...Women’s roles in the church have been a long debated topic amongst both sexes. It is wondered if it is biblically appropriate that women maintain specific roles that have been held by men since the New Testament church rose up. This essay will address what the New Testament definitions of an “elder” and “deacon” are and the biblical requirements for being permitted the office title, can women hold those positions and supporting Scripture, my personal interpretation and counter arguments, and are women limited in the church as well as outside of it. We will also discuss if women can make contributions to theology, leadership and management in their local churches. According to Towns’ Theology for Today, an “elder” in the New Testament church is someone who has been designated into the highest pastoral position that requires spiritual maturity and literally means “aged man”, while a “deacon” is an office in the church and literally means “servant.” The requirements of becoming an elder is that they must rule over their own house well, referencing 1Tim 3:4-5 which uses the word overseer, and that they should rule or lead the church by feeding them the Word as seen in Kepha Aleph (1 Peter) 5:1-2. The office title of Deacon has different requirements as referenced in Theology for Today mentioning Ma’asei (Acts) 6:1-6 which states they must be of good report, full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, and full of faith. They must also be blameless, husband of one wife, grave, not given...
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...Lea Pollard THEO 202_C04_201140 Short Essay 3 The Role of Women in the Church The role of a woman in the church has been down played for centuries. However, women have played a major factor in the Church and the Gospel being spread in the world. Before the church came in to existence the role of women in the church was already ordain by God. Because of Eve’s disobedience, God redeemed woman by allowing her to bruise the head of the serpent, (Gen.3:16). God chose woman to birth the Word (Jesus Christ) into the world and she has been birthing the Word (The Gospel) every sense. First, let’s examine the history of women in the church. A Tertullian wrote that there were four orders of female church officers. There appeared to be female deacons, virgins, widows and eldressess. Therefore, some were consider clerics, giving ecclesial authority and seat with the other clergy. Deaconess ordination is persevered in the Apostolic Constitutions (VII19-20). Women elders are mention in I Tim 5:2 and in Titus 2:3 where the must be worthy of the office. Can a woman be an elder or a deacon? Yes. Before the qualifications are examine let’s look at this Bible verses. “ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s...
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...Book Of Galations The role of women in the Christian faith has always been matter of debate. Whether women are equal to men in the eyes of the church still presents itself as a major question as we move into the 21st century. Women are still not allowed to serve as priests or hold major positions in the church s hierarchy. This inferiority is something that is seen as tradition and rarely do people question it. However, in Paul s letters he alluded to a different role that women should take on. He presents the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord as long as they have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Although he was not the first to ever express these beliefs, the idea that Paul presented was quite radical for his time and may not have been taken with the same authority as some of his other teachings. However, the basic formula that Paul used in some of his letters was also presented by subsequent writers years after he was finished with his ministry. The most straightforward presentation of Paul s view on the role of women is in Galatians 3:28, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. This statement brought up the idea of baptism and the key role it plays in the life of a Christian. Paul states that when you are baptized in the name of Jesus all worldly distinctions are no longer important. A person is not to be viewed based on past religion, life before baptism, or gender, he or she will now be viewed simply as a...
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...Short Essay on the Role of Women in the Church The matriarchs and coheirs of the human race have long been subdued from reaching their full potential in society and within the church. However, there are questions that must be examined in order to determine the proper role of women in the church and what subsequent service they might shoulder. An elder, presbyteroi, had a prominent function in the New Testament Church. They are associated with the leader of the Jerusalem church, James (Acts 11:30), they were to conduct the oversight of the church as shepherds (Acts 20:28) and as the apostles and prophets ministry began to fade they were responsible to teach and preach at a local level.[1] A deacon, diakoneō, describes a servant and fits their description found in Scripture. These servants were required to be husband of one wife, manage his children well, have excellent standing in Christ, sincere, worthy of respect, not a drunkard, not pursuing material wealth dishonestly, and they must undergo scrutiny to verify their trustworthiness (1 Tim. 3:8-13). Women possessed the role of deacon in the church (Phoebe, Rom 16:1). Along with Phoebe other women such as Priscilla served with Paul (Acts 18:18). In the Old Testament Deborah held the role of prophetess in Israel (Judg. 4:4) during the time of the Judges. Galatians 3:28 points to the standing of men and women in Christ, which reflected the utmost of equality in spirit and glanced back on...
