Can woman serve as Pastor or ordained Priest ?

ZK Pahrii Pou *

St. Joseph's Cathedral Church located at Mantripukhri, Imphal

I had the privilege of teaching feminist theology to students in theological institution. The subject matter is very interesting because it deals with the understanding of God from women's perspective. It questions the role of patriarchal religion that oppresses and discriminates women in the name of God.

During discussion in the classes, not only male but many female students felt that men alone should be Pastor or ordained minister. Ordination of woman for ministry in the Church has been a hot debate among the Christian community for many years. Many Bible passages have been put forth to fight for or against the argument of women's ordination.

The argument varies from 'law of nature' to 'order of creation' and the 'male sexuality of Jesus' to 'cultural barrier' that restricts women to get ordination. It has even gone to the extent of domestic chores which is supposedly the task of women. Some of the points were given below for discussion:

A. Argument against of women's ordination:

1. Jesus, as representative of Israel, and the Twelve, as the representatives of the Twelve tribes were all Jewish and male. Hence, only a male can represent Christ. If one changes the patterns, many believe, everything will be turned upside down.

2. Paul, in his letters, attempted to assert the male leadership on the ground of the 'orders of creation'. According to this analogy, male overlordship and female passivity symbolize the relation of God to Creation. Women can be preachers but certainly not ordained ministers.

3. Aristotle believes that women (also slave and-Greeks) represented the naturally servile personality. He defines women, biologically, as "misbegotten males", who lack full rationality. Thomas Aquinas in the same vein argued that women could not be ordained because they lack the "eminence" required to incarnate leadership. As women lack full rationality they cannot represent the divine Logos (Christ) and hence are incapable of receiving the "sign" of ordination.

4. Some of the congregations cannot yet accept women as priests and therefore their opinion has to be respected. Some men do not want to take bread and wine from the hand of woman priests. Some do not want woman to conduct marriage service or baptism for them. So there is no need to be hurry. Wait for the right time to come.

5. Women are biologically weaker sex than men and they are in danger of molestation by men. If that happened, it will bring shame to the church. Here it also raises the question of purity during monthly cycle of women that may hinder the normal functioning of priestly ministry.

6. Women have to look after the household chores and would not be able to give full time like men in the priestly ministry. It is impossible to leave behind children and family to fully involve in the ministry. Only unmarried women may be allowed to work as full time Pastor or as ordained minister.

B. Argument in favour of women's ordination:

1. The argument that Jesus was male and therefore, that only a male can represent Christ, is a theological suspect.

The character of Jesus' incarnation was on generic term "human nature" rather than on maleness of Jesus. Women put forth a very interesting question: Is the person of God sexually male? If God is male, than male is God. Man and woman together formed the image of God.

2. The fact that Christ chose only men to function on his apostolic team was not determined by his own specific preference, but by the social pressure of his time. In the circumstances Christ could not have appointed women to a priestly task. But in no way did he at any time rule out the possibility of women being ordained priests.

3. Jesus shows unconventional attitude towards women. Jesus by talking to a Samaritan woman broke the traditional law which forbids man never to talk with another's wife; by allowing the woman with flow of blood to touch him, Jesus ridiculed the man-made impure-purity law; and by praising Mary over Martha, Jesus challenged the Jewish tradition which forbids women to read Torah.

4. Paul's argument was more practicable in the synagogue context and not in the churches. Many women did serve in various capacities in the apostolic Church. His analogy of 'orders of creation' is seen as drawn from the current of social subjugation of women and therefore is not applicable to all situation and time.

5. Aristotle notion of women as 'misbegotten males' would have not only excluded women from ordination but from normative human nature. Newer scientific research had shown that when X and X chromosomes makes male and X and Y chromosomes make female. Scientists have found out that women are biologically stronger than men.

6. The priestly duty is nothing extrinsically masculine. The ordained minister is not a direct representative of Christ but of the Church united in faith. If a woman has the capacity to do this, there seems to have no genuine reason to bar her from admission to the office.

7. When there is nothing wrong theologically to ordain women, it is important that we give education to the congregation to overcome cultural barriers. Household chores should be shoulder together by both men and women to give more time in ministry.

C. Indian Context:

1. Church of South India (CSI): In 1972, CSI recommended ordination of women. Florence Deendayal was the first Indian woman ordained in South India. By 1988 Synod listed thirty women pastors.

2. Church of North India (CNI): In 1974, CNI accepted in principle, the ordination of women to the priesthood and approved in 1977. By 1986, there were twenty Indian women ordained and the first was Pearl Prasad. 3. The Methodist Church has five ordained women in 1986. 4. North East India Churches: Women were ordained and served as Pastors in North East Indian Churches especially in Nagaland and Mizoram. But all these are exceptional cases only. There is much greater thing that the church needs to give breathing space to women in the ministry.

Conclusion: There was an agreement that theological arguments from scripture and tradition which were previously thought to be decisive are no longer able to sustain their traditional interpretations, which projected a subsidiary role of women in the scheme of creation and redemption. Instead, attention is given to humankind's basic oneness.

It is male and female together who are made in the image of God. They are equal in the sight of God and are hence entitled to serve God in equal terms. Like a bird cannot fly only with one wing, the ministry of God will have smooth sail only when man and woman work hand in hand.

With the whole world celebrating 2016 International Women's Day under the theme: "Planet 50:50: Step it up for Gender Equality," the Church also needs to rethink and amend its traditional understanding that gives little or no space to women to be equal partner with men in the ministry of God. So far, theologically trained women are employed only as Sunday school teachers, youth director, hostel warden, women chairperson, etc.

Generally, women in protestant churches do not get the post of pastors or deacon or ordained minister. In Roman Catholic churches it is difficult for women to become Bishop, cardinals or Pope.

This practice indirectly discourages women to go for theological studies. Although women give training to Pastors and ordained priests in theological institutions, they are not allowed to become pastor or ordained priest in the church despite of their high capability.

This is unjust. God is love and Christianity talks lots about love, equality and liberation. The church needs to look beyond sexism and give equal space to women in ministry. Liberation and equality must spring out from the church. Whereas in secular world, women freely hold high posts. In religious sphere they are denied equal opportunity. What we need today is not essentially freedom of religion but freedom from religion.