Perspectief 2014-26

Perspectief 30 dr. Margriet Gosker drafting group of the CPCE Document about Ministry, Ordination and Episkope, accepted by the CPCE Assembly in 2012. But first of all I speak here as an ecumenical theologian who has been involved for a long time in the discussions about catholicity and the ordination of women. I want to draw your kind attention now to the following ten points of reflection. Non-ordination of women is the problem 1. My first point is - not surprisingly - that catholicity is not restricted to one of the churches, neither is it restricted to one gender. And also the ministry of the church cannot be restricted to one gender. So in my view the question is not why some churches ordain women, the real question is for what reasons some churches are refusing it. Ordination of women in my view is not the problem; the non-ordination of women is the problem. But as you all know: in many churches ordination is a matter of gender and restricted to male persons. Why is that? Not while women are not good enough. They are good enough. Not while women are not capable. They are capable. Not while women miss the needed spiritual gifts. They are very much spiritually gifted. Not while a woman cannot be called by God. A woman can be called by God indeed and many of them have received in their lives a true vocation. So why are not all churches ordaining women? You all know the answers. One of the answers is that women cannot be ordained because of a long tradition. So here we have to deal with the question of traditionalism. Another answer is, that women cannot be ordained because of a certain interpretation of Scripture, silencing the voices of women in the church. If that was true, I would not be here. Another answer is that women cannot be ordained because of the idea that Jesus choose only males as his twelve apostles. By the way - Jesus never choose Germans, Italians or males from Argentina. He choose just Jews as his disciples. There is a refusal to ordain women because the ordination of women is understood as to be against the will of God. My question: who knows that for sure? Women are refused to be ordained because a woman cannot represent Christ. My Dutch Council of Churches on the 5th of March 2012 in Amersfoort, published on their website (link of 14-07-2014): http://www.raadvankerken.nl/pagina/1850/apostel_naar_letter_en_geest&highlight=apostoliciteit