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...DeRon N. Collins 2/25/13 Short Essay 3 Theology 202 B-26 The Role of Women in the Church Since women entered public ministry and became pastor’s debates on this issue has raged like a wild forest fire. I have been studying the bible now for over thirteen years and I have seen God move through people throughout the bible and have not seen anyone or thing God could not use. I have seen God use prostitutes in the lineage of our Savior Jesus Christ (Joshua 2) Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute but she was the great grandmother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Read also the lineage of Jesus in Matthew. I have read where God allowed the donkey of Balaam to speak to him (Numbers 22: 22-28) questioning Balaam after the donkey saved his life. I have also read where Miriam the sister of Moses was led the women with her chorus in response to the great song of her brother (Exodus 15:20) where she is called prophetess. What about Deborah the prophetess in (Judges 5:2-31) cf. 4:4 (prophetess). To continue to question women’s roles in the church setting is to continue to questioning God’s decision in His use of them. Nevertheless, there is an order in which a women’s role is set in place and that is with the man as the covering, which is the hardest part for women to understand. Women of God are to lead and teach young women how to be young women of God. Deborah conferred or joined with Barak and Barak relayed the message to the men. Let’s look at Genesis 1:26; God said,...
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...Realism, in the context of art is the precise, full, straightforward depiction of nature and the natural world or of contemporary life. Realism rejects the idea of creative Romanticism in favor of a close observation of appearances. As such, realism looking at it from a bigger perspective has comprised many artistic values in different cultures and nations. In the relation to realistic art, for example, Realism can be found in Germany with the painting of Three Women in a Village church was displayed. This work of art simply depicted three peasant women holding prayer book while sitting on a pew in church. Also, in Italy there is a painting called The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit; the gist of the painting is the Boit sisters placed about...
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...The Role of Women in the Church – SE3 Within the church and throughout church History, there has been a question as to the women’s role in the church. Can a women be a pastor? An elder? Or a deacon? In light of the debate of egalitarianism vs. complementarianism, we will take a look at what the bible says biblically. Equalitarianism is the right of all men and women to have the same rights and responsibilities and complementarianism holds the view that only men should have such pristine positions. What does the bible say? The Old Testament law makes it very clear that women have no place in authority. The men served as the master of their household. The topic of women serving in ministry is of much debate – even in today’s culture. My belief as a reborn again Christian is that Jesus came to break the barrier between men and women and that we are all equal in the body of Christ. Galatians 3:28 backs up my belief by stating, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Also, the church I am part of, Assemblies of God teaches that women can have a role in ministry. The term “deacon” and “elder” are New Testament terms and came forth after the church established in Antioch. The definition of an elder is someone who is highly esteemed within the church. An elder is a spiritual leader. A pastor, church leader or overseer. The position of elder should not be taken lightly. James 3:1 says, “Dear brothers...
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...THE RELIGION OF MASCULINITY - Why Men Hate Church CBN.com -- Cliff is a man’s man. On the job he’s known as a go-getter and a very hard worker. He’s a good provider who loves his wife and kids. He’s well respected by his neighbors. Cliff drives a humongous four-wheel-drive pickup. He loves the outdoors and takes every opportunity for a little hunting and fishing. He enjoys a cold beer and a dirty joke. He does not go to church. Ask him why he doesn’t go to church, and he’ll offer up words like boring, irrelevant, and hypocrite. But the real reason Cliff doesn’t go to church is that he’s already practicing another religion. That religion is masculinity. The ideology of masculinity has replaced Christianity as the true religion of men. We live in a society with a female religion and a male religion: Christianity, of various sorts, for women and non-masculine men; and masculinity . . . for men. Cliff practices his religion with a single-mindedness the Pharisees would envy. His work, his hobbies, his entertainment, his follies, his addictions, everything he does is designed to prove to the world he is a man. His religion also demands that he avoid anything that might call his manhood into question. This includes church, because Cliff believes deep in his heart that church is something for women and children, not men. Cliff is not alone. Men have believed this for centuries. In the 1800s, Charles Spurgeon said, “There has got abroad a notion, somehow, that if you become...
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...Why he not she? : The Exclusion of Black Women in places of authority in the black church Black women’s vocalization in the Black Christian church is facing retrenchment. Black women are prevented from obtaining high positions in the pulpit, they are persecuted due to patriarchal roots, and the women with existing positons in the church are mocked. Black women preachers and Black women pastors . Preachers can preach the gospel while Pastors are allowed to lead the denomination. The church has its own rules and its own language. Some church terms are misinterpreted and used interchangeable, It is popular vernacular to refer to a Black Christian church as just a Black church. During the Transatlantic slave trade Christianity was used to enslave Africans. The descendant of those Africans also known as African Americans adopted Christianity and turned it into their motivation. Modern day African Americans are also known as Black Americans or the shortened term Black, the reasoning for that belongs in another scholarly paper....
