Open Letter to the Christ Church Congregation Concerning Women’s Ordination
Dear Friends in Christ,
Subsequent to the recent announcement of the upcoming ordination of a woman to the priesthood at Christ Church, I received a variety of thoughtful responses from about 20 men and women of our church family. Some voiced their concerns; others indicated their support. I am deeply appreciative for the comments, and I have read them all. Since the concerns and questions followed a few common themes, it is my hope that this letter will serve to answer those who contacted me, as well as the rest of our church family.
We would all agree that men and women are co-equal and blessed children of God. But any student of the Bible knows that the roles and functions of men and women outlined in the Bible are different. Men and women occupy the exact same positions in the culture. Pilots, doctors, teacher, nurses, contractors, lawyers and every other role or job you can think of is being done by either men or women. The issues of inequality between men and women in our culture are nearly gone.
The Bible, however, holds out a higher vision for male/female roles in two areas of life: the family and the church. Indeed, the Scriptures uphold and affirm the “headship” of a man in the family and in the spiritual life of the Body of Christ.
Both in the family and in the church, headship is not to be domineering or oppressive at all. Headship is to be life giving. See Eph 5:21 for a detailed description of this vision for the family and Christ’s headship over the church. (I addressed this issue at length in a recent seminar entitled “The Biblical Vision for Marriage.” DVDs are available in our bookstore.)
The Bible has this vision of headship for the early church as well: The spiritual head of a church body should be a male. Again, this is not a slight on women at all. But as Paul explains it, this is the order of creation: Christ as head of the man, the man as head for the woman. Paul’s instructions for the early church sometimes include warnings, injunctions, and commands about the roles of men and women. Some of these commands are obviously culturally conditioned. For example, he forbids women to wear jewelry and makeup and to speak (except to their husbands at home.) There are obviously rules that he is enforcing on a different kind of society and within a very different set of circumstances. Wearing jewelry and makeup was (in the time of the New Testament) done by women of loose morals. We would all agree that his injunction would no longer apply in this culture.
Nevertheless, what seems to be constant through the New Testament is a vision of a church as a spiritual family of faith under the headship of a male leader. (See I Cor 14; 1 Timothy 2. ) I must tell you that I have been very sympathetic to this viewpoint. I remain convinced that God intends His church to function in this way.
How then can a woman be ordained in the church? Consider these points:
1) In the Anglican Communion, the concept of “church”, the Body of Christ, is much wider than a local congregation. The critical unit of organization is not the pastor, or the vestry, or the congregation. We are all under the authority and ministry of a bishop in the Church. In our case, the Rt. Rev. Philip Jones is our bishop and his office within the AMiA is the “organizing unit” under whose authority I (we) must abide. In other words, he is the “head” of Christ Church. The Constitution and Canons of the AMiA and its new federation, the ACNA, provide for the office of bishop to be selected from among male priests only. At Christ Church, all clergy, male or female, deacon or priest, are under the headship of a bishop in the AMiA.
2) I cannot ordain anyone. It is not up to me but to the bishops of the AMiA. While the long and strenuous path of discernment, education, testing, prayer, and deliberation is done at the local parish level, that path is set forth by the bishops of the church, not by the local rector. When a woman is ordained in the Anglican Church she is ordained by a bishop of the Anglican Church for the Anglican Church. She is fully under the “headship” of a bishop.
3) The ordination of women to the priesthood is not new. The Anglican Church (of which we are a part) is a worldwide communion. There are 38 Provinces around the globe comprising some 70+ million members. In some places, women are not allowed to be ordained at all. In other places, they can be ordained to the diaconate only. And in many other places, they are ordained to the priesthood. Christ Church is a member of the AMiA and attached to the Province of Rwanda. We are required to follow their rules, canons, and practices. Archbishop Kolini of Rwanda supports the ordination of women and has asked that the missionary outreach of his province (AMiA) provide for the ordination of women.
Finally, allow me to bring up a subject that might be on the minds of some. I have heard this from some in our church. It is usually expressed in terms of a “slippery slope” into the ordination of practicing homosexuals.
