Monday 22 May 2017

"Unordained women can do everything, that unordained men can do in the church": Is this true?

Every now and again, new phrases arise in the church. The validity of such catchy phrases vary in their helpfulness; sometimes they are helpful and sometimes they are not. One's such as "once saved always saved", is one that needs unpacking, before it can be taken on face value. A new slogan has emerged in the last couple of years, one which underlies a push for the much greater involvement of women in the life, organisation and ministry of the church. It is this phrase: "unordained women can do everything, that unordained men can do in the church". It is catchy, well thought out, and it is intended to neutralise opposition to suggested changes against the greater involvement of women in the church's ministry and worship. But, what does the Scripture teach?

There are significant pushes from many quarters for change on the role of women in the church. While there are denominations who have pushed for the ordination of women as elders and deacons, contrary to Scripture, some slightly more conservative denominations do not want to follow the liberals that far, but instead they push for a similar agenda with a different strategy. One example of a wholehearted and an open approach to ordain women is the Church of England; they have actively ordained women ministers for the last 25 years and now they ordain women bishops. It is only a matter of time before they install their first woman archbishop. Other denominations who are more conservative, they know that it would not go down well to suggest that women can be ordained ministers, but instead they seek ways to achieve the same goal, but by a different route.

In what way is Scripture plain on these matters?

1. Only qualified, called and gifted men can be elders to oversee the public worship and the work of the church. Titus 1:5-6 "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife ...". Scripture discriminates against women from holding this office but also against 98% of men in the church. Not all men can hold this office either.

Although an elders wife has an important role, the wife does not hold the office of elder along with the husband. It is not uncommon today to see photos of the husband and wife, both of them called pastors, but this is not biblical.

2. Only qualified, called and gifted men can hold the office of deacon. 1 Timothy 3:12 "Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well".

3. Women cannot exercise authority over men in the work of the church. 1 Timothy 2:12-14 "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor".

I have heard teachers in the church, seek to explain away this summary statement given by Paul the apostle, one that summarises the whole position of Scripture from Creation onwards. Why would professing evangelical teachers seek to explain away such a text? It is because they have an agenda to create space in the church for women to teach, exercise all kinds of ministries and so forth, without them being ordained. However, we must return to Scripture and to first principles to examine such a position.

A push for women to exercise all kinds of roles in public worship, one's such as the leading of the worship, the reading of Scripture, the serving of the Lord's Supper, and the preaching of the sermon, is contrary to Scripture. Therefore the ditto phrase that "unordained women can do everything unordained men can do in the church" is a spiritually unhelpful and a muddied phrase, one that probably masks an agenda to promote women exercising authority over men in the church.

The issue at stake is the matter of the authority of Scripture. Do we accept and submit to the plain teaching of Scripture or are we going to throw off the yoke of the Lord and walk contrary to his will?

John the apostle instructed the church in 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world".

2 comments:

Bill Schweitzer said...

Thanks, Kevin. This is absolutely where the battle is currently being fought. We must remind the church that the Scriptural prohibitions are focussed most directly on the functions of teaching and exercising authority rather than any office per se. Of course, it is only in the context of a church that has already lost sight of an ordinary means of grace as delivered by ordained ministers that such developments become plausible.

Unknown said...

I too believe that only men called of God can hold certain positions in the Gospel work. This does not mean women are of less worth to the Lord but simply that the Lord's House is one of order and that He has assigned certain roles to men and certain ones to women. I believe under Priesthood authority and assignment a woman can give prayers and read scripture and minister to other females and children temporally and share the words of the Gospel with them. I had to pray and fast much to receive this understanding but the truth of it became very clear. The Holy calling of womanhood which includes compassionate service to others and Motherhood is a great calling, as is the call to Priesthood for men and their ministering to all in the Name of the Lord. Only when it is accepted that men and women are equal but different, and the Lord knowing all things has set correct principles for all, will this wresting of roles be laid at His feet.