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...10/10/12 Women in Ministry Women ministers in the church are a source of deep conflict among Christians. The only way to fully understand this controversy is to understand what God himself said about the issue. Trying to understand what God actually meant can be very difficult since not all Bible passages are to be taken literary. Personally, growing up in a family with a feminist mother, it helps shape my views on women in ministry. Having a feminist mother and a non-feminist dad, however, was very difficult. I believe that God’s ministry is something everyone should be very proud of. Having the chance to serve in His ministry should be a privilege that everyone human being should strive to attain. Limiting the ministry of Christ based on gender is wrong and discriminative. I grow up in a culture were women are not allowed to be ministers. The cultural influence of many individuals in my country is the leading factor to a lot of negative views on women. The interpretation of scripture was highly baize when it comes to issues concerning women. Most women in country are looked down upon and view as objects with no authority. In the mist of all the cultural influences, having a feminist mom was very difficult for me. I was trying to follow my mom’s perspective on women, yet at the same time trying to obey a culture which defined who I am. The only way I was able to build my own perspective was to seek answers from the Bible. For many people who think women are not...
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...traditions and rituals. Even though these traditions and rituals are performed in different ways and for different reasons, they are the foundation that holds our religions together. Finally the last similarity between the Christian, Jewish, Islam and Catholic faiths is that they originated from the same genealogy. In the Bible the reader gets to the story of Abraham. It is during this story that two faiths emerge, Jewish (Hebrew) and the Islam religion. The rest of the Bible focuses on the Jewish history and leaves behind Islam. However, it is during the time after Jesus’ death that the reader is introduced to the Christians that formed the Catholic (universal) faith. After several hundred years people became disgruntled with the Catholic Church and broke away to form many other religions with their own doctrines. In today’s world, religion is not as focused on. With the growing number of Protestants, non-believers and atheists, plus the continuous shift of morality and world challenges, the...
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...of women over time. As times change, so do people’s views and attitudes about religion. What are common characteristics the assigned religion shares with the others? There are numerous common characteristics religion share with other religions. All religions pretty much exist on the belief of its followers, religious prophecies, ceremonies, texts and writings. Most religions believe in spirits, gods or even one God, a higher power in which created everything that exists. Other characteristics which religions share, they all have a requirement of certain rituals and traditions for individuals and certain faith communities. Religions also help humans cope and deal with the cycle of life and death. All religions promote great moral codes and values for individuals and people of their faith. All religions have the promise of peace with in an individual regardless of how life can be. Most religions share the theme of helping people that are suffering from illness, being poor and less fortunate while always showing compassion. Almost every religion has a God that is the supreme judge for the way in which we as humans live their lives. In each religion, their God is also an overseer of the person’s life, finances and family of which ever faith a person believes in. How is this religion responding to challenges in the modern world? There are many Challenges in the modern world many religions are faced with. The religion I am going to talk about is the Catholic Church. Quick...
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...history details around many various topics such as the role of women as well as the duty to care for the poor. Christians are commanded to help one another, primarily those with less means. As revealed throughout the New Testament, it is in a believers best interest to provide to the needy as those who give will lack nothing but those who ignore the poor will suffer (Proverbs 28:27). Throughout the Bible, it is also evident that men were predominantly the heads of families and crucial leaders in past time. With primary figures such as Abraham, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, history proves that the Bible is primarily patriarchal. Women, however, have played an integral part to the work of the early church. As the last disciples...
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...past many decades, there have been arguments on whether women should be ordained to work in the clergy. Over the years, some religions have embraced the idea while some still cling to the past idea that women should not be ordained to serve in the clergy. Taking an example of Christianity, one of the churches that have embraced the ordination of women is the Anglican Church. On the other hand, the Catholic Church has maintained its stand by not ordaining women to priesthood. There are scholars who have argued in biblical view on why it is vital for women to be ordained as priests. This paper expounds on the importance of ordaining women to serve in the clergy. Discussion The controversy regarding on whether women should be ordained to serve in the clergy is still going on to date. While others feel that it should not be so, there are people who strongly feel that women should participate fully in the church...
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...primarily male oriented and male driven. This essay will discuss the role and understanding of gender in Catholic Christian church. The essay will be concerned with women in these churches, and how different gender theories conform with the observations witnessed during my visit. In this essay, I look at the prevalence of male centrism during the Sunday mass in the Catholic church I visited to, using Mary Daly’s theory of patriarchy in religion and how women are being oppressed due to a male God and conclude the ways in which we know of Christianity of being a heavily patriarchal religion. Secondly in this essay I will also look at the use of language in the church and how language can be deciphered as symbolic and reflect gendered perspectives using Luce Irigaray’s theory of symbolism to conclude how the use of language reflect a gender biases and how it is one sided. When I visited the church on Sunday I was amazed to see the statues and images of Jesus in the entrance area. Once, inside the main area there is a huge crucifix in the altar where I could see the the image of Jesus. There were other statues of Jesus in the church and then there was the one statue of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. Before the service began, there were male announcers who gave short speeches on the recent doings of the church and related matters. Being a Catholic church, the service was led by a senior male priest who was aided by other junior male priests. These priests were the people who...
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