Nations are Easy, Congregations are Hard
While I wish that all church bodies (and, by analogy, synagogue and such communities) did ordain women, and know that those who do not do so miss out on the talent, vocational commitment, knowledge, spiritual depth, and managerial skill we have come to recognize among so many women ordained to the office of ministry, it is not hypocritical to say that women can "do" ministry but not nation, or nation but not ministry.
Aware that being the top political leader in Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, Germany, and so many other nations, is difficult, I don't think we have to see leadership in such contacts superior or unique. Except for the act to which some are sometime called, such as sending people off to war, or to which some need never be, but sometimes are, "obliged" to lead them to death through capital punishment, most of the rest of what they do is just management write large.
Leaders of nations have speech writers, bureaucracies, consultants, aides, and employees who can help carry out the work. A minority of leaders of congregations may have some reasonably-sized staff, but in even the best of places, they are often on their own.
When a ministerial leader who has, as we used to call it, "care of souls," gets that 3 a.m. call, it is usually to a complex situation: keeping a prayer vigil at a death bed; dealing with despair, doubt, disappointment, and doing so always with the possibility of screwing things up--where the stakes are highest.
Some nations, like our own, have channels through which to channel or minimize conflict: political parties, for instance. Congregations, when they go wrong, do not have ways to mitigate at least verbal violence, backbiting, or ostracism. From New Testament times to the present we have records of congregations being battle grounds Women have shown themselves to be as vulnerable to bad factional actions, or as capable of helping members transcend them.
And there are compensations: why should presidents and others who hear equivalents to words like "Hail to the Chief" have all the fun? While women minister in countless religious roles, they should not be denied the satisfaction and fun that come with ministry on good days. They are then to be envied. In some future decade we can picture upper-middle-aged women presidents saying, "Now I have the experience that qualifies me to minister in congregations. With all the rights, privileges, and terrors attendant thereto.
By
Martin Marty
|
September 8, 2008; 6:44 AM ET
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Posted by: When PALiN & McCain et al say, "god", they Mean Mr. Rabbi JESUS | September 9, 2008 7:37 AM
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Hello Rabbi Marty et al:
As an 'CONSERVATiVE-JEW' JO LiEBERMAN (the Politico Desperado) sais, According to the TENACH (their Bible)
"Thank god (not OUR G-D) HE (acsually an "IT") did not make me a Women!" ???
Yes, This is what The Orthrodox Say, especially among their Tribal Elders/Leaderships!.
Asci Any Judeo-Ju Rabbi!?
Posted by: It takes a Mind G.-r-e-a-t-e-r than the Satans top overcome such, guess what? Ya! | September 9, 2008 7:03 AM
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Prof. Marty, you are quite right. Being a clergyman is too hard in these times. Perhaps they should all quit.
Posted by: jofframes | September 9, 2008 6:28 AM
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Professor, as the pastor of a pair of small country parishes who absolutely relies upon volunteer leadership to get things done, I was amazed to read your claim that churches that don't ordain women somehow miss out on their leadership. In my own experience, nothing could be further from the truth. My parishes have been very richly blessed by women leaders, and since we are Catholics, our women leaders are not ordained. Far from impeding their influence, however, this fact has been pretty much irrelevant in the day-to-day management and forward planning of the parishes.
Nothing impedes women from serving in a ministerial capacity, and getting a call at 3:00 a.m. to go to the bedside of a dying parishioner, to provide comfort and the reassurance of faith to the survivors. Nothing, that is, except the gender-specific form of comfort and reassurance that may be desired. The presence of both forms would be ideal in these situations, and the Catholic Church frequently provides both, and when they work as a team, the chance for "screw ups" is lessened.
This, however, is irrelevant to the question of ordination, which is principally a cultic and sacramental matter, not a matter of the application of leadership, per se, apart from sacramental ritual.
Posted by: Fr. Larry Gearhart | September 8, 2008 3:37 PM
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I had previously posted part of this comment in response to Sally Quinn's question.
The question:
Women can be presidents but not pastors? I don't understand. I would like somebody to explain this to me.
My response:
The answer is related to the concept best presented by St. Augustine a few years ago.
The christian, according to the bible, is "in the world, but not of the world". In other words, their faith is to be integrated into their life to the point that things of God(faith) supercede the "pragmatism" of the world and it's concerns.
St. Augustine descibed this concept as two cities; The City of Man and The City of God.
The Christian resides in both.
The City of Man would include the areas of civic reponsibility. The City of God includes the responsibilties to God.
Therefore a woman may be a candidate for president; a civic office. And a woman may not be a candidate for pastor; a spiritual office.
Some will criticise this as a 'false dichotomy' allowing avoidance of a charge of hypocricy. However the dual nature of humans (spiritual and carnal) requires a choice of which will be the dominant guidance. This choice does not remove the subordinate nature. Christians (or more precisely, disciples of Christ) daily must deliberate between "pragmatism" and God's Sovereignty.
Of course there are those who debate the prohibition of a woman holding a pastors position, but the orthodox christian position is a more literal interpretation of God's word contained in scripture.
Posted by: James DeForest | September 8, 2008 12:31 PM
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WHERE ARE AMERICA'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS ?
