The Ordination of Women

I have decided to include a link to the research paper I submitted to Dr. Swain for Systematic Theology II Spring 2004. Although I have not yet received a grade for this paper I think it is quite good and well worth the read. I have had many people ask me for a copy.

The Ordination of Women has become quite a touchy and polarizing issue for Christians in recent years. I am still not sure how one convinces another that the Bible is completely supportive of women's ordination. If one refuses to see, how can he be convinced of the truth? Twenty to thirty years of being taught that women are denied "office" in the church by God is difficult to overcome. Even when you destroy all their arguments people still refuse to believe. Thankfully, such an issue is not a limtus test for having faith.

But the wind is blowing in the direction of egalitarians. More and more people are coming around to the correct biblical interpretation. The Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.

It must be mentioned that I was struck by an epiphany while writing this paper. It should also be noted that I do not hold to many of the arguments of most egalitarians though I do hold to their conclusion: Women can be ordained to any church "office." Most of my arguments are quite original and when I was forced to deal with 1 Timothy 2:15, I interpreted the passage, and the rest of the New Testament, in a manner that has put off both complementatians and egalitarians. I actually found an issue more touchy that the ordination of women; namely, authority in the church. My conclusion: no one in the church has authority over anyone else in the church.

The Ordination of Women