Christianity, gender and sexuality Flashcards
role and status of women in the NT
JC regarded women highly
taught them in the same way as disciples eg martha and mary ate with JC when he spoke to the samaritan women at the well
had been accompanied by women as welll as disciples and they assisted his burial
they cared for his needs, not preaching like male disciples , JC did not commission them as future leaders
“there is neither jew nor gentile…nor male and female, for you are all one in jesus christ” Paul letter to galatians
paul: letter to romans told them to repsect phoebe (women deacon)
negative attittude:
pauls first letter to the christians in corinth
“women should remain silent in the churches…not allowed to speak but must be submissive”.
pre 19th century views on women
sexist:
Terullian referred to women as ‘the devils doorway’
augustine blamed eve for the fall
5th century = church councils banned women from being ordained as deacons
role of women restricted to marriage and motherhood
martin luther: women should ‘remain at home, sit still, keep house, and bare and bring up children’
influential medieval women:
Hildegaard of Bingen: in charge of her covenant, respected musician, poet and naturalist who men would ask about medicines
Mother julian of norwich: ‘as truly as god is our father, so truly is god our mother’
post 19th century views on women
initial no change: industrial rev women stayed home
ww1: women played key role in keeping the country going FORCED SOCIETY TO REASSESS THEIR STATUS (VOTING)
gradually women accepted into professions and gained employment rights eg equal pay .
merkel and may: positions of power
development of bible criticism
liberal theologians claim bible should be studied in same way as other literary texts
tools of bible criticism includes looking at:
- language in which text was written; different translations eg marks account of jc healing leper greek has ‘filled with compassion” but some early manuscripts have “filled with anger”
- literary genres: eg considering whether a given book is a historical account, poetry, early liturgy or a letter
- understanding of cultural views from which a text sprang eg considering whether the subordination of wives to their husbands reflects the cultural ‘blinkers’ of the 1st century rather than gods purpose for marriage
- relevant archeolgical evidence, extra-biblical written sources and parallels with other biblical texts eg status of men and women in gen 1 versus babylonian creation story
negative attitude to the use of biblican criticism
barth: rejects
bible passes judgement on human reason and not the other way round
bible should be allowed to challenge secular values rather than have interpretation driven by them
fundamentalist christians:
infallible word of god, literalist view of the bible
not a source of debate
application of bible criticism to :
1 timothy 2:8-15
“women to dress modestly”
“learn quietness and full submission”
“she must be quiet”
adam formed first etc…
issue wihtin in community that was being addressed by passage
ephesus was a centre of fertility worship; some women may have been temple prostitutes in cult of the mother goddess
translation of greek ‘assume authoruty’ has sexual connitations ie dont lead them n
application of bible criticism to :
1 corinthians 14:34-35
“women should remain silent in churches”
“must be in submission”
possible that it is a later addition
catholic view on ordination of women
complentarian approach, equal in gods sight but have differnet roles in life
apostolic succession=men to men
confimed in 1976 by a vatican declaration
jc only chose men as apostles
protestant view on role of women in the church
preisthood of all believers (all humans can have direct contact with god)
egalitarian approach, women may hold positions of leadership like men
eg united reformist church women ordained since 1917
ordination of women c of e
debate since 1920
1944 florence li tim-oi ordained in china because there were insufficient men available
-war ended, handed back licence and returned to role as deaconess
-1971- macao and hong kong accepted female ordination reinstated
uk
1994; 1st women ordination
by 2025 men and women preists = equal
provisions:
christian communties can state male preist only
‘flying bishops’ exercise pastoral care for churches that object to women ordination
administer conformation and ordain priests to serve in those churches
increase in men seeking ordination in this process
preists have felt unable to remain in c of e in light of events since 1994
many been ordained in RC
2011 ordinaraite: rc preists could be married if come from c of e
for ordination of women c of e:
- some may have to go it alone in persuit of what is right
- jc decision= pragmatic. if he had chosen women ministries would have never taken off. culture of the time
- to refuse women ordination is to treat them unequal
- comparisons within bible to god as mother
- gender should have nothing to do with apostolic succession, why does female ordination break it?
- god worked through fallible humans who were also products of their cultures
against ordination of women c of e:
- decision lacks ‘catholic consent’ ie been made without consent of universal churhc
- JC only chose men as his apostles and leaders of the church. religious change should not be dictated to by culture.
- equality of status does not mean interchangeability ie complementarian approach
- father in god, bishops represents fatherhood of god. women bishops overturns teaching of the bible
- threatens apostolic succession and thus validity of sacraments
- texts to be obeyed as infallible word of god
