The Ordination of Women - Part 2: What Does the Bible Actually Say?
Why Faithful Anglicans Read the Same Scriptures and Reach Different Conclusions
Dear Reader,
The response to this series has been great, and it confirms something I have suspected for a long time. People are not simply looking for someone to tell them what to think. They want the opportunity to read, reflect, and understand the issues for themselves.
Many of us who have lived through these debates for decades assume everyone knows the basic arguments. They do not. Hence, the reason to publish a list of biblical arguments about women’s ordination.
Indeed, today’s essay is about the central question: What does the Bible actually say?
My goal is not to prove a point or win an argument. Entire libraries have been written on this subject. Rather, I hope to explain why thoughtful, Bible-loving Christians have reached different conclusions, and to help you understand the principal passages of Scripture that shape this conversation.
Whether you ultimately agree or disagree with me, I hope you will better understand why faithful Anglicans continue to wrestle with this question.
To The Women…
Before we begin, I want to say a personal word to the women reading these essays.
I realize that discussing the “ordination of women” can unintentionally make it seem as though women themselves are the issue under debate. I regret that impression. You are not an issue. You are not a problem to be solved. You are daughters of the living God, created in his image, deeply loved by Christ, and indispensable to the life and mission of his Church.
Many of my dear friends and respected colleagues in ministry are women. They have devoted their lives to proclaiming the gospel, caring for God’s people, and serving the Church with remarkable faithfulness. Nothing I write in this series should be taken as a criticism of their character, their love for Christ, or their desire to serve him well.
My purpose in today’s essay is much narrower. I am simply trying to understand what the Scriptures teach, how the Church has understood those Scriptures through the centuries, and what the ordained office itself signifies. I ask only that you grant me the grace to explore those questions honestly and carefully.
In my previous essay, I shared that, after many years of study, prayer, and even changing my own mind, I have concluded that the priesthood should be reserved to qualified men. I was prepared for some readers to leave because of that conviction.
Instead, what I have experienced has been thoughtful engagement, gracious disagreement, and genuine conversation. I am deeply grateful for that.
My hope is that The Anglican will be a place where people on both sides of difficult questions know they will receive a fair hearing, be treated with respect, and be encouraged to think carefully about the Scriptures together.
Grace and peace,
David Roseberry +
The Anglican
⸻ ☩ ⸻
What Does the Bible Actually Say?
The problem with the debate about women’s ordination is that there is no end to it.
In the previous article, I suggested that faithful Anglicans continue to disagree about the ordination of women because they are asking a deeper question than many people realize. The debate is not simply about employment, parity, fairness, opportunity, or even church polity. It is about how we read the Bible and how Anglicans make theological decisions.
