Are We Confused About Ordination

2001

In the recent years there has been much debate in both Orthodox and Catholic circles concerning the nature and role of the deaconess. First, was the deaconess “ordained”? And second, can such an ordination be thought of in modern terms of ordination? Unfortunately, on such a contentious topic as this the debate has been muddled by preconceptions concerning what an ordination is and what it means. Therefore, the interpretation of the primary texts has suffered under these preconceptions, leading to confusion on all sides. By sorting through these issues I hope to clarify the position of Orthodox canon law and practice on the ordination of deaconesses. This clarity will enable a more productive understanding of what the roles and functions of deaconesses would be if the office was reactivated today

Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

The question of whether worthy women could be or ought to be ordained to the LDS priesthood has not, until recently, been considered seriously in the LDS community. As recently as 1979, Leonard Arrington and Davis Bitton wrote, "There are no great pressures from Latter-day Saints for priesthood for women, despite similar demands in other contemporary faiths."1 Normal LDS treatments of the question really did not address the issue head on, but rather argued for general subordination of women on various grounds, not the least of which was the Church's policy of excluding women from priesthood ordination itself.2 A major reason for this is that recent questions about priesthood ordination for women were first publicly formulated in non-LDS Christian communities, particularly the Anglican/Episcopal tradition, and more recently, in Roman Catholicism.3 To some Mormons this tainted the question with somehow being "of the world. " In addition, the unique sociological and theological dynamics of priesthood in Mormonism require that the question be phrased in somewhat different terms than it has been in Anglicanism or Roman Catholicism.4 Whereas these traditions distinguish between a common priesthood possessed by all Christians by virtue of their baptism and an ordained or hierarchial priesthood,5 normally called the priestly ministry, the LDS priesthood is considerably "laicized," and ordination is not restricted to a trained and specialized elite class of ministers.6 Consequently, the discussion, started in the context of a non-LDS theology of priesthood and church, has not been picked up quickly by Latter-day Saints. And yet, significantly, Anthony A. Hutchinson has an M.A. in classics from Brigham Young University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in biblical studies at the Catholic University of America. His dissertation discusses the linguistic phenomena of the Gospel of John as they relate to the gospel's literary origins.

Ordaining women as ministers, preachers, elders and leaders in ecclesial communities has been one issue fraught with controversies over the years. It has resulted in crisis and schisms among many church traditions. Quite a number of church traditions have embraced the practice of women ordination while so many others have rejected it. The Southern Baptist Convention which is the largest Baptist convention belongs to the latter group. At the heart of this debate is the issue of interpretation of some Pauline texts which suggest the prohibition of women in church leadership. This paper evaluates the anti-women ordination’s stance of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and how they have interpreted these Pauline’s text to arrive at their conclusions. The paper argues that SBC is wrong in their interpretations and positions on the ordination of women as well as women’s role in church leadership.

The Thomist: A Speculative Quarterly Review, 1997

2018

From the 19 th and early 20 th century, a worldwide movement began that would challenge and uproot everything that man had previously thought. That movement is now known as firstwave feminism, and since then, we have had two more waves with the fourth wave being driven by new social media platforms. 1 This global trend has influenced every aspect of our lives and has entirely redefined the socio-political landscape. This process has even infiltrated various religious organizations, and overturned the laws that had been held for millenniums. And today, it is knocking on our doors. Why does the Orthodox Church not ordain women? What do we have against women anyway? This is the question that I wish to expound on in this paper. Alexander Rentel points out that the first steps in dealing with canonical problems is to examine the appropriate canons within their historical context, aiming to understand how they were historically applied, and then constructing their application for the modern context. 2 Furthermore, in light of Rentel's suggestion, the corpus canonum of the Church is understood "as the written law and the civil law and liturgical practice as authentic exemplars of practice and custom." 3 And that true comprehension can only be gained when examined through the entire life of the Church with Christ as both its beginning and its end. 4 For these reasons, I have chosen to analyze the Apostolic Constitutions, the canons of the Councils, Justinian's Novels, and the Barberini Euchologion. The goal will be to draw out insights and perspectives that the early Church had towards ordination in general, and the ordination of women in particular. I will then follow up with some contemporary discussions surrounding this topic with an effort to gauge the general sentiment in the Orthodox community regarding the ordination of women.

