Who Are We to Stand in the Way?

Joshua Miller
Professor L. Schaeffer
English 102 – Classical Argument Essay

June 24, 2015

50 Shades of Grey has taken America by storm, you either love it or hate it but in a society where women have fought for respect, for the right to be equal, 50 Shades is a step backwards for women. Christian Grey talking to Anastasia Steele right before signing a non-disclosure agreement for participating in BDSM, “It’s about gaining your trust and your respect, so you’ll let me exert my will over you. I will gain a great deal of pleasure, joy even, in your submission. The more you submit, the greater my joy—it’s a very simple equation” (James). You might think that Christian Grey and BDSM are a long ways from the Christian Church and Ordination of Women but in reality it’s not, this is about women’s rights, their right to be equal with men, their right to serve God as He calls them, and not dominated by them. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is posed on a precipice, will we join other Christian denominations in allowing women to serve as ordained pastors or will they maintain their conservative values and deny women this right? Women’s ordination is about women’s rights, their right to be equal with men and their right to serve God when He calls them to ministry. Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the issue of women’s ordination has been an ongoing battle for the last 50 years. I believe God has created all men and women equal (Galatians 3:28) and God has anointed all men and women to the priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). It is time for the world church leaders to let go of the past and allow women to follow the call of God into ministry. 

            The Seventh-day Adventist church currently has around 18 Million members world-wide and according to the Seventh-day Adventist world church statistics in 2012, there were “18,182 active ordained pastors” (Office of Archives). In an article by the Washington Post, “There are about 320 women pastors in the worldwide Adventist Church. Within North America, there are about 120 women pastors and about 4,100 male pastors. Many Seventh-day Adventist women pastors hold a “commissioned” credential, which does not permit ordination, while most male pastors hold a “ministerial” credential, which does” (Banks).

            The issue facing the Seventh-day Adventist Church isn’t just a yes or no vote to accept or reject women’s ordination. According Andrew McChesney, an editor and writer for the Adventist Review, the question that will be presented to the delegates will be, “After your prayerful study on ordination from the Bible, the writings of Ellen G. White, and the reports of the study commissions, and; after your careful consideration of what is best for the church and the fulfillment of its mission, is it acceptable for division executive committees, as they may deem it appropriate in their territories, to make provision for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry? Yes or No” (McChesney). The change in the way this question is being presented to the delegates is very important, a simple yes or no vote could cause a split within the church but voting to allow each church Division to vote as they see fit on the issue allows the conservative areas to remain against women’s ordination and those who want it to have it.

The Bible opens with the story of creation and within the first couple of chapters we get a glimpse of God’s plan for humanity. God created woman from a rib taken out of Adam’s side, I believe this symbolizes that it was God’s purpose for men and women to serve together as equals, not for one to rule over or trample the other underfoot. Pastor Dwight Nelson says, “The divine record of Genesis 1–3 portrays man and woman in their complementary unity as the expression of the image of their Creator: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (1:26–27, NKJV)” (Nelson D.Min.). When God finished each day of creation, He said, “It is good”. I don’t believe for a minute that God would have said, it is good, if this wasn’t His plan. After creation the Bible appears to be full of male leadership, but again, this isn’t always the case. Throughout the Old Testament we find examples of women serving in key leadership and as prophets of Israel, including Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4-5), Esther (Esther 4:15-17), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14) and Athaliah (2 Chronicles 22:10-12).

We have seen that the Old Testament has examples of women serving in leadership positions but what does the New Testament have to say? Wouldn’t it seem reasonable to assume that the Bible would be united on the topic? It would seem strange that the Old Testament would say one thing while the New Testament said another. Samuel Koranteng-Pipim, PhD, says, “New Testament teaching on headship and submission (Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18, 19; 1 Peter 3:1-7) suggests that today Christians should aim at reaching the Creation ideal of "total equality," understood to mean the obliteration of any gender-based role differentiation” and he goes on to say, “The Bible also reveals that there were actually "women apostles and leaders" in the New Testament. Junia (Romans 16:7), for example, was an outstanding "female apostle," and Phoebe (Romans 16:1, 2) was a "female minister"” (Pipim, PhD). Clearly we can see that the both the Old and the New Testaments have examples of women serving in leadership positions, some even as apostles, but what about Jesus?  We find women directly involved in the ministry of Christ, even in some very key roles, “four women are included along with Mary into the Messiah’s genealogical record (Matthew 1), a woman receives the first news of the incarnation (Luke 1:32–35), a woman is the first Samaritan convert (John 4:7–42), a woman receives the first resurrection teaching (John 11:23–27), a woman manifests the first perception of the cross (Mark 14:3–9), and a women were the first to witness and witnesses of the Resurrection (Matthew 28:9; John 20:16). This list of exceptional roles played by women in the crucial events of the life of Christ suggests that he made deliberate choices concerning the place of women in the economy of redemption” (Nelson D.Min.).