Women are regarded in the Bible with increasing favor. By the time the New Testament closes, the role of women is rather exalted. For instance, Jesus appeared first to women. (Did you know that in Luke’s Gospel the first Easter appearance and announcement was given to a woman? Luke 24:1ff) Also, several women within the New Testament church show uncanny and thoughtful leadership. Indeed, the arc of the biblical narrative finds women in increasing favor, liberation, and in important critical roles. Frankly, the same can be said of slaves. By the time the New Testament closes, the seeds are there to call for the equal regard and freedom for all men and women. But the view of the Bible on active homosexuality never changes. The whole biblical story consistently calls upon active homosexual people to repent of their sins.
Therefore, there is no slippery slope at all. These are two very, very different subjects and should be viewed differently.
Finally, I want to say a pastoral word to all of you. The Body of Christ in its local expression (the congregation) and in its wider expression (in our case, the AMiA) is called routinely to strive for unity and grace with each other. Please pray with me that, even though this is an issue on which there is a range of belief, it would be a spiritual growth opportunity for us as a church family.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry
Rector
Amen! A great explanation!
Thanks
tim
I do not know the heart of a women that has felt the “call” to the priesthood, but for me (a female) I am not comfortable with a woman in that role….”the icon of Christ” as we said 15 years ago.
I can accept them into the role of a deacon without a problem. There is plenty of room for ministry beyond measure at that level; so, what makes that final step to the title of “priest” such a force that it can split a church? Sometimes denial of the self-gratification-goals can be the gift that God wants. But, like I said, I do not know the power the this “call”.
As stated above:
“Archbishop Kolini of Rwanda supports the ordination of women and has asked that the missionary outreach of his province (AMiA) provide for the ordination of women.”
I thought after leaving one church (the Episcopal Church) over this issue, I wouldn’t have to face it again…..
Also, comment on that “slippery slope”: Did you hear this week that the Luthren Church, ECLU, I think, is either thinking or has okay’d the ordination of homosexual ministers as long as they are in a committed relationship. That slippery slope has passengers.
Lynn
Thank you, David. Millie
This is a great explanation, Fr. David. It makes sense to me and I am very comfortable with this position.
I work for Texas Instruments, which is a very male-dominated, high-tech engineering company, and women leaders are few and far between. As I’ve gotten to know senior women at TI over the years, I’ve been challenged to think about gender equality and stereotypes in the workplace, and how that compares to gender roles in the family and church. There IS a difference, but I admit that I feel sensitive to topics about a woman doing a man’s job. A huge portion of my week is spent in a work environment where I contribute equally with male leaders, and coach others against gender inequality. [A lot of women leaders at TI have a hard-core feminist bent. Not me.] In recent years I’ve been trying to be an consistent and authentic Christian ANYwhere I am, so I’m not a chameleon.
Thanks for taking to time to elaborate on this topic.
I have been a member of Christ Church for 20+ years and have seen it go through many painful changes and many joyous changes. I have also worked with Susan on the Worship Ministry for about 18 of those years. The issue is not the ordination of Susan, though my thoughts of her are certainly that she is most worthy of the priesthood. The issue is the ordination of any woman to the priesthood and therefore to a position of headship in a church, specifically in the church and the communion to which I belong and therefore support.
Your letter is very informative, but vague regarding the direction that Christ Church, as a part of the AmiA, plans to take on this issue. Having read your article several times, it appears that Christ Church anticipates that the ordination of a woman into the communion will receive the sanction of Archbishop Kolini.
Christ Church has been an important part of my life, and that of my children, for many years. I am grateful and joyous daily that I was brought back to God by attending Christ Church. Serving as chalice bearer and MC in the Worship Ministry is a joy and honor every Sunday that I do it. I am so priviledged to serve God in this way.
I will be sad beyond measure if I have to leave Christ Church because the church and communion I support, and receive so much from, will not allow the ordination of women into the priesthood.
Karen
Dear Father David,
I believe your explanation is excellent,and am thankful that you addressed it in such a logical and biblical way.
