Posted on 06/24/2011 10:49:07 PM PDT by Cronos
A small but fast-growing Presbyterian denomination meeting this week in Memphis resolved long-standing theological and constitutional conflicts over the ordination of women that have vexed and divided evangelical Christians for decades.
A record-setting 460 delegates to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church's 31st General Assembly voted to allow congregations to call women to ordained ministry, even if their presbytery (governing body) objects for theological or doctrinal reasons....
(Excerpt) Read more at commercialappeal.com ...
I doubt that Presbyterians would. Their beliefs are too different from Orthodox-Catholic-Coptic-Armenian-Lutheran-Anglican beliefs. Pentecostals are closer.
I understand what you are saying. Do you think Methodists and Pentacostals will then be next? Or the Baptists and Evangelicals?
Just having fun with predictions.
You’ve pretty well nailed the order of the next dominos (maybe denominoes?) to fall:
Methodist (already a lot of agitation for the gay agenda)
Pentecostal (overemphasis on Holy Spirit’s gifts makes easy prey for “new revelations”)
Evangelical (becoming increasingly “worldly”—especially progressives)
Baptist.
Possible to have female clergy without the gay agenda? So far so good for the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (10 years and holding); North American Lutheran Church, and Anglican Church in North America.
But how do you manage? Seriously? On the one hand my secular mind thinks that women should have more leadership rules, on the other my religious mind says that Paul says clearly no and my (admittedly prejudiced) logic sees first women, then gays. How does one stop it? I pray the LCMC and NALC do not go down this way, but the logic used by the gays was "scripture says no to women pastors, but you did, so why not us?" -- and I admit I'd be unable to give an answer.
And I pray that this experiment is successful, but I have strong fears that the next stage is gay married pastorettes.
My, admittedly prejudiced eyes, see first letting in female clergy as the first step. Is this a wrong belief?
I believe women should play more and more of a role, but baulk at them being pastoresses. Don't get me wrong -- in my humble opinion and in my 30+ years of life experience, women are on average far more devout and holier than men -- the sex ratio in heaven could be extremely skewed!
I do not disagree that female clergy can become part of the slippery slope, particularly when the only rationalization for their Ordination is “justice”.
Another point along that slope is the acceptance of clergy who have remarried after divorce. On that issue, the LCMC has done no better than the ELCA. The NALC Executive Council was charged with presenting a paper on that issue to the next NALC assembly—keep in mind, NALC is not quite one year old.
The ACNA has taken the hardest line: divorced persons who seek to serve as clergy must have their cases heard by the Archbishop and fitness for service is determined on a case by case basis. No carte blanche....and that is how it should be, IMHO.
Divorce is pushing it as it is -- divorce is not an option imho (very non-pc I know)
About female ordination -- how does one not make it about "justice"? And how does one reconcile this with Paul's teachings?
I really think that allowing remarried pastors is just a sign of an inevitable slide. Don’t you think so? This should not be allowed. of course we’re all flawed beings, but no
Remarriage after divorce might be considered for those who were the innocent party in what I call the “four A’s”—abuse, abandonment, adultery, or addictions.
Otherwise, no go.
I’m sorry to disagree, but even if one is the victim of these, remarriage is a no-no. The person is still married to the person who left them, divorce or no divorce
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