“Women have achieved impressive advances during the last century, but progress has been uneven across the world. The main impediments to attaining equality have often been a combination of culture and religion. In North America, women have approached near equality in commerce, business, the military, etc. The main hold-outs in North America have been conservative religious denominations, of which the largest are the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all of whom restrict or prohibit female ordination” (Robinson). Women have been fighting for the right to be equals since the beginning of time and even with the Christian Churches, where everyone believes “all are created equal”, women are still having to fight for their right to be equal with men. Church history is full of quotes from famous men such as Tertullian (160-220 CE), a very influential Christian early theologian, "Woman is a temple built over a sewer, the gateway to the devil. Woman, you are the devil's doorway. You should always go in mourning and in rags” or reformer John Calvin, “Woman is more guilty than man, because she was seduced by Satan, and so diverted her husband from obedience to God that she was an instrument of death leading to all perdition. It is necessary that woman recognize this, and that she learn to what she is subjected; and not only against her husband. This is reason enough why today she is placed below and that she bears within her ignominy and shame” (Tarico). These quotes may seem harsh but the reality is, not much has changed in the last 1,900 years. Many still use such reasoning why women shouldn’t be ordained as ministers.

Many Seventh-day Adventists use these common verses to prove their stance for male headship, 1 Timothy 3:2-4, “A leader must be free from blame. He must be faithful to his wife. In anything he does, he must not go too far. He must control himself. He must be worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home. He must be able to teach.  He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue. He must not love money. He must manage his own family well. He must make sure that his children obey him. And he must do this in a way that gains him respect” (NIRV). Or this one in 1 Timothy 2:11, 12, “When a woman is learning, she should be quiet. She should follow her leaders in every way. I do not let women teach or take authority over a man. They must be quiet” (NIRV). These verses seem to set forth a clear-cut message when it comes to the importance of male headship within the church. But I’d like to ask, is this a hard fast principal or are we to look at the general rule involved? Culture had a lot to play in Timothy’s day as well, as a general whole, women weren’t allowed in certain parts of the temple, they weren’t allowed to be part of the temple ceremonies, and during certain times of the month, they were considered unclean.

In a questions and answers section on the Adventist Affirm website about the ordination of women, this question was asked, “Why should the Seventh-day Adventist Church resist pressure from humanistic/feminist ideologies that are bent on eliminating role distinctions between men and women?” and the answer, “Role interchangeability,” which eliminates role distinctions, should concern Seventh-day Adventists because we are committed to belief in the Creation as it is presented in Scripture. Contrary to Christians who interpret the Creation story as a poetic description of the evolutionary process, Adventists accept as factual the account of the six days of Creation. Because we accept the doctrine of Creation, we accept the order of Creation. But if Adventists accept the humanistic notion that the roles of men and women are completely interchangeable, we will undermine our belief in the doctrine of creation, on which the Sabbath commandment is based. Also, in terms of day-to-day living, eliminating the clear role distinctions between men and women accelerates the breakdown of the family, leads to confusion of identity among children, and may contribute to acceptance of homosexuality as a legitimate lifestyle” (Answers to Questions about Women's Ordination Some Fundamental Questions). Besides the Scriptures, those opposed to the ordination of women love to use scare tactics to convince the uninformed to blindly follow them. According to the statistics provided by Matt Slick, “If we look at the denominations that approved women's ordination from 1956-1976, we find that several of them, such as the United Methodist church and the United Presbyterian Church (now called the Presbyterian Church-USA), have large contingents pressing for (a) the endorsement of homosexual conduct as morally valid and (b) the approval of homosexual ordination” (Slick). Conservative Christian churches tremble with fear when someone starts talking about ordaining homosexuals. But the truth is, out of the 21 churches that Slick listed, only 7 have gone on to approve of homosexuality and ordaining them as pastors. Did this happen because women were ordained first or is this just a scare tactic?