Blessings,
Patti Claar
I attended your church when I vested my daughter/son-in-law at Christmas. Coming all the way from Philadelphia, PA, I was very pleased to see a congregation though still in the liberal Episcopal denomination, one that held to a strong, orthodox view of scripture. The sermon I heard was a marvelous testimony to Christ and a call to faith and repentance that I had not heard for years in any other Episcopal church I attended. I intended to come back each trip to Dallas. But now to see this departure from orthodoxy based on a flawed and flagrant denial of the clear teaching of the Bible (as the essay above itself demonstrates) is distressing. It harkens back to a fundemental errornamely that the Episcopal denomination demands conformity to church doctrine even where it is not clear that the doctrine itself is conformable to scripture, the historical Creeds, and church history. (To put it bluntly, if not charitably, it’s pure kowtowing to your betters in the red robes and big hats.)
Your comment, I’m sorry to say, regarding that this ordination as “different” and “ is not a slippery slope” to liberalism has fallen on dead ears. To this lapsed and now presently Presbyterian (but not UPUSA) Episcopalian I’ve seen this movie before and it has a very bad ending!
Hello Fr David,
Thank you for taking time to offer clarification on the subject of ordaining women to the priesthood. I think you have offered considerable proofs from scripture that explain and verify this calling to both men and women. Additionally, as you stated, women did rise to higher levels of responsibility toward the end of the New Testament which should add insite to the cultural changes taking place already in biblical times.
With your permission I would like to forward this article to a friend who is a Christian Counselor, Barbara Brunsworth. She is a member of the LCMS and has formed an organization to create an awareness that more opportunities of ministry should be open to women in the Lutheran Church. I think she would appreciate your views and Scriptural confirmations concerning the roles of women in the church.
Blessings,
Sandra
Hi Father,
Thank you for your thorough explaination. As a twenty-seven year old female, all I have to say is that I expect Rev. Susan to be ordained to the priesthood because Im next! So let’s get them ready now, and get this show on the road!:)
In Him,
Nicole Foster
I believe both men and women can be called to serve. Sometimes women have something to offer which men do not.
This has nothing to do with homosexuality. Not even close.
I would never want a homosexual leading me in the church. I do not hate them; rather I feel sorry for their plight.
Woman have much to offer our church and I would have no problem seeing them ordained. I know my husband, Bud Hopkins, feels the same.
I pray that we can come together on this issue.
Really great, well crafted message.
Pedantic point: On a “slow news day” some day, I’d like to hear your thoughts about the folks who think that that the Timothy epistles were not written by Paul and that 1 Cor 11 is more representative of Paul’s idea of women being heard where he refers to them prophesying, which is that they do of course, but that they shouldn’t do it with their head uncovered. Some even say the language in Ch 14 about women being silent is a later gloss since Ch 14 is really about the dangers to the unity of the body of Christ from the self-absorbtion of those speaking in tongues.
Thanks for the message.
BTW, feel free to ignore the middle paragraph.
Chick
David
What was once a “serious issue” in the Church is now a new progressive step
for Christ Church’s future. From my perspective, women seem to have a greater quatity and deeper faith than men. Therefore, I could easily follow a woman Priest in my stumbling walk with Jesus.
Fred
I’m by far a theologian, nor am I fully up on all of the goings on in the Anglican, or Episcopal, church
But it feels to me like we are trying to explain a direction that is in line with the ”worldly” trends.
Can the ACNA or the AMA make us follow these types of directions? Is this not too close to where/how
the Episcopal started to deviate from strict biblical instruction? Wasn’t that why we left the Episcopal church?
I’m confused.
I do not agree. God is not a CEO but a Creator. I have lost two messages as my computer isn’t stable tonight for some reason so this could be a repeat but a shorter reply. I will not receive communion if a woman is doing the Thanksgiving worship. Meanwhile, I will find another church. Yes, you have to do what the Bishop says but I don’t have to follow. The Bishop of Rowanda is thinking about his personal experiences. There is no doctrine that says a priest has to be of any color but it does mean a priest is a man. You have been so wonderful in having the courage to walk out of a conference, secure our church property and really built up the in
church with the people’s support. It is too bad that you have lost your footing. I am sure you can convince the Bishop that you don’t want this for Christ Church but I think you do and are using the shield of the office of the Bishop.
