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
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