Women's Ordination...
Here is an essay by Frederica Matthewes-Green expressing an Orthodox perspective on the ordination of women.The words that jumped out of the essay for me were these:
"I don’t mind if Protestant denominations want to ordain women. Many times, this just means allowing them to do things Orthodox women have always done."
I am intrigued by one thing in the conversation that has been taking place in LMC regarding this issue. It seems that we have leaped over a more fundamental theological issue in the conversation. That is, what is the theological significance of ordination? Since the word is not used in the New Testament, what sources are we drawing from to guide our thinking on what the meaning of ordination is? I have heard the pragmatic answers, but I have yet to hear a deeper engagement with Scripture and Tradition.
At the LMC Leadership Assembly, time was spent considering what missional authority might look like. A question for me is this--what is the relationship between missional authority and ordination. I would assume that one could have missional authority without being ordained. What then is the authority that comes with ordination and how is it distinct from missional authority?
Labels: missional church, Orthodoxy
posted by Brian Miller @ 1:20 PM
4 Comments:
At 2:57 PM ,
Chris Landes said...
Two interesting stories about MCUSA's response to the Lancaster Menn. Conference vote are at:
http://www.mennoweekly.org/APRIL/04-02-07/ORDAIN04-02.html?AID=/20070312/NEWS01/703120346
and
http://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/news/jan-march07/03_26_07.htm
At 11:24 AM ,
Ted Gossard said...
Brian, I really wonder about this too. It seems to me our ordination of people amounts to a recognition and blessing of what God's gifting to them and the service they are to do with that gifting. We've added plenty to it which goes beyond the New Testament witness.
Maybe it's just the church taking on the idea of blessing someone in a responsible manner which helps keep the emphasis on the truth that it's about the work of the church in living out the kingdom of God in Jesus.
At 11:25 AM ,
Ted Gossard said...
But I do wonder about what all is involved in this, both written and unwritten. For example one's education, what that education really amounts to, etc. Probably I'm adding too much to the stew here.
At 12:10 AM ,
Anonymous said...
I don't know if Ted will come back to this, but I too have those questions and appreciate his asking them!
dml
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