I concur with your description of headship most fully residing in the office of the bishop. For those judicatories that ordain women to the priesthood there will be other fair and difficult questions that will need to be addressed; does the spiritual headship over a woman priest reside first in her husband, or with the bishop, and should a woman priest be the senior priest in a parish and/or pastor a congregation alone? Additionally, for both men and women priests, must their spouses be active in the Christian (Anglican) faith?
As we begin this new journey in the ACNA there will be many of these difficult yet fair questions to wrestle with, as we attempt to discern what is the will of God for his Church, and how is Holy Scripture to be rightly applied.
+dca
We (my wife, Hessie and I) support the ordination of Susan and other well qualified women to serve as priests. Qur belief lines up with your explaination of the role of women as priests. We believe that Susan will be a wonderful blessing to Christ Church and the wider Anglican Church as well as the catholic church as an ordained priest.
We will be praying for God’s blessing on Susan and her ministry and for you in facilitating this ordination.
Jerry & Hessie Smith
Fr. David,
Very well done and well said. I fear that some will take 1 Timothy to be the line that can’t be crossed in regards to the ordination of women.
Thank you for addressing this issue. It’s definitely a topic not usually addressed head on.
Matt
Thank you for continuing to address the hard topics in your letters to the congregation. Personally, I had no issue with women being ordained, but was curious how to reconcile the debate of women vs homosexuals. Thanks for reminding me of the very simple truth of the bible teachings throughout scripture. I am very sad that we have lost some of our members and could possibly lose more…due to rumblings I’ve heard…but trust, as always, that the Lord will guide and direct those according to His will.
David
As a cridle Episcopalian I have seen many changes in the church. As a youth I was not allowed to be an acolyte because I am a girl- but I didn’t question it. But with the changes that came in 70s the church became more inclusive. In the early 80′s we became friends with one of the first women priests in SW Va. Though I felt she was very feminist in nature, I never questioned her leadership or her heart as a Christian. I may not stand with her politically, but I still know where her heart is. I have experienced many priests in our numerous moves and ministries and we have found that there are good women and men priests and then there are those (men and women)whom we have questioned their callings – ordained just to have a job or profession or to make a political statement. I am traditional, evanglical, “renewal”, and charismatic and am more concerned with the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit than their gender. I understand those who question the biblical basis for women as priests but I agree with your stand about the progress of the New Testiment. Though I know we are no longer part of the Episcopal Church, I feel this was settled in the 70′s and 80′s and is past history. We would be excluding many wonderful role models for our youth and limiting our out reach to the world. The process that each candidate must go through to become ordained is very thorough and I trust that the Lord will raise up those who have a heart for Him. One more thought – I agree with you about the gay issue and that was the issue of this decade and it was time to draw the line. Maybe women should not have originally been ordained (which I don’t agree with) but we can not turn back the hands of time. We need to put aside these issues and move ahead with our mission to the world.
Thank you for your Spirit-filled leadership!! Blessings – Susie
Bottom line: All denominational doctrines and traditions aside, the FIRST ‘evangelist’, was a WOMAN; The first person to see and pronounce the resurrected Jesus.
“Jesus lives” is, in its most basic essence, Christianity and the Gospel.
The pulpit symbolizes the Word of God being preached, which is what men are responsible for doing. I doubt that Paul had in a remote overseer in mind when he wrote 2nd Tim. By suggesting that Rev. Phillip Jones is really the head of Christ Church seems like an escape clause to me. But perhaps is is my bible church background which makes me see things this way, and my unfamiliarity with the Anglican way. And the slippery slope does not begin with something as blatent as homosexuality. It would most likely begin with the incremental erosion of biblical doctrine. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I don’t know how else to put it.
