The Ordination of Women: An Essay on the Office of Christian Ministry

by Paul King Jewett

George MacDonald (1824-1905), the great nineteenth-century innovator of modern fantasy, influenced not only C. S. Lewis but also such literary masters as Charles Williams and J. R. R. Tolkien. Though his longer fairy tales Lilith and Phantastes are particularly famous, much of MacDonald's best fantasy writing is found in his shorter stories. In this volume editor Glenn Sadler has compiled some of MacDonald's finest short works--marvelous fairy tales and stories certain to delight readers familiar with MacDonald and those about to meet him for the first time.

Genres: Theology

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Dale Hagwood]

This is a unique approach to the subject of women’s ordination, as Jewett focuses more on a theological argument for women’s ordination. I do not imply he doesn’t wrestle with Scripture, but his theological framework helps the reader see the Bible in a way that values women’s contributions and draws out implications of passages that leads one to conclude God values women in ministry than most contemporary complementarians/patriarchalists argue.


While not my favorite book on the subject, it does serve to challenge how we integrate women into the life of the church and Christian ministry.

[Craig Vietti]

A comprehensive review of the historical arguments raised for why women should be excluded from the office of clergy, and why they're basically bullshit. This book, published in 1980 is just as relevant today as it was when it was written over 40 years ago. A slow, technical read, but lots of helpful insights.

[Alex Strohschein]

Paul K. Jewett, although a controversial figure, offers a perfectly Scriptural affirmation of why women should serve as ordained ministers in Christ's Church. He is in full (and remarkably fair) dialogue with Orthodox, Catholic and conservative Protestant theologians, in particular addressing "Inter Insigniores," the Vatican document forbidding women from becoming priests or bishops. He notes the arbitrariness of many Catholic arguments, such as the idea that because the priest acts in the "person of Christ" he must necessarily be a male (relying on Galatians 3:28, Jewett points out that in Christ, differences such as ethnicity and sex no longer matter, particularly in light of the "priesthood of all believers"). He also protests against the idea that woman cannot be clergy because they were never called to such an office by Jesus by noting that Jesus never called a Gentile to be his apostle but St. Peter's successor in Rome has overwhelmingly been a Gentile. The author sees additional problems with those opposed to women's ordination basing their arguments on symbols and on facts conditioned by history (think of the Gentile situation above). Jewett ends this slim volume offering some critiques and suggestions for the translation of Biblical texts and devotional material that better reflect God's character both as male and female (the Old Testament is filled with symbolic imagery, as is the New Testament where Jesus compares himself to a hen who would have gathered her chicks under her wing). Jewett affirms the use of "He" and "Father" in addressing God because of its familiarity and tradition, but notes that this is still inadequate to communicate the fullness of God. This is a book that will challenge those who oppose women's ordination in the Christian Church.