).
After World War II woman-suffrage laws were adopted in many other countries, including France, Italy, India, and Japan. Women now comprise more than half of the U.S. electorate. Among them is my granddaughter, who will be voting for the first time in her life. She is curently beginning her freshman college year at M.I.T. in Boston. As far as public office holders go, Wyoming elected the first U.S. woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, in 1924. Twenty-nine women have been or are currently serving as the governor of a U.S. state.
Women now serve at all levels of government and participate at all levels in the worlds of business, education, science, the law, sports, communications, news, entertainment and the arts. As I said, I'm delighted with these advances by women in public and private offices. Why, then, are there some Christian denominations that do not permit women to occupy the public office of pastor or priest? In the majority of American protestant denominations this question is no longer an issue. Women have served in the local pastorates and various oversight positions for decades.
The largest denomination in the U.S. still forbidding women to the priesthood is, of course, the Roman Catholic. Among Catholics you can find many movements and books by theologians urging the change of this policy. Arguments for the admission of women to the Catholic priesthood include:
1. All baptized women are members of the priesthood of all believers.
2. Since Jesus' mother and other women were present at the first Lord's Supper, they were empowered by Him to perform the Eucharist; thus He empowered them to be priests.
3.There has been a cultural bias against women as being less than men physically, mentally and emotionally. They were also the carriers of sin since Eve first sinned and their monthly menstrual cycles made them unclean.
4. Women were ordained as deacons well into the tenth century.
5. Mary was long believed to be a priest who offered Jesus in the Presentation at the Temple and during His crucifixion. Those following this line of thinking also believe her capable of offering the forgiveness of sins.
6. The wider church (e.g. Anglicans, many Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc.) ordain women to the priesthood. Supported by the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has something to learn from them.
7. The fact that many responsible Catholic women discern in themselves a vocation to the priesthood is a sign of the Holy Spirit we may not ignore.
The denomination that offered me ordination back in 1957 also does not permit women into the public office of the pastoral ministry. I speak, of course of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I do, in fact, support that position and have been discussing it on the website by the same name as this Blog. I am the editor of Reclaiming Our Heritage.
If you would like to read more about my reasons, I invite you to drop in to look at the articles on The Role of Women in the Life of the Church. I will be submitting the fourth in that series in September and a fifth in October. My reasons have to do with the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins we are all offered in the person of the Man Jesus Christ, Son of God. None of the seven reasons noted above apply, especially since they are not drawn from the one authority in the Christian church, namely the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God.
The question of women's equality to men is also, in fact, not the issue in this case. Women and men all share in the image of God. They are all called by the Gospel and in Christ share in His eternal life. If, upon reading my articles, you would like to discuss this matter further, feel free to drop me a note.
Showing posts with label equality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label equality. Show all posts
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Women Are Equal To Men
This afternoon I finished a beautiful, disturbing, even frightening book by a young woman born in Somalia. Her name is Ayan Hirsi Ali and the book is titled Infidel.
In her book Hirsi Ali records her life from the days when she was born into a Muslim Somalian family until the time she became a Dutch citizen and a member of that country's parliament. For years her life was threatened by fundamentalist Muslims, because she dared to expose the cruelty of that religion's teachings and ways in their dealings with women. If you want to read something that will move you deeply, get her book and read it.
She calls her book Infidel, because she has abandoned the Muslim faith, including a belief in Allah and the afterlife. Her life experiences, combined with her university studies and her work as a politician, led her to see the irrationality of such beliefs. She finds them in deep conflict with the morality of western nations, the universal need to respect the rights of women as well as men and the causes of equality and freedom for all. Reflect upon her experiences and views. You will gain a deeper insight into why we are involved in this war against terrorism promoted by fundamentalist Muslim teachings.
Of course, not all Muslims agree with her that women are not spiritually equal to men "in the sight of God." The big word among proponents of that religion is submission to Allah. That is a discussion that could go on and on.
I do not mean to turn my comments on this Blog into some kind of political discussion or into a dispute about the Muslim faith. Instead I ask myself and anyone who reads these words to consider that when we who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ point a finger (at Muslims, for instance), we must also consider that there are also three fingers pointing back at us. We all have a long journey before us before we overcome prejudice against women on all levels of our life.
Yes, in the USA we have a woman Secretary of State. Yes we have women Governors, Senators and Legislators. Yes, women play leadership roles in all the professions. Yes, women are deeply involved and respected in the arts, in religious institutions and in churches. Women are or have been CEO's of Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Sarah Lee, Rite Aid and others. Amazing to some, a woman only recently became the president of Texas A&M. We currently have a woman running for president.
But are women seen as equal to men? Certainly not by all. The glass ceiling still exists in the world of business, for instance.