A friend of mine named Justin who is a PhD. student at DTS sent this email to me a few months ago. –Jeremy
Women in the Ministry: Here is a controversial topic that needs to be explored more. It largely centers around two passages both written by Paul (1 Cor 14:34-35; 1 Tim 2:11-14). In the Corinthians and Timothy passages, Paul says that women should be silent in church, it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church, a woman should not have authority over a man or even teach a man. Also in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 the instructions for elders and deacons seem to be exclusively men. Let’s start with women speaking or teaching in church. If you take Paul literally then he is not consistent. Earlier in 1 Corinthians, Paul did allow women to prophesy (speak) in church (1 Cor. 11:5, Acts 2:17), Paul allowed Pirscilla to teach Apollos (Acts 18:26), and appointed Deaconesses (this is debatable) (1 Tim 3:11; Romans 16:1-2). The women that are prophesying in church in 1 Cor 11:5 are clearly speaking and if they are prophesying is not that a form of teaching and would not the men there in church benefit from what they said?! I think the answer to this problem is the fact that the Greek word for “woman” is the same word for “wife.” If we insert “wife” into the Corinthian and Timothy passages it all makes sense. Paul is commanding disobedient and unruly wives in Corinth to stop disrupting the services, but Paul clearly expected women in general to prophesy in church (1 Cor 11:5). Even people who argue that this is not a cultural situation are not consistent because in 1 Tim 2:8 Paul wants all men to lift holy hands and in 2:9 Paul says women should not wear jewelry or braid their hair. Also, Paul says women must have their heads covered and cannot shave there heads (1 Cor. 11:5-6). NOONE says that women must cover their heads today nor do they say that jewerly is forbidden (nor do they even say that women should be silent in church), and if a man is not lifting up holy hands he is not expelled from church. So it is not consistent. If we are going to take Paul literally then let’s take Paul literally.
I believe Paul is speaking to a cultural situation and giving specific commands, but the principles from them are eternal. The principles I take along with other Scriptures is that the Chief or Lead Elder/Rector should always be a man, but that does not mean that women cannot be deacons and priests (just not the Head ones). Interestingly, the spiritual gifts of pastoring and teaching are not Gender exclusive in Ephesians 4:11!
In addition, Deborah led Israel in the OT (Judges 4:1-2), women like Huldah were prophetesses that taught men (2 Kings 22:14-22), Philip the Evangelist had daughters that were prophetesses (Acts 21:9), and Mary Magdalene and Junias were apostles in the NT (John 20:10-18, Romans 16:7) (probably included in the 500 witnesses of Christ by Paul (1 Cor 15:1-8)). This deserves more study because keeping women from something God ordained them to do could be a greater evil then we realize. I do agree that the evidence can be strongly argued either way but if I am going to err, I would rather err on the side of supporting women doing these things than forbidding them. If the Lord rebukes me on that great Day for this then that will be my mistake.
Fr. David:
I am a Lutheran (LCMS), and have followed with great interest Christ Church’s story in recent years, including its departure from The Episcopal Church and your own biography as well as an orthodox priest in that body. I also had the blessing of worshiping at Christ Church a little over one year ago.
Thank you for taking time to shepherd the flock entrusted to your care through this complicated issue. Whatever the outcome, your careful pastoral efforts are to be commended.
You wrote: “Nevertheless, what seems to be constant through the New Testament is a vision of a church as a spiritual family of faith under the headship of a male leader. (See I Cor 14; 1 Timothy 2. ) I must tell you that I have been very sympathetic to this viewpoint. I remain convinced that God intends His church to function in this way.”
You go on to discuss the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the AMIA and basically conclude, “Archbishop Kolini supports the ordination of women, so we should too.”
Respectfully, you have not engaged Sacred Scripture at all in support of that conclusion. From your words above-quoted, it appears that you believe that the pastoral office should only be occupied by qualified men.
Before leading your people to a conclusion of this issue, please do them the courtesy of making a biblical defense, if possible, for ordaining women. Christ Church has a large sphere of influence among Anglicans (and other evangelical catholic Christians) in this country, including over many who are constrained by historic Christian orthodoxy to limit the pastoral office to qualified men.
If our history has taught us anything, we must realize that just because something has been allowed (or required!) by ecclesiastical authority, that does not make it right if it is contrary to the clear teaching of God’s Word.
