Steve,
Is this your position and if so, have 
you recently changed?
I didn't think this was your belief in 
the past.
Confusedly,
Jimbo
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven G. Rockhill" 
<revrock@...>
To: <pastorsforum@...>
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 6:43 
PM
Subject: [PastorsForum] The Theological 
Basis for Ordaining Women to the Office 
of Teaching and Ruling Elder



    The Theological Basis for Ordaining 
Women to the Office of Teaching
    and Ruling Elder

   1. God created - Man as male and 
female as both good. He created male
      and female as co partners and 
helpmates in dominion over the
      earth. (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:18-25)

   2. The fall with the corruption of 
sin destroyed God’s original
      harmonious order of creation. Men 
"ruling over women," or having
      "dominion over them," in 
marriage - is the direct result of the
      curse resulting from our sin. It 
was NOT God's original intention.
      (Genesis 3:16)

   3. All cultures have reflected the 
fallen "cursed" order. A
      significant part of this fallen 
order has been the development of
      hierarchical systems of social 
ordering in which males have had
      dominion over women.

   4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the 
intrusion of the Kingdom of God
      into human history brings a 
radical overturning of the social
      orders and cultural expressions 
based on the curse of sin. (E.g.
      Slavery, Men dominating women, 
racial superiority. (2 Corinthians
      5:14-21, Galatians 3:28-29) There 
is a restoration of the original
      prefall order of male female 
relationships, of co-workers and
      helpmates and a moving toward the 
new reality of the Kingdom of
      God. (John 4:27, Acts 1:14, 
2:17-18, 8:12, 9:2, 18:26 Romans
      16:1,3,6-7,12, 21, 1 Corinthians 
3:9, 7:4, 11:11-12, Ephesians
      5:21-33, I Tim 3:2)

   5. There are in Scripture both in the 
Old and New Testaments,
      accommodations to the fallen order 
and to culture.
          * Paul's acceptance of the 
institution of slavery (Ephesians
            6:5-9).
          * Requiring special dress and 
decorum for women, 1 Timothy 2:9,
          * Commanding busybody deceived 
widows to settle down and get
            married. (I Timothy 2:8-15, 
5:3-16)
          * Silencing disruptive women 
who are misusing the gift of
            tongues and prophesy in 
church. (I Corinthians 14:34-36)
          * Decision that that Gentile 
Christians should abstain from
            eating the meat of strangled 
animals and blood. (Acts 15:20-21)

    These instances represent 
applications of certain eternal 
principles
    to specific situations and can be 
argued that they were not intended
    to be elevated to normative 
principles for all times and places.


          Based on the over all witness 
and practice of scripture,
          accepting women who are called 
by God, qualified and gifted
          into ordained leadership of 
the Church is:

   1. Consistent with the Gospel Jesus 
Christ Consistent with the actual
      practice of the early church who 
received women in leadership
   2. Consistent with our reformed view 
of authority which is rooted not
      in gender but in God's call, the 
Word of God, holiness of life,
      and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
   3. Consistent with actual practice of 
the Holy Spirit led, Jesus
      Christ centered early church in 
which, "Each is given a
      manifestation of the Holy Spirit 
for the common good."
   4. May take place within the context 
of Christian family life in
      which wives honor their husbands 
and husbands love their wives as
      Christ loves the church and gave 
himself for her.

To accept the role of women in 
ministry - just as the abolition of
slavery - emerges not from a specific 
command of Scripture - there is no
such command - but from the over all 
thrust and truth of Scripture as it
emerges from a rigorous application of 
the Reformed Principles for
interpreting Scripture.


    Summary Conclusion

Ordaining called, qualified and gifted 
women into the position of Ruling
or Teaching Elder is consistent with the 
gospel of Jesus Christ.

It also represents a restoration of 
God's original vision of creation of
men and women together made in His image 
exercising dominion in the earth.

-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pastor Steven G. Rockhill
Lisbon Reformed Presbyterian Church
PO Box 88
Lisbon, NY  13658
315-393-9041
revrock@...
http://lisbonrpc.port5.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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