I appreciate your thoughtfulness and I understand how you are beholden to your church h tradition. And I appreciate how your position of excluding women from ordination unto priesthood doesn’t lie in an internalised misogyny, I can’t say the same to many of my Protestant complimentarians.
I however am a Wesleyan Methodist, one of those female ordinationists (is this a word, it should be).
I have a few thoughts on what you mentioned, firstly the twelve were not the only apostles. In fact the twelve weren’t even listed by name in the gospel of John and other apostles have also been named, Barnabas, apollos, Paul and more importantly for this point Junia who was an outstanding apostle and in the lord before Paul. Even St John Chrysostom remark how it was amazing that a women was considered an apostle.
Secondly, we have early church evidence from before the great schism that there were some ordained bishops who were female.
Thirdly, I know the point is often made that the priest has to be a man to be able to represent Christ because only a man can be a bridegroom or a father. But Jesus was also a Jew, but we don’t require priest to be Jewish. And men just as much as women are called to be the bride of Christ. Have if Jesus can be the representative for salvation for women and men than I think women can also represent the Christ figure to the congregation, he is man unlike and other man, fully made of the flesh of a women.
Beautifully written. Keep it up❤️
Thank you so much, Jacqui!!
Amazing post!
Thank you, Elizabeth!!
I appreciate your thoughtfulness and I understand how you are beholden to your church h tradition. And I appreciate how your position of excluding women from ordination unto priesthood doesn’t lie in an internalised misogyny, I can’t say the same to many of my Protestant complimentarians.
I however am a Wesleyan Methodist, one of those female ordinationists (is this a word, it should be).
I have a few thoughts on what you mentioned, firstly the twelve were not the only apostles. In fact the twelve weren’t even listed by name in the gospel of John and other apostles have also been named, Barnabas, apollos, Paul and more importantly for this point Junia who was an outstanding apostle and in the lord before Paul. Even St John Chrysostom remark how it was amazing that a women was considered an apostle.
Secondly, we have early church evidence from before the great schism that there were some ordained bishops who were female.
Thirdly, I know the point is often made that the priest has to be a man to be able to represent Christ because only a man can be a bridegroom or a father. But Jesus was also a Jew, but we don’t require priest to be Jewish. And men just as much as women are called to be the bride of Christ. Have if Jesus can be the representative for salvation for women and men than I think women can also represent the Christ figure to the congregation, he is man unlike and other man, fully made of the flesh of a women.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.