7.1 Argument of Ephesians 7.2 Origin of Ephesians 7.3 First readers of the Letter to the Ephesians and their world 7.4 Relevant exegesis of Ephesians 5:21-33 7.4.1 General principle for all relations with authorities (5:21) 7.4.2 Overall thought structure of the pericope 7.4.3 Injunction to wives not to be interpreted in isolation 7.4.4 Exclusive injunctions to husbands and wives? 7 .4.5 No injunction that husbands should rule their wives 7.4.6 The marital relationship as an image of our relationship with the Lord 7.5 Conclusion 7.6 Application to gender in ordained ministries 8. Exegesis and hermeneusis of 1 Peter 3:1-7 8.1 Argument of 1 Peter 8.2 Origin of the letter 8.3 First readers of 1 Peter and their world 8.4 Relevant exegesis of the pericope 3:1-7 8.4.1 Wives' response to injustice in marriage 8.4.2 Social position of women 8.4.3 Unilateral submission? 8.4.4 Co-heirs to life 8.4.5 Place of outward adornment 8.4.6 Example of Sarah's relationship with Abraham 8.4.7 Marital problems cut off religious life 8.5 Conclusion 8.6 Application to gender in ordained ministries 9. Exegesis and hermeneusis of Galatians 3:26-29 9.1 Aim of Gala tians 9.2 Argument of Galatians 9.3 Origin of Galatians 9.4 First readers of the Letter to the Galatians and their world 9.4.1 Social role expectations of women 9.4.2 Why the specific contrasts of Jew/Greek, slave/free person and man/woman? 9.5 Relevant exegesis of Galatians 3:26-29 9.5.1 Hermeneutic options for interpreting the three distinctions 9.5.1.1 Paul refutes the superiority of Jewish prayers? 9.5.1.2 Use of a fixed baptismal formula? 9.5.1.3 Distinctions in the covenant with Abraham? 9.5 .2 The accent on "all" 9.6 Conclusion 9.7 Application to gender in ordained ministries 10. Exegesis and hermeneusis of 1 Corinthians 11 :2-16 10.1 Argument of 1 Corinthians 10.2 Origin of 1 Corinthians 10.3 First readers of 1 Corinthians and their world 10.4 Relevant exegesis of 1 Corinthians 11 :2-16 10.4.1 Basic principles and practical application 10.4.2 Headship in 1 Corinthians 11 10.4.2.1 Use of K&q>aAri in Paul's letters 10.4.2.2 Basic principles featuring in the pericope 10.4.3 Interpretation of every man and every woman in 11 :3-5 10.4.4 Examples of ~ouoia 10.4.5 "Because of the angels" 10.4.6 Women prophesying 10.5 Conclusion 10.6 Application to gender in ordained ministries 11. Exegesis and hermeneusis of 1Corinthians14:26-40 11 .1 Argument of 1 Corinthians 11.2 Origin of 1 Corinthians 11 .3 First readers of 1 Corinthians and their world 11 .4 Relevant exegesis of 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 11.4.1 First hermeneutic option: women not in ordained ministries 11.4.1.1 Interpretation A: not praying or prophesying during services of worship 11.4.1.2 Interpretation B: not to evaluate prophecies

The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me. (Luke 10:16) The question of whether women should be ordained into the office of the holy ministry is a question that seems to be plaguing churches throughout the world. Where women have been ordained, churches have been split over the matter, not to mention a certain change in the whole character of those church bodies as a result. Why is this? Why is this an issue, and what's at stake?

Review of Religious Research, 2019

What do U.S. Catholics think about women in the renewed diaconate? The Catholic Church's recovery of the concept of “synodality” encourages an answer to the question. This article examines the possible cultural acceptance of women deacons and the consequent organizational factors and concerns surrounding its implementation. It reviews three studies: a professional study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) of the attitudes of Catholic women in the United States (commissioned by America Media); an unscientific online poll conducted by the magazine U.S. Catholic; and a second CARA study of the attitudes of the leaders of men's and women's religious institutes and orders in the United States. The examination concludes with a discussion on the diaconal tasks women already perform in the Catholic Church and the manner in which the restoration of women to the ordained office of deacon could occur in this global institution.