*** SADLY THIS REPRESSIVE JUDICIAL INJUSTICE HAS BECOME AN AMERICAN ART FORM !!!
** WHEN GOD'S FACE BECAME VERY RED **
THE US SUPREME COURT GAVE ENEMY COMBATANTS FEDERAL APPEAL HC RIGHTS LAWYERS AND PROPER ACCESS TO US FEDERAL COURTS,AND POORER AMERICANS (MANY EVEN ON DEATH ROW ) ARE DENIED PROPER FEDERAL APPEAL LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO US FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEAL, AND ROTTING IN AMERICAN PRISONS NATIONWIDE ??????
**** INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE DENIED REAL HC RIGHTS WITH THEIR FEDERAL APPEALS !
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE $LOWLY FINDING OUT HOW EA$Y IT I$ FOR MIDDLE CLA$$ AND WORKING POOR AMERICAN$ TO FALL VICTIM TO OUR U$ MONETARY JUDICIAL $Y$TEM.
****WHEN THE US INNOCENT WERE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY ****
The prison experts have reported that there are 100,000 innocent Americans currently being falsely imprisoned along with the 2,300,000 total US prison population nationwide.
Since our US Congress has never afforded poor prison inmates federal appeal legal counsel for their federal retrials,they have effectively closed the doors on these tens of thousands of innocent citizens ever being capable of possibly exonerating themselves to regain their freedom through being granted new retrials.
This same exact unjust situation was happening in our Southern States when poor and mostly uneducated Black Americans were being falsely imprisoned for endless decades without the needed educational skills to properly submit their own written federal trial appeals.
This devious and deceptive judicial process of making our poor and innocent prison inmates formulate and write their own federal appeal legal cases for possible retrials on their state criminal cases,is still in effect today even though everyone in our US judicial system knows that without proper legal representation, these tens of thousands of innocent prison inmates will be denied their rightful opportunities of ever being granted new trials from our federal appeal judges!!
Sadly, the true US *legal* Federal Appeal situation that occurs when any of our uneducated American prison inmates are forced to attempt to submit their own written Federal Appeals (from our prisons nationwide) without the assistance of proper legal counsel, is that they all are in reality being denied their legitimate rights for Habeas Corpus and will win any future Supreme Court Case concerning this injustice!
For our judicial system and our US Congressional Leaders Of The Free World to continue to pretend that this is a real and fair opportunity for our American Middle Class and Working Poor Citizens, only delays the very needed future change of Federal Financing of all these Federal appeals becoming a normal formula of Our American judicial system.
It was not so very long ago that Public Defenders became a Reality in this country.Prior that legal reality taking place, their were also some who thought giving anyone charged with a crime a free lawyer was a waste of taxpayers $$.
This FACADE and HORROR of our Federal Appeal proce$$ is not worthy of the Greatest Country In The World!
***GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT EVEN THEIR INNOCENT, BECOME THE GUILTY!
A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE::
1) YAHOO AND 2) GOOGLE
MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM.
** A JUDICIAL RIDE OF ONES LIFE !
lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com 424-247-2013
Posted by: DOUGLAS FIELD | September 8, 2008 10:11 AM
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When PALiN & McCain et al say, "god", they Mean Mr. Rabbi JESUS
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VOTE: Apocalyptic Government (BiDEN & OBAMA), not Pre-Apocalyptic Theocracy (PALiN & MCcAiN)!
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Amazing () No Grace!
Note: It takes a Mind G-r-e-a-t-e-r than the gods (not OUR) of the EViLGELiCAL, aka SATANs!
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When Mrs. PALiN Blurts-out "God" (not O.U.R. G-D) she is 'Split Mindedly' sayig My Judeo-Ju god is my Mr. Judeo-Ju JESUS!
To Them Rabbi Judeo-Jew JESUS, turned into a Judeo-Christ, via their Ancestral as NiCOLAiTAN(s), is Their god (not our G-D)!
Remember: Palin WANTS TO Introduce, in ALL PUBLiC SCHOOLS, the Evangelicals Jesus/god , as their Creator (not OUR) "iNTELLIGENT DESiGN" quasi Science courses!
JESUS is their god, not O.U.R.-G-D [an "IT" niether a HE/HiM nor a She/Her]! god is their (Evilgelicals) Mr. Rabbi god Player JESUS, the Judeo-Ju turned into their Judeo-Christ!
Note: They , these Bollixed girls & boys, Will also, sneakly, Make 'CHRiSTiANiTY" the Official Religious Belief in America.
Prophecy: They [Mike Huckabees, Rick Warrens, John Haggees, RiChard Lands etc..] will stir-up 'Riots" or cause a Civil War or incite a National-Tention, like no other in American History, here!
Hence Why They Love "GUNS" [NRA] & "JESUS" & them , ArM-AG-GEDDON lovers, EViL-GELiCALS (includes MORMONS]!
Talking about Anti-Christ, Anti-JU, Anti-Islam, Anti-Hindu, Anti-Buddha, Anti SECULAR..! DEvils!
--- Hello {WORLD} If Ye Want to see LEGiSLATiNG From Their Pulpit & Not Legislate from the SECULAR Bench, then Vote Palin & MacCain, hence NO MORE U.S. CONSTiTUTiON, as We once Knew it!
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Sumitted by the GRiDARiAN-DEMOCRACY & TRANS{FiNiTE CiViLiZATiON Movement U.S.A., 2013+. YA!