Summary and analysis of debate regarding women’s ordination
Do you ever get utterly confused and overwhelmed by the amount of arguments back and forth on the issue of women’s ordination? Read this summary and analysis of the debate where each argument is tested against the Scriptures and sound reason.
When talking about pastors and ordination one will sometimes hear ‘the office of the keys’ referred to. This article gives the basic teaching on this important aspect of what it is to be a pastor.
Apostolic succession and women’s ordination
This article touches on a very specific aspect of the discussion of women’s ordination which sometimes arises, namely what the relationship is between Jesus’ male apostles and the pastors of his church.
Is the ordination of women Adiaphoron?
Adiaphoron are practices in the church we are neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible and so fall into the realm of Christian freedom. Sometimes it is claimed the ordination of women falls into this category. Is this the case?
Does it matter that only two passages in the New Testament forbid the ordination of women?
One of the repeated objections to the traditional teaching that women are not to serve as pastors is that only two passages in the New Testament directly forbid this practice. That is true! But does it matter?
Is the Tradition of Ordaining Men Only Based on Temporary, Local Prohibitions?
If the passages prohibiting the ordination of women can be shown to be due to culturally conditioned forces, then it could be argued they do not apply to the whole church. But is this the case?
Biblical teaching – a constant challenge to cultural perspectives
Was the teaching of St Paul’s on the role of women in the church culturally conditioned and therefore inapplicable to us today? Or is Biblical teaching always counter-cultural?
Why I am committed to upholding the current public teaching of the LCA
One pastor’s personal position on what it means for him to hold to the Church’s position on the ordination of men only. This paper was one delivered at the 2006 General Pastor’s Conference.
This paper explores the possibility that in the push for women’s ordination we may unwittingly fall back into an old ‘clericalism’ which sees the church as merely another power structure.
At the last Synod a resolution was brought in support of Women’s Ordination which talked of ‘Scripture and theology’ supporting this view. This article analyses what is behind this phrase.