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The Role of Women in the Church

             With the advent of the feminist movement, the role of women in .
             all parts of society has come under increasing scrutiny. One area of .
             recent controversy is the role of women in the Christian Church. Some .
             churches whose traditions and practices are less rigidly tied to .
             Biblical doctrines have begun placing women in leadership positions .
             such as pastor or teacher. Other churches which interpret the Bible .
             more literally have been slow to adopt such changes. Much of the .
             confusion is based on attempts to interpret scriptures pertaining to .
             women. In this essay, we will use the Bible to understand the role of .
             women in the church of the first century and apply that understanding .
             to the church of the twentieth century.
             Many people would dispute the Bible's relevance to contemporary .
             thought in general, and in particular to the role of women in worship. .
             If the Bible were not written under divine inspiration, a person or .
             practice is not bound by its teachings. He or she can therefor pick .
             and choose whatever corresponds to his/her point of view. However, if .
             the Bible is of divine inspiration, then a cautious consideration of .
             passages relevant to a particular issue must be undertaken. Traditions .
             and customs that have arisen after the Bible was written may thus be .
             carefully scrutinized. Such practices may or may not prove sound after .
             comparison with scripture.
             Before we discuss specific issues concerning women in worship, .
             we should consider principles derived from the relationship of Adam .
             and Eve as described in Genesis chapter one. The Apostle Paul .
             frequently uses this passage as a guideline when discussing women and .
             women's issues. Genesis 1 verse 27 states: "So God created man in his .
             own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he .
             created them." Most Commentators agree that man and woman are both .
             equally a reflection of God's image; the word "man" here is used as a .
             synonym for humanity.


Essays Related to The Role of Women in the Church

1. Paul's View of Women in the Church

"Women should remain silent in the churches. ... "" (1 Timothy 2:11-14) Have the passages above somehow aided in the silence of women in the Church today? ... But even those who excuse Paul from the extreme charge of misogyny often don't know what to make of these troubling verses for women's roles today's church. I am one of those who are troubled by these passages, as man who has a female Pastor and female Associate Pastor in leadership roles within my church. ... Women's unlimited speech in churches could reasonably imply that women could not only to speak autho...

  • Word Count: 2588
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Women's Roles in the Church

Women have played a lot of roles that contributed to the development of Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church. ... Furthermore, even though a lot has changed since then, the roles of women in the Roman Catholic Church are still limited. ... Churches were very significant places to women as it opened doors for "enlarged leadership roles and experiences beyond the family " (Ruether, 1994, p.271). ... This exemplifies the role of women in churches during the Middle Ages. ... The role of women did not change a lot throughout the course of history but there are still other roles that women h...

  • Word Count: 2139
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Ordination Of Women

Women are equal to men in society so why not in the church to? ... I believe these passages do an excellent job of showing the role of women at the time and visioning them equally. ... From these few examples, it is clear the church is against ordaining women. ... But we must remember times have changed and women's roles are a lot different today then they were back then. ... Women would bring in a different view to the church. ...

  • Word Count: 1898
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Equality and Justice in the Catholic Church

A major discord in the Catholic Church today is the role of women in the Church. ... For the most part the Church has kept pace with the secular world's view's on women's rights and roles, however there remains one issue in which the Church has not wavered and that issue is the ordination of women. ... For example I begin by disputing the contention that Jesus did not discriminate between the roles of women and men. ... Men and women may be equal in that they are creatures of God, but there is a fundamental difference in their roles. ... Although Mary possessed very high ...

  • Word Count: 1266
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Women and the Church

Though Protestants and Catholics differed in their theology, they both seemed to perceive women in the same roles and have the same expectations. ... Some women rejected these ideas and left to play bigger roles in society. These brave women left their churches to find more suitable ones, preached and published religious works, and found charitable causes for social services. ... The role of women was clearly understood by the social demands of the times, yet many still continued to reject these ideas. ... Regardless of the fracturing of Christianity, the debate of women's roles was a m...

  • Word Count: 858
  • Approx Pages: 3

6. A Look at Women in Ministry

The controversial topic of the role of women in ministry has been an on-going issue of debate within the church since the foundation of Christianity. ... At first glance, it seems Paul cannot be more direct in establishing a subsidiary role for women in the church setting, however, the passage must be read in with the book, historical, chapter, and immediate context in mind. ... In terms of women having the highest leadership roles in the church, the Bible does not condemn it, but rather endorses Godly women taking such positions of authority. ... When we leave women out, the church become...

  • Word Count: 1399
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Paul: Male Chauvinist of Proponent of Women

The issue of Paul and women has been a hotly debated topic since the beginning of the early Christian church. ... In another, he orders women to remain silent in the churches. ... People opposed to the idea of women in the church seem to use the same verses that they've interpreted as anti-women as their scriptural support. ... The newfound freedom and role of women in Christ is clear also in the writings of the early Church. ... The church at Philippi was founded on women, and one of them, Lydia, obviously played an important role in the origin and growth of this church. ...

  • Word Count: 2348
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Church in New France

Some recent historians do not agree with these interpretations and have developed their own theories about the role of the church in New France. These theories include the role of the Church as being Over the years, the church has played these various roles, and has influenced New France in many ways. ... "The role of the church was to develop a civic and social conscience as well as the spiritual life of the colonists- (Jaenen 4). ... Because of its control over the masses, the Church played a key role in colonization. ... "The Ursulines were the members of the oldest and most important teac...

  • Word Count: 1466
  • Approx Pages: 6

9. The Woman's Role In The Church

Statement of the problem This passage is on of the most controversial passage from the Scriptures because it talks about the woman's role in the Church. ... God has laid down certain guidelines in His Word that govern the use of gifts and talents and the roles of men and women in the church and home. ... Because Paul links the woman's submissive role in the Church to God's created design, it is evident that these instructions to the church at Corinth are not applicable only there, but instead are applicable universally in the church (http://www.cbmw.org/about/danvers.htm). ......

  • Word Count: 2488
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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