I came across this article today:
May 30, 2008
The Vatican issued its most explicit decree so far against the ordination of women priests yesterday, punishing them and the bishops who try to ordain them with automatic excommunication. The decree was written by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and published in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, giving it immediate effect. A Vatican spokesman said the decree made the church’s existing ban on women priests more explicit by clarifying that excommunication would follow all such ordinations. Excommunication forbids receiving the sacraments or sharing in acts of public worship. (Reuters)
As a Baptist woman seeking to be a head pastor, I can only sympathize with the struggle of these women and the defense of their call. I am not Catholic and so I don’t know all the theological reasoning as to why women are not allowed in the priesthood, but I am interested as to the Biblical reasoning. I just know that I too have been kicked out a church, because i would not sign the Baptist Faith and Message declaring that a pastor can only be male. This is probably the wrong post for me to put all of my theological reasoning and defend my call. I guess my heart just hurts because Christ treated all people with equality and dignity, but many times those of us that are followers of Christ don’t live to that. Since when did the Holy Spirit become gender biased?
May 30, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Wow.
I am so sad to hear this news. How appropriate then, that the Pope has been palling around with G.W. recently. I suppose he may have rubbed off on him…
May 30, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Diana says she’s been meeting with the priest at her school once a week, and that ultimately the reason for no women in ordination is ultimately that Christ was a man and not a woman. It’s so frustrating that people still refuse to look a the culture of the day when reading the Bible. I am so tired of Christians ruining our witness to other people by insisting upoon narrowminded, theologically incorrect views that they were indoctrinated with by their church or spiritual leaders (not the Bible). I am further appalled that the Catholic Church basically took away these women’s chances at salvation (if I have the theology of the Catholic church correct) through denying them the ability to take sacraments. Hopefully they’ll understand they can attend another church.
What do excommunicated Catholics who are still devout do? Go to an underground demi-catholic shurch for wayward pilgrims?
June 1, 2008 at 4:45 am
Why is it that women are supposed to take all this quietly, but if it was something like “Black/yellow/brown (take your pick) men are not allowed to be ordained” then there would be an uproar? Maybe it is time to have a NEW kind of church that welcomes ALL humans EQUALLY. I believe in the core Christian faith, but these “traditions” that undermine anybody, and at the moment are undermining women, should not be tolerated anymore.
June 2, 2008 at 5:06 pm
You ladies are right. I guess the thing that bothers me is this is not the Jesus I know and see in the New Testament. I pray that the Church will reset their focus.
June 6, 2008 at 3:11 am
summer, im a proud backer. continue to equip the saints….
December 15, 2008 at 12:19 am
I agree.. all though I am still a little startled when I attend a church where a female has any authoritarian/leadership role (be it Deacon, assistant pastor, youth pastor, etc.) and this is because of the type of Christianity I was introduced to growing up. I think it’s great you want to do this and I know you have answered a calling, but our past beliefs associated with Patriarchy sometimes still linger. I don’t know if either the Baptists or the Catholics will ever come around, so it’s probably best if you stick with non-denominational Christianity. <3 Pru
December 15, 2008 at 3:37 am
Pru,
Well thank you for your kind words of affirmation. You’re right. We did grow up under staunch fundamentalism. (It said so in our sign remember?) However, there are Christians that don’t all believe that way. Including Baptists! I have been very fortunate to find a congregation that is very supportive. It is hard to break those patriarchal ideas, but there is freedom in Christ.
Love you sis.