Women Pastors – Greg Albrecht

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Question:

Do you have a response to address the issue of women ordained as pastors or church leaders? Some denominations permit and others prohibit. Your take?

Response:

Thanks for your question. I believe there are several considerations of this question and they deserve an answer and an opinion:

1. Must any denomination ordain women as pastors and priests? According to the biblical record, no. There is no requirement to ordain women.

    2. Asking from a different direction, there is no explicit biblical requirement that requires a denomination NOT to ordain women. That said, there are New Testament passages that are and can be interpreted in such a way. But given the questions about the meaning of any passage that would prohibit a woman from being ordained, and from other passages which speak to equality of men and women, if a  denomination decides not to ordain women they must admit it is their decision and their interpretation of the Bible … and I believe, admit that alternative interpretations exist. Therefore a denomination and sometimes even a local congregation may choose whether or not to ordain women.   

      3. Should a denomination withhold ordination from a woman? Now, we have a different question. The operative and foundational teaching here appears to be from Paul, in Galatians 3:28, when he says all, male and female, slave and free (we may take that literally and/or economically – no class distinction as it were) and no racial distinctions in Christ – we are all one. This is a universal principle given to us in the New Testament, one that should surely take precedence over other passages that are culturally limited – such as “greet one another with a holy kiss.”

        4. That said, to reason from Galatians 3:28 that all women and men are exactly one, in every way, is to ignore obvious biological differences, which we as Christians believe are created by the Creator, such as giving birth. For example, Peter calls women a “weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7) – not politically correct of course, a statement that on the one hand doesn’t match the woke world feminist ideology, nor on the other hand one that does not endorse men/husbands as “owning” women/wives. But “weaker” seems to have reference to physical strength, which is biologically and intrinsically different in males and females so males and females do have differences, but still, they are equal and one in Christ.  

          5. Paul also writes of women “keeping silent” in church and of elders being husbands of one wife (the sense is “at one time” rather than more than one wife due to death or divorce – however, that passage is also used in denominations to bar any man from ordination if they are divorced). These passages seem to be a mirror of that culture, which was of course male dominated in many ways. They are, in my mind, not equal to a universal passage such as Galatians 3:28. The question remains of our world today – in the Western world at least – about the equality of women.  Why shouldn’t women, as they are capable and free to do today, occupy leadership positions in so many professions, from politics to law to medicine, etc, — also be pastors and priests? 

            6. The reality today is this – at least what follows is my opinion. Catholics and Orthodox and many conservative Protestant churches/denominations are slaves to their tradition. They have every right, by virtue of doing business as a church, to deny women ordination, but it seems to me, by virtue of being Christ-followers, no right to deny women who are caring, superb communicators, trained theologians, pastorally gifted humans from being pastors and priests.

              7. I have long been a student of homiletics – the science and art of preaching and teaching, via homilies and sermons, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have heard and read many superb sermons given by women. Why should denominations within the body of Christ deny those whom they serve the gifts and talents of women? Many women who are lay Christians – members and congregants — prefer to seek personal counseling and advice from a woman, just as they do with a woman physician. It seems to me that since a denomination has a choice to deny women ordination, then if a individual woman, a sister in Christ, wishes to leave that denomination and congregation in favor of a woman pastor, then she too has the choice – both denominations and women are free in Christ. After all, what is good (fair, equal) for the gander is good (fair, equal) for the goose.    

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