The Ordination of Women
STATED OBJECTIVES
This section consists of two parts: Foundational Aspects of this Issue
Foundational Aspects of this Issue
This dialogue is based on the belief that God’s best plan for humans is one way or the other, not either/or; i.e. God’s plan is either for the ordination of women or it is not. It is also based on the conviction that God has provided sufficient information in His Word to enable those seeking it to determine which way is right. The current dialogue is based on a reading of many articles and books that have been written on this topic. One of the main objectives is to discuss these writings in an open forum and to collect further thoughts that are submitted and generated by this forum. The long-range goal in all of this is to collect the best arguments from both sides so that readers can compare them and be able to determine which side is faithful to the expressed will of God as found in His Word. This dialogue is also conducted with the acknowledge- ment in mind that it directly pertains to no less than half the body of Christ. This matter is not restricted in scope to the pulpit. The matter of the ordination of women is inextricably bound up with the question of whether or not there are role distinctions in general between males and females. In a Christian family, are the mother and father essentially interchangeable in their God-given roles (excluding, of course, biological roles), or do they have distinct roles to perform? The traditional position holds that the headship principle is a part of the divine plan for the church. This principle teaches that males have a unique role to perform in the area of leadership or direction-setting in the family. The progressive side often sees this matter as one of treating women as sub-human, as somehow lower in value. It is very clear that the stakes here are high! It is important that this matter receive its due attention so that we can ultimately arrive at a good resolution. This dialogue is being conducted with a commitment to the belief that it is a matter of wisdom, as described in the material written by a committee to the Christian Reformed Synod of 2000. That material is located at: Characterizing the Issue. This issue is a wisdom matter, and is not confessional in nature. Given the need to maintain a proper balance of both truth and Christian unity, this dialogue is being conducted with a commitment to the belief that it is important to arrive at the correct under- standing of whether women should or should not be ordained. Coupled with that, it is being conducted with a firm belief that a Christian should not break fellowship over this issue. (Additional insights on this topic are very much desired. Please email your thoughts to herb@dialogos-studies.com.) The best and healthiest approach all the way around is for some portion of Christ’s body to continue research and discussions of this topic so that the truth will become increasingly apparent to the benefit of all. In summary, there are four foundational aspects to this dialogue. They are: 1) One way is right. Either God’s plan is for women to be ordained or it is not; 2) God’s Word is sufficiently clear for Christians to be able to determine which way is right; 3) This is an important issue, with the stakes being high on both sides. 4) While the issue of women in office is an important matter, it is not confessional in nature, and as a result does not merit breaking fellowship over it. * * * * * * * * * * * * *Future Agenda
Discovering Biblical Equality
The appearance of the book Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy (IVP; 2005; Ronald W.Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, General Editors, Gordon D. Fee Contributing Editor)is a very significant step in the discussions on the ordination of women. It contains articles by the following authors: Ronald W. Pierce Rebecca Merrill Groothuis Gordon D. Fee Ruth A. Tucker Janette Hassey Richard S. Hess Linda L. Belleville Aida Besancon Spencer Craig S. Keener I. Howard Marshall Peter H. Davids Walter L. Liefeld Stanley J. Grenz R. K. McGregor Wright Kevin Giles Roger Nicole William J. Webb Sulia Mason and Karen Mason Joan Burgess Winfrey Judith K. Balswick and Jack O. Balswick Cynthia Neal Kimball Mimi Haddad Alvera Mickelsen Alice P. Matthews This book covers the topics of the correct inter- pretation of Galatians 3, I Timothy 2:11-2, praying and prophesying in the assemblies, the redemptive movement hermeneutic, the concept of being equal in being yet having different roles and a good number of other topics. These are the kinds of articles that are needed to enable the two sides of the issue to continue a dialogue. Without these kinds of discussions there would be no hope for resolving the differences that exist in this area. January, 2007 A copy of the paper with Dr. Fee's material on Galatians 3 reflected was mailed to Dr. Fee in January. April, 2007 A copy of the paper with Dr. Fee's material was mailed to Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and Ronald Pierce. The purpose is so that they will be aware of this dialogue. August, 2007 The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood published a reply to the Discovering Biblical Equality in the form of their journal. This was found in their spring issue of 2005. This material will be compared to compare Dr. Fee's position. Once this comparison is incorporated in the paper copies will be mailed to both authors for their review. September, 2007 and beyond During this time it is hoped that it will be possible to complete a good dialogue with Dr. Fee on his position on Galatians 3. As dialogue is completed emails will be sent to ministers in the CRC with the results so that this material can be considered. Note: The completion dates are approximate. This page will be updated periodically to reflect the progress that has been made.
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