The 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500 found that in the last three years, average growth in the percentage of corporate officer positions held by women fell dramatically to 0.23 percentage points per year, the lowest yearly gain in the past ten years. Between 2002 and 2005, the total number of women corporate officers increased by a mere 0.7 percentage points to 16.4 percent. the average Fortune 500 company had 21.8 corporate officers in 2005; on average, women held only 3.6 of these positions. Women occupied only 9.4 percent of clout titles (those higher than vice president), up from 7.9 percent in 2002.
Likewise, Bible teachers tend toward generalizations that could and must be challenged at every step. Consider the following list from the Interactive Bible site, stating that the sexes are equal but different in 19 ways. I become very leery of such generalizations. Men and women are different. Who could deny that? Much of what this writer says has some truth in it. Beware, however of generalizations like "Men do not have as strong a desire and need for stability, security and enduring relationships as women do."
What are some of the things that the Bible teaches about women? I'll share a list and then drop this topic to await your comments and observations. Perhaps we can continue the discussion another day.
"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27.
"Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him [read him/her] for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." Isaiah 43:7
"The truth is in Jesus . . . And be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."Ephesians 4:21-24
The Hebrew word for Image is Tselem. The Greek New Testament equivalent is Icon. The reference is not to a physical, outward image, but to the inner person. We who are in Christ, male or female, are being renewed by His Spirit at work in our hearts, changing us day by day into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. The image so distorted by sin, so confused by false teachings and false religions, is being restored within us. Now, at all levels of our existence, we are learning to live, act and love as Christ. It is only in Christ that we can ever learn the meaning of equality.
In her book Hirsi Ali records her life from the days when she was born into a Muslim Somalian family until the time she became a Dutch citizen and a member of that country's parliament. For years her life was threatened by fundamentalist Muslims, because she dared to expose the cruelty of that religion's teachings and ways in their dealings with women. If you want to read something that will move you deeply, get her book and read it.
She calls her book Infidel, because she has abandoned the Muslim faith, including a belief in Allah and the afterlife. Her life experiences, combined with her university studies and her work as a politician, led her to see the irrationality of such beliefs. She finds them in deep conflict with the morality of western nations, the universal need to respect the rights of women as well as men and the causes of equality and freedom for all. Reflect upon her experiences and views. You will gain a deeper insight into why we are involved in this war against terrorism promoted by fundamentalist Muslim teachings.
Of course, not all Muslims agree with her that women are not spiritually equal to men "in the sight of God." The big word among proponents of that religion is submission to Allah. That is a discussion that could go on and on.
I do not mean to turn my comments on this Blog into some kind of political discussion or into a dispute about the Muslim faith. Instead I ask myself and anyone who reads these words to consider that when we who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ point a finger (at Muslims, for instance), we must also consider that there are also three fingers pointing back at us. We all have a long journey before us before we overcome prejudice against women on all levels of our life.
Yes, in the USA we have a woman Secretary of State. Yes we have women Governors, Senators and Legislators. Yes, women play leadership roles in all the professions. Yes, women are deeply involved and respected in the arts, in religious institutions and in churches. Women are or have been CEO's of Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Sarah Lee, Rite Aid and others. Amazing to some, a woman only recently became the president of Texas A&M. We currently have a woman running for president.
But are women seen as equal to men? Certainly not by all. The glass ceiling still exists in the world of business, for instance.
The 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500 found that in the last three years, average growth in the percentage of corporate officer positions held by women fell dramatically to 0.23 percentage points per year, the lowest yearly gain in the past ten years. Between 2002 and 2005, the total number of women corporate officers increased by a mere 0.7 percentage points to 16.4 percent. the average Fortune 500 company had 21.8 corporate officers in 2005; on average, women held only 3.6 of these positions. Women occupied only 9.4 percent of clout titles (those higher than vice president), up from 7.9 percent in 2002.
Likewise, Bible teachers tend toward generalizations that could and must be challenged at every step. Consider the following list from the Interactive Bible site, stating that the sexes are equal but different in 19 ways. I become very leery of such generalizations. Men and women are different. Who could deny that? Much of what this writer says has some truth in it. Beware, however of generalizations like "Men do not have as strong a desire and need for stability, security and enduring relationships as women do."
What are some of the things that the Bible teaches about women? I'll share a list and then drop this topic to await your comments and observations. Perhaps we can continue the discussion another day.
"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27.
"Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him [read him/her] for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." Isaiah 43:7
"The truth is in Jesus . . . And be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."Ephesians 4:21-24
The Hebrew word for Image is Tselem. The Greek New Testament equivalent is Icon. The reference is not to a physical, outward image, but to the inner person. We who are in Christ, male or female, are being renewed by His Spirit at work in our hearts, changing us day by day into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. The image so distorted by sin, so confused by false teachings and false religions, is being restored within us. Now, at all levels of our existence, we are learning to live, act and love as Christ. It is only in Christ that we can ever learn the meaning of equality.
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