Reflections on Women's Ordination

Reflections on Women's Ordination PDF Author: Stephen Bohr
Publisher: Secrets Unsealed
ISBN: 0985986808
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
“The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless must take place. . . . The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy” (Ellen G. White Letter 55, Dec. 8, 1886, written from Basel, Switzerland to G. I. Butler and S. N. Haskell). Dear reader, does the prophetic guidance just quoted strike you as being just a tad scary? If you have been paying close attention lately, a movement has been steadily, but stealthily, building over the past several years and is now dangerously close to reaching groundswell proportions in the North American Division and beyond. This movement would accomplish the objective of ordaining women as full-fledged ministers of the Gospel. Are you concerned? Is there anything you could or should do about it? Before you answer, please take the time to read through this little book.

Reflections on Women's Ordination

Reflections on Women's Ordination PDF Author: Stephen Bohr
Publisher: Secrets Unsealed
ISBN: 0985986808
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 46

Get Book

Book Description
“The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless must take place. . . . The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy” (Ellen G. White Letter 55, Dec. 8, 1886, written from Basel, Switzerland to G. I. Butler and S. N. Haskell). Dear reader, does the prophetic guidance just quoted strike you as being just a tad scary? If you have been paying close attention lately, a movement has been steadily, but stealthily, building over the past several years and is now dangerously close to reaching groundswell proportions in the North American Division and beyond. This movement would accomplish the objective of ordaining women as full-fledged ministers of the Gospel. Are you concerned? Is there anything you could or should do about it? Before you answer, please take the time to read through this little book.

Icons of Christ

Icons of Christ PDF Author: Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics William G Witt
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781481313186
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
The pastoral office is one of the most critical in Christianity. Historically, however, Christians have not been able to agree on the precise nature and limits of that office. A specific area of contention has been the role of women in pastoral leadership. In recent decades, three broad types of arguments have been raised against women's ordination: nontheological (primarily cultural or political), Protestant, and Catholic. Reflecting their divergent understandings of the purpose of ordination, Protestant opponents of women's ordination tend to focus on issues of pastoral authority, while Catholic opponents highlight sacramental integrity. These positions are new developments and new theological stances, and thus no one in the current discussion can claim to be defending the church's historic position. Icons of Christ addresses these voices of opposition, making a biblical and theological case for the ordination of women to the ministerial office of Word and Sacrament. William Witt argues that not only those in favor of, but also those opposed to, women's ordination should embrace new theological positions in response to cultural changes of the modern era. Witt mounts a positive ecumenical argument for the ordination of women that touches on issues such as theological hermeneutics, relationships between men and women, Christology and discipleship, and the role of ordained clergy in leading the church in worship, among others. Uniquely, Icons of Christ treats both Protestant and Catholic theological concerns at length, undertaking a robust engagement with biblical exegesis and biblical, historical, systematic, and liturgical theology. The book's theological approach is critically orthodox, evangelical, and catholic. Witt offers the church an ecumenical vision of ordination to the presbyterate as an office of Word and Sacrament that justifiably is open to both men and women. Most critically Witt reminds us that, as all people are image-bearers of the divine, so men and women both are called to serve as icons of Christ in service of the gospel. --Alan G. Padgett, Professor of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary

Ordaining Women

Ordaining Women PDF Author: B. T. Roberts
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498208622
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 151

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Book Description
B. T. Roberts saw the exclusion of women from ordination as analogous to racism. His ability to see the new community made possible by Christ offers Christians today a prophetic vision of the difference Christ makes. Roberts's 1891 Ordaining Women takes seriously the scriptural promise that Christ has unmasked the false distinctions and repaired the damaged social arrangements of this world. Like the abolition of slavery, the ordination of women becomes yet another obvious sign of the world made new in Christ. With careful attention to biblical interpretation, church tradition, and empirical evidence, Roberts exposes the biases that have long held captive the Christian imagination. In this new edition, Benjamin Wayman offers an updated and fully annotated version of Roberts's original work and demonstrates the breadth and depth of his analysis. Roberts's vision of the gospel challenges the traditional and still-dominant view of the global church, and invites Christians to reimagine the inclusion of women in ordained ministry. If Christians had for so long been wrong about race, might we today be wrong about gender?