The peace of Christ be with you all.
Susan,
Thank you so much for being brave enough to take this step, and thanks to Christ Church for supporting her. I am a woman considerng becoming ordained and leading an AMiA church and it is an encouragement to see this issue move along.
Dear Father David,
I joined Christ Church a few years ago much because of your strong biblical stand against the apostasy within the Episcopal Church.
I am stunned that you would impose on Christ Church the ordination of a woman to the priesthood. We must follow the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Why can’t Susan serve beautifully and in her fullest capacity as a deaconess? What a position of honor to serve the Lord as an ordained deaconess!
Willfully ordaining a woman to the priesthood when the Lord has provided other wonderful venues of leadership for women, will be a stumbling block at the very least.
Please reconsider. Please follow the Lord rather than man.
In Christ’s love,
Roxanne Sveiven
My husband and I have been visiting this summer and were thinking about taking the Newcomer’s class next month. Now I’m not so sure.
Maybe it’s my Roman Catholic upbringing or my understanding of Scriptures, but I cannot support the ordination of women to the priesthood. I truly believe that this is one role which is reserved for a man just as fatherhood is for men only.
There are so many other ways that we as women can serve in the church — and it’s not just altar guild or in the choir.
And I don’t necessarily believe in the slippery slope theory regarding the ordination of women and the ordination of those who are sexually active outside of heterosexual marriage. Gender and sexual preference are totally different classifications.
We may go back to visiting churches within the Dio. of Ft. Worth, Anglo-Catholic though they may be . . . .
I feel that if God calls you to be a priest then you must do what He has called you to do. I feel if people do not agree then they must take that up with God. As He called you into the priesthood, so He did with Susan. Is it right to tell God He is wrong calling a woman? Jesus himself elevated the status of women.
I think of the minister at Suncreek Methodist Church. What an impact she had as a minister of God. The church grew as a result of her ministry and example. When she died, men and women were filled with sorrow.
I know we are a different denomination. God calls and we listen and do.
Deborah Kuypers
Father David,
What worries me about this whole conversation is that there appears to be a biblical proscription against ordaining women (1 Tim 2:12) with an explanation of the reasoning dating back to creation itself (1 Tim 2:13-14) making it difficult to read this proscription as something unique to the time it was written. So far, the counterarguments seem to fall into three categories:
1) Tradition – Many churches have ordained women in the past, so it is acceptable to do so now.
2) Cultural – in today’s society, men and women are considered equal, and it is considered discrimination to say that a woman cannot hold a position that a man can hold.
3) Personal feelings and opinions – many people have testified as to how much they feel women, and particularly Susan, would make good priests.
Note that none of these arguments is grounded in scripture. This does not make them invalid, but if we use these non-scriptural arguments to contradict scripture, then we have essentially placed our own thoughts and ideas above the word of God, denying His authority and the authority of scripture itself.
I doubt that anyone actually believes that ordaining a woman priest is the same thing as ordaining a gay bishop, but I am convinced that this kind of denial of the authority of scripture is exactly what led to the ability of The Episcopal Church to ordain a gay bishop. I believe that this is the “slippery slope” that people are referring to when they compare these two obviously dissimilar ideas.
It would be nice to see either a scriptural argument showing that there is actually no proscription against ordaining women to the priesthood, or a scriptural argument showing that this proscription should not apply to our present-day situation. Your reference to women’s roles increasing throughout the Bible is a good start in that direction, but if we are to contradict scripture, I personally would need something a bit more substantial than a biblical trend. As a side note, I find the argument that “headship” resides only with bishops to be merely an argument of semantics, and not at all convincing.
Perhaps the main point of this message is to encourage everyone to keep the discussion of this topic grounded in scripture, and avoid the often persuasive, but necessarily subservient, appeals to tradition, culture, and personal opinions.
Jeremy, great post and very thoughtful. We certainly get all twisted up on the mundane and forget the Greater lesson of Christ. Maybe He wanted us to have this debate to test us. He must be enjoying the discourse, particularly the parts that we get wrong. He’ll answer us later!
John