NOT!
Gentle Reader,
What I had expected to take a couple of sessions has taken me (counting this one) 4 Will this be my last part on the role of women in the church (we’ll see).
Last time I pointed out that fact that were women in positions of leadership in the church. Not only as deacons but in fact (take this home and show your pastor/Bible teacher...you may not be popular after you do.) Apostles!
But something happened (even in the best of organizations) Men interfered (remember it should have taken only 40 days to cross the desert but took instead 40 years. (Men never ask directions! ) "But Denis," you may say "Pastor says... [fill in the blank] " Remember what I said earlier about "Everyone wants to be right especially when it comes to our belief system] well pastors for the most part teach what they have been taught in [Cemetery sorry Seminary] some never do anything but read a few book and get a sermon off the Internet and run off to a business meeting (Sorry guys, Pastors [but if (the Greek prepositional if ...and it could be true) you have been called by God they you job is 2 fold to "teach and to preach" and to do that you have to do 2 things "Study and pray"!] If your doing anything else then your working for yourself and not for God and you are "cheating those in your church who count on you!
Sorry Gentle Reader, but someone needs to set the record straight And since your best friend won’t tell you...
Now what happened is that somewhere in the 1st century through the 4th century men began to see that they had the power to influence people and control men and women the "clergy so called" so what your about to read can be checked out and if you find something different let me know (because I’ll want to check you out!) We are told that women as ministers were seen as characteristic of heretical groups. No one wants to be called a heretic!. Women were vehemently opposed and suppressed! We have evidence that some women served as heads of widows’ ministries ans even as deacons, bishops, and elders. But these roles steadily were diminished.
- The Council of Nicea, in 325 C.E., decreed that woman were no longer to be ordained along with the clergy for leadership roles but were to remain among the laity.
- The council of Laodicea, in 352 forbade women from the priesthood and presiding over churches. The council also barred women from approaching the altar.
- The Fourth Synod of Carthage, in 398 said woman may not teach men in assembly and may not baptize.
- The Council of Chalcedon, in 451, ruled that no women under 40 years of age could be ordained a deacon, and then only close scrutiny.
The secular world Gentle Reader, is ready (for the most part) to give women equal rights. So I have to ask my male counterparts will we do the same? Will God’s own people prevent it? As some quote "proof texts" written in the 1st Century to people living in the 21st century, do we not sound like the southern forbears who tried to stop the abolitionist movement (and later the civil rights movement) by quoting the Bible . Is that not the "blind" leading the "blind"?
The time has expired for men to lord authority over women , whether inside or outside the church. Instead, we should be working together as equals, for in God sight we are "There is neither JEW nor GREEK, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
In light of the fact that 90% of the work in most churches is done by women I have a question. Ladies, have you considered a strike?
Love, Denis
