[hiho hiho]

"Most changes - like women's ordination - come about by the presentation of theological arguments that show how they line up with Holy Scripture. No such case has been made for the Episcopal Church's "new thing." They simply did it "with good intentions" by a vote at a convention."

This confuses me -- what are the "theological arguments" for women's ordination? Was this not the beginning of the present problem? Does the church now have the right to tell the next "oppressed" group that the theology and traditions of the church will not change for them like it did for women?

I personally have changed my mind about women's ordination, it was easy then to get into the argument of rights without understanding how it was just a continued step away from the gospel.

The Episcopal church will split in to many fragments, I fear the age of "Common Prayer" is over.

[sionnsar]

This confuses me -- what are the "theological arguments" for women's ordination? Was this not the beginning of the present problem?

This was certainly bound up in the origins of the present problem. If you're into researching this, this blog might start you on the way.

This fellow understands the current issue, but may not know or recognize its roots.

[Kolokotronis]

" This confuses me -- what are the "theological arguments" for women's ordination?"

I don't know that there are any real theological arguments for the ordination of women to the priesthood, much less the Episcopacy, but as a matter of historical fact, there were female deacons, ordained female deacons, in the early Church in the East. They had a very specific and circumscribed role and were drawn only from a certain category of women. There is a story about that the Synod of the Church of Greece has recently voted to reinstitute the female diaconate.

[walden]

"This confuses me -- what are the "theological arguments" for women's ordination? Was this not the beginning of the present problem? Does the church now have the right to tell the next "oppressed" group that the theology and traditions of the church will not change for them like it did for women?"

I agree-- female priests are clearly and plainly disallowed by scripture, and this WAS the first real issue where we departed from the traditional faith. And, whenever I've heard a female priest give the sermon, I would have to say that they simply didn't have the same impact that most of the male priests I have heard have had. I think women, being less agressive than men, experience less than the whole nature of God (He doesn't usually stomp on us as badly as He does on men, simply because He usually doesn't have to-- it's similar to the difference in disciplining boys and girls) so women tend to preach less than the whole gospel. Christianity is a tough faith, and women priests seem to me more likely to lose that toughness. The loss of the toughness has a whole lot of ramifications, but one of the most important is that it tends to drive men away from the church, which is a REALLY bad effect. Our society is crying out for more strong, Christian men.

Oh, by the way, I am a woman. ;)