The Catholic Priesthood and Women

The Catholic Priesthood and Women PDF Author: Sara Butler
Publisher: LiturgyTrainingPublications
ISBN: 9781595250162
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description


Feminism and Tradition

Feminism and Tradition PDF Author: Lawrence R. Farley
Publisher: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
ISBN: 9780881413823
Category : Feminism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


Pastor

Pastor PDF Author: William H. Willimon
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1426723466
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 553

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Book Description
Ordained ministry, says Willimon, is a gift of God to the church--but that doesn't mean that it is easy. Always a difficult vocation, changes in society and the church in recent years have made the ordained life all the more complex and challenging. Is the pastor primarily a preacher, a professional caregiver, an administrator? Given the call of all Christians to be ministers to the world, what is the distinctive ministry of the ordained? When does one's ministry take on the character of prophet, and when does it become that of priest? What are the special ethical obligations and disciplines of the ordained? In this book, Willimon explores these and other central questions about the vocation of ordained ministry. He begins with a discussion of who pastors are, asking about the theological underpinnings of ordained ministry, and then moves on to what pastors do, looking at the distinctive roles the pastor must fulfill. The book also draws on great teachers of the Christian tradition to demonstrate that, while much about Christian ministry has changed, its core concerns--preaching the word, the care of souls, the sacramental life of congregations--remains the same. Ordained ministry is a vocation to which we are called, not a profession that we choose. To answer that call is to open oneself to heartache and sometimes hardship; yet, given the one who calls, it is to make oneself available to deep and profound joy as well.

Lady Father

Lady Father PDF Author: Susan Bowman
Publisher: Lady Father
ISBN: 1608300560
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
"Lady Father" is a narrative account of my journey through the ordination process in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia of the 1980's and the subsequent years of ordained ministry. As the first female admitted to the ordination process by the Rt. Rev. C. Charles Vach , 7th Bishop of Southern Virginia, who was then a strong and vocal opponent of the ordination of women, I was a "reluctant pioneer." Dubbed "the Lady Father," I have served the church for 25 years and I am now offering my experiences and the insights I learned from them to others who feel a similar call and who may find themselves on a similar journey "against the flow." "Lady Father" is filled with anecdotes that will ring true with many clergy, bring hope to those aspiring to ordination, and shed light on the continuing debate in the Church over who should be ordained. "The Process" described in the book is a journey most clergy have traveled, but my story is a unique blend of the obstacles, denials, and rejections I faced and overcame, along with the uplifting moments and spiritual growth that came out of the struggle. It is truthful and so, at times, it is painful; it is often light-hearted, even humorous; it is moving as it deals with real people, real events, and real emotions; and, most of all, it is mine - my story, my journey, my life.

Women and Ordination in the Orthodox Church

Women and Ordination in the Orthodox Church PDF Author: Gabrielle Thomas
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1532695802
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Contributing Authors: Fr. John Behr Dr Spyridoula Athanasopoulou-Kypriou Dr. Dionysios Skliris Fr. Andrew Louth Dr Mary Cunningham Met Kallistos Ware Rev Dr Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Dr Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald Dr Carrie Frederick Frost Dr Paul Ladouceur Luis Josue Sales This book--a collaborative, international initiative, involving academic theologians and practitioners--invites the reader into a conversation about the ordination of women in the Orthodox Church. It explores questions relating to the significance of being human, Eve's curse, sexed bodies, the place of Mary, the nature of priesthood, the role of the deacon, and the task of being a priest in the twenty-first century. The reflections move across three main areas of discussion: issues of theological anthropology, particular questions pertaining to the priesthood and the diaconate, and contemporary practices. In each area the implications for ordaining women in the Orthodox Church today are explored.

She Preached the Word

She Preached the Word PDF Author: Benjamin R. Knoll
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190882379
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
She Preached the Word is a landmark study of women's ordination in contemporary American congregations. In this groundbreaking work, Benjamin R. Knoll and Cammie Jo Bolin draw upon a novel collection of survey data and personal narrative interviews to answer several important questions, including: Who supports women's ordination in their congregations? What are the most common reasons for and against women's ordination? What effect do female clergy have on young women and girls, particularly in terms of their psychological, economic, and religious empowerment later in life? How do women clergy affect levels of congregational attendance and engagement among members? What explains the persistent gender gap in America's clergy? Knoll and Bolin find that female clergy do indeed matter, but not always in the ways that might be expected. They show, for example, that while female clergy have important effects on women in the pews, they have stronger effects on theological and political liberals. Throughout this book, Knoll and Bolin discuss how the persistent gender gap in the wider economic, social, and political spheres will likely continue so long as women are underrepresented in America's pulpits. Accessible to scholars and general readers alike, She Preached the Word is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of the intersection of gender, religion, and politics in contemporary American society.

Beyond Sex Roles

Beyond Sex Roles PDF Author: Gilbert Bilezikian
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 0801031532
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
This first-rate biblical and theological study offers an accessible examination of the key texts of Scripture pertinent to understanding female roles, affirming full equality of the sexes in family and church. The third edition has been revised throughout. Gilbert Bilezikian avoids using scholarly jargon and complex argumentation in the main text of the book to encourage readers to interact with the biblical research. The aim is for nonspecialized readers to be able to follow his discussion step-by-step, evaluate arguments, consider alternative views, and arrive at independent conclusions. The study guide format of the book is designed for either individual investigation or group work. Pastors, church leaders, students, and those interested in issues relating to gender and church life will value this classic work on the egalitarian viewpoint.