Perspectief 2014-26

2014-26 The Ordination of Women 35 Reag eer Protestant churches that ordain women do so as a result of their biblical interpretation and their theological insights. As it was already stated in the BEM Document: “ Those churches which practice the ordination of women do so because of their understanding of the Gospel and of the ministry. It rests for them on the deeply held theological conviction that the ordained ministry of the Church lacks fullness when it is limited to one sex. This theological conviction has been reinforced by their experience during the years in which they have included women in their ordained ministries. They have found that woman’s gifts are as wide and varied as men’s and that their ministry is as fully blessed by the Holy Spirit as the ministry of men” . 23 9. So my question is again: how can churches be fruitful and recognizable in our modern society while ordination of women is still rejected? And how is it possible, that in the new document of Faith and Order, The Church, towards a common vision (2013) 24 , the whole question of women’s ordination is hardly mentioned? 25 10. It is well known, that the Vatican states that protestant churches lack the fullness of sacramental ordination. They suffer from a ‘defectus ordinis’. I dare say today that all churches that still refuse to ordain women in my view have also a ‘defectus ordinis’. Is this an accusation? Not at all. But we shall have to continue our ecumenical talks in friendship and mutual respect in order to overcome our differences. But it is true: In stating the non- community does not slavishly follow whatever changes take place in the human community. It applies its own judgment based on its interpretations of the Bible, traditions, dogmas, doctrines, ecclesiastical practices and so on. Such encounters also vary since the practice of Christian communities is not homogenous throughout the world or even within regional and national situations.” H.S. Wilson, ‘Towards a new understanding of ministry: some theological considerations’, in: Ursel Rosenhäger, Sarah Stephens, (ed.) Walk, My Sister - The Ordination of Women: Reformed Perspectives , Geneva, WARC, 1993, p. 75. 23 BEM, Ministry, no. 18, commentary. 24 http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/faith-and-order/i-unity-the-church-and- its-mission/the-church-towards-a-common-vision 25 “Christians disagree as well over the traditional restriction of ordination to the ministry of word and sacrament to men only”, The Church , p. 26 (Paragraph 45).