In 1988, the Council for Biblic¬al Manhood and Womanhood published the Danvers Statement, affirming that "In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men." I am hesitant to single out one organization for focused argument, but this statement accurately represents a sentiment within the faith that I find disturbing. In this paper, I will use the redemptive trend hermeneutic to deconstruct the CBMW's affirmation, while providing my own views on why I find both women in ministry and the redemptive trend hermeneutic as valid.
The redemptive trend hermeneutic is a strategy for making sense of our 2000+ year old collection of texts we call the Bible. Keeping in mind the fallenness of humanity from the creator's ideal, the reader sees scripture as containing situations and imperatives which, when the text was written (and perhaps even today!), drew the creation closer to what it was always meant to be. The Bible, therefore, as the holy documents of the Church (the redemptive institution), and it's predecessor Israel (the redemptive nation), guides the reader into coordination with the ultimate trajectory of God's people - throughout all places, throughout all time.
Forgive the pun, but my mental image for understanding the biblical canon's purpose is that of, well, a "cannon." Much like artillery directing an explosion to launch a projectile, scripture guides our religious fervor "so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). This means, of course, that the trajectory of the Bible will extend beyond the written word - not unlike how a canno...
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...ty. For example, I could parallel veil-ditching Corinthian women attempting to show equality in Christ by removing my Sunday best in the pew in an attempt to simulate Eden. As verse 23 reminds us, the ensuing controversy may be lawful, it's just not beneficial.
This all said, I hope that the impression given in this paper is not one of close-mindedness against the CBMW. If people can be happy with a patriarchal, complementarian world, let them be. The distinction between them and me is not one of morality but of culture. But, given recent history, they are a dying breed in the Western world. Which seems to be the ultimate hope of the biblical canon.
Works Cited
Grudhem, Wayne. "But What Should Woman Do In Church?" The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (Fall 1995). Accessed at http://www.cbmw.org/Journal/Vol-1-No-2/But-What-Should-Women-Do-In-The-Church
Lee includes Scripture, Gospel, Hymns, Prayers and concludes the sermon in an “Amen” (37) by switching the posture to the audience. Perelman examined, “Every technique promoting the communion of the speaker with his audience will decrease the opposition between them” (79). Since Lee’s meaningful sermon consisted of the most essential techniques, her audience recognized her authority and capability to preach. She not only knew about the role of a minister, but also knew how to carry out her responsibilities as a minister, which enforced the appeal to ethos from the audience’s point of view. Lee compelled the audience to reconceive their discrimination of women
Wilson, Barbara S., Arlene Flancher, and Susan T. Erdey. The Episcopal Handbook. New York, NY: Morehouse Pub., 2008. Print.
This chapter was removed from Reimagining Church due to a lack of space. But there’s a footnote to this document in the book. See also God’s View of a Woman.
... The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha Revised Standard Version.(1977). New York: Oxford University Press, 1977. Nyberg, Nancy.(November 1997). Personal Interview and survey with Pastor of 1st Congregational Church of Dundee. Poole, W. Michael, D.Min., Th.D.(November 1997). Personal Interview and survey with pastor of Calvary Church of God. Strong, James.(1996). The New STRONG'S Complete Dictionary of Bible Words. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Tierney, Michael J.(November 1997). Personal Interview and survey with Priest from Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Parish. Unger, Merrill F.(1967). Unger's Bible handbook. Chicago: Moody Press. Weizsacker, H.I(1958). The Apostolic Age. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications. White, R.E.O.(1960). The Biblical Doctrine of Initiation: A Theology of Baptism and Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Wengert, Timothy J. "The Book of Concord and Human Sexuality, Seen Through the Institution Of Marriage." Dialog: A Journal of Theology 48.1 (2009): 9-18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 May 2014.
Harrington, Daniel J. (S.J.) The truth about Jesus and Women. Retrieved April 12, 2014 from
Cahill sees Scripture as having three dimensions, which she defines as “the specific texts on the issue at hand, specific texts on related issues, and general biblical themes or patterns” (64). For specific texts, she mentions Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, the Romans, and Timothy. Citing the historical and social contexts of the Old Testament texts, she dismisses them as not easily applicable to modern society (65). When she considers Paul, she questions whether his lists of sins translate well into modern moral discourse because of Paul’s primary concern with idolatry and because of the Greek model of homosexuality, which greatly differs from modern homosexual relationships that resemble marriage (65). Though she does not specifically state it, implicit in these references to historical context is doubt about the Spirit-inspired nature of the Scriptures. In questioning the ability of the Scriptu...
Throughout history there have always been an abundant source of prejudice and discrimination towards women. Many generations have followed and continuously tolerated the sexist ideals that were reinforced. In a religious perspective, Saint Paul, had insisted than when in the church, women should cover their heads, and should not talk. Many churches today still follow this belief and require that men and women are segregated in the church.
This viewpoint has risen from theological support within the Bible and teachings from Jesus, God, St.Paul and the Tradition of the Church. Yet at the same time, semi-conclusive theological evidence has been found denoting that there is simply no reason why women should not be an intermediary between God and us. The traditional arguments that represent the view that women should not be ordained have stood since Roman times and only since human rights in the late 19th Century became apparent, counter arguments ... ... middle of paper ... ... ------------
not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a
Waxman, Ruth. "Women as Prayer Leaders and Their Role in in Communal Prayer." Judaism 42.4 (1993): Print.
Lynn Malone, is currently the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. On June 13, 2008, Malone gave a homily that entailed a very key component of the Christian faith, the church. In this homily, the main concept of the homily is the church as being one whole entity. Throughout the homily, numerous examples are given that exemplify this concept. I will be discussing two themes more in depth throughout this paper, the Christian Church as one entity, and the universality of Christianity and Christ’s teachings.
For example, if a person goes against an established social norm created by bible teaching such as adultery or stealing, they will experience a guilty conscience about doing something morally wrong. This is a powerful socializing and controlling influence over individuals within society. Parsons also claims religion is a source of meaning and purpose in people’s lives and can also provide a ‘mechanism of adjustment’ which is the means of emotional adjustment in times of various crises that occur in life that can help people return to a sense of normality and strengthen social bonds within society, as Malinowski also suggested. However, it can be argued that religion is not the most important factor in controlling and regulating people’s behaviour as things like the idea of punishment and law enforcement can be more influential especially in a time of growing secularisation. Despite the bible instilling a strong moral code for people to live by in society, many people within the population continue to commit things like adultery and working on the Sabbath day, both of which are part of the 10 commandments and considered a sin. Postmodernists also offer the argument that the society we live in today is multi-faith and so has a range of core values and no single moral code, this dismisses Parson’s theory as invalid in contemporary society. Also in opposition to Parson’s theory is the feminist argument that the regulation of people’s behaviour through religion is very unequal as women face oppression by the powerful male figures within religion. An example of this is how the women of Islam are forced to wear hijab’s in the name of religion. In opposition to this, it can be argued that hijab’s are worn to protect women from the ‘male-gaze’ in patriarchal societies so they are seen as more than just their
Thiselton, A. C. (1980). The two horizons: New Testament hermeneutics and philosophical description. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, xix.
“Today I appeal to the whole Church community to be willing to foster feminine participation in every way in its internal life. This is certainly not a new commitment, since it is inspired by the example of Christ himself….nevertheless, he also involved women in the cause of his kingdom; indeed he wanted them to be the first witnesses and heralds of his resurrection. In fact, there are many women who have distinguished themselves in the Church’s history by their holiness and hardworking ingenuity.”