Jesus is our example and many use the 12 “male” disciples as the example but Nelson accurately points this out, “Isn’t Christ’s all-male apostolate a template for us today? In reality, Jesus’ inner circle of disciples was not only all-male—it was all-free-Jewish-male; that is, the first formal leaders of His church on Earth included no slave, no freed slave, no Gentile, no person of color, nobody except free Jewish males. So, shall the third millennial church follow suit” (Nelson D.Min.). If this is what you are holding as proof, then every church in the world can only have a male Jewish pastor.

Throughout history, God has had a number of different ways of communicating with His people. To Adam and Eve, He was able to walk and talk with them directly until they sinned. Once sin entered the world, we could still learn about God through the book of nature. Once man perverted this book and started worshiping nature instead of God, we received the next book, the Mosaic Sanctuary. For thousands of years man learned about the plan of salvation and God’s sacrifice and redemption through the sanctuary until the death of Jesus. Each of these books had their limitations and like them, so does the Bible. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, 1 Timothy 3:16, 17, “God has breathed life into all Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing” (NIRV). I don’t believe that God hung over the shoulders of the writers or translators and told them word for word what to write. Culture had to affect the writing of the Bible, the entire Old and New Testament history, both pagan and Jewish, give many examples of the male dominated society they lived in. And while Jesus came to give us a new example, He couldn’t change everything wrong with society at once.  Rev. Martin Luther King. Jr. "... we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals. Without this hard work, time becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help time and realize that the time is always right to do right." (Robinson)

Former President Jimmy Carter, speaking to the Parliament of the World's Religions in 2009 said, "The truth is that male religious leaders have had -- and still have -- an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world" (Robinson). God is not a respecter of persons, all are created equal, and when God calls someone to ministry, He calls the person that is best suited for the job, not just men. For me the biggest issues behind the ordination of women is the bold hypocrisy that is surrounding the topic. It really doesn’t matter what happens as long as we don’t stand in the way of God. Ellen White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church has this to say about women, "The Lord has a work for women as well as for men. . . . The Saviour will reflect upon these self-sacrificing women the light of His countenance, and will give them a power that exceeds that of men. They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed" (White). It is time for men to put aside their biases, let go of their control, and allow God to work in His church. If God calls a woman to serve Him, who are we to stand in the way?

Works Cited

"Answers to Questions about Women's Ordination Some Fundamental Questions." n.d. Adventist Affirm. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://www.adventistsaffirm.org/article/25/women-s-ordination-faqs/1-answers-to-questions-about-women-s-ordination>.

Banks, Adelle M. "Seventh-day Adventists facing pressure on allowing female clergy." The Washington Post 31 August 2012. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/seventh-day-adventists-facing-pressure-on-allowing-female-clergy/2012/08/30/fd019ee8-f2e9-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_story.html>.

James, E. L. Fifty Shades of Grey. Vintage Books, 2012. Web. 26 May 2015. <https://books.google.com/books?id=CBnaAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT70&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

Nelson D.Min., Dwight K. “Your sons and your daughters”. Reflections on the Divine Call. Berrien Springs, MI: NAD Ordinaion Committee, n.d. Web. 21 May 2015. <http://static1.squarespace.com/static/50d0ebebe4b0ceb6af5fdd33/t/527804cfe4b0c0a39482393f/1383597263987/nad-ordination-12-call-nelson.pdf>.

NIRV. New International Reader's Version. Biblica, Inc, 2011. Web. 26 May 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com>.

Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST WORLD CHURCH STATISTICS 2012. Statistics. Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2012. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://www.adventist.org/information/statistics/article/go/0/seventh-day-adventist-world-church-statistics-2012/>.

Pipim, PhD, Samuel Koranteng. "Does the Bible Support Ordaining Women as Elders or Pastors?" Adventist Affirm n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.adventistsaffirm.org/article/157/women-s-ordination-faqs/2-does-the-bible-support-women-s-ordination>.

Robinson, B. A. The status of women, now and throughout history. 29 May 2006. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 26 May 2015. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/women.htm>.

Slick, Matt. "Denominations, women ordination, and other errors." CARM (n.d.). Web. 21 May 2015. <https://carm.org/denominations-women-ordination-and-other-errors>.

Tarico, Valerie . "15 Bible Texts Reveal Why “God’s Own Party” is at War with Women." 09 March 2012. ValerieTarico. Web. 26 May 2015. <http://valerietarico.com/2012/03/09/15-bible-texts-reveal-why-gods-own-party-is-at-war-with-women/>.

White, Ellen G. . Evangelism. Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., 2010. Book. 27 May 2015.