The Ordination of Women: An Essay on the Office of Christian Ministry

Synopsis

Dr. Jewett wrote "My thesis is that the woman, as the man's equal, should share with him in all aspects of the church's life and mission. Specifically, this means that she should have full access to the privileges and responsibilities of the Christian ministry. I review the traditional grounds for excluding women from ordination to this office, beginning with the argument from the nature of woman, proceeding to that of the nature of the ministerial office, and concluding with that of the nature of God himself. This last argument--wherein it is assumed that the masculinity of God entails a male order of ministry--occupies the largest place in the discussion. . . . Having reviewed these several arguments, and having rejected them as resting on an inadequate understanding of biblical revelation, I then raise the question of what should be done in order that the Christian woman may enter into her full inheritance in the church as a minister of Jesus Christ. The suggestions I make bear particularly on matters of graduate education as it has traditionally been offered in the theological seminary. . . . I do not, in this essay, deal in any detailed way with the Pauline injunction to silence imposed upon women in church nor with the limitation placed upon their teaching in the Pastoral Epistles, since these matters are part of the larger question of the hierarchy of the sexes, a question which I discuss elsewhere. I do, however, in several addenda of varying length, touch on certain matters related to the discussion: the difference between the priestly and the prophetic offices; the effort to understand the Holy Spirit as female; the question of deaconesses in the New Testament; and the meaning of motherhood. In the final section (Epilogue) I explore the problem of sexist language, focusing especially on the question of how such language may be changed in the hymnal and the Bible. The suggestions made (often tentative in nature) and the conclusions reached are an effort to advance the problem a little way toward a solution."

Copyright:

1980

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

160 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780802818508

Publisher:

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Date of Addition:

06/17/13

Copyrighted By:

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality, Social Studies

Submitted By:

Barbara Baker

Proofread By:

Barbara Baker

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.