Male and Female Roles in the Church

[Amelia]

Just a little example of how easily we get <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/129933-offtopic2.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/oops.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/focus.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/laughhard.gif" alt="" />

[Neil D]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

Susie said:

Hey, I thought that this forum was whether or not the male/female members of our denominations should have separate rolls in the church. Wearing kilts?

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So allow me to get this thread....somewhat back on track....

You will not find me, doing Deacon work in kilts...

<img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

And women are much more adept at wearing skirts than men anyways....Let them do the deacon work in skirts....!

<img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Jeannieb43]

This is an interesting thread.

Two comments:

1) The voting mechanism disallowed my vote. It came up with: "You have already voted in this thread" (which is false).

2) The item about women conducting weddings made me chuckle. [i hate to admit this here because it might blow my cover, but...] I've been deputized by one of the county clerks in the State of California, as a Wedding Commissioner. It's for one day only [soon to come], and is a NON-religious commission. [The "Religious Affiliation" blank on the marriage certificate is to be left blank.] One of my son's relatives and her fiance asked that I perform their marriage ceremony. I truly tried to decline, and suggested all manner of alternatives, but in the end I realized it was an honor. Now I'm preparing my "remarks." [There's nothing which prohibits my giving "words of advice" in the ceremony -- and even reading a Bible verse -- as long as it is nonreligious.] These people are mature young people, both with college and postgraduate degrees, who seem to know what they're doing. But they didn't want to offend either religion from which they came [Catholic and Presbyterian, I think], so they really did a stretch, and invited an Adventist to do something nonreligious! [They thought of me as a judge, since I formerly sat as a judge pro tem. They figured I could just wear my judicial robe....which of course I cannot, in this setting]

[Paul Beach]

The poll results are in.

[Amelia]

And...?

[Dr. Shane]

Interesting to compare the wedding and baptism votes. Seems some believe it is ok to perform a wedding ceromony but not baptise.

[Nicodema]

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Memorial Foundation said:

For many people, this is a very important issue that merits attention.

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... and then there's the rest of us, who aren't hung up on prefabricated gender roles, never have been, and never will be.

I do feel gypped, however, that the poll ended before I'd a chance to vote in it.

[Bravus]

dgrimm, you have stated a couple of times in this thread that that Bible defines the roles of deacons and deaconesses, and I'd be interested to see those texts. As I understand it the term 'diakonos' which is translated as 'deacon' is also sometimes translated as 'elder' or even 'bishop'... and I don't recall any specific reference to a deaconess role at all. This is honest curiosity and interest, by the way, not any sort of challenge.

[Gregory Matthews]

Re: "As I understand it the term 'diakonos' which is translated as 'deacon' is also sometimes translated as 'elder' or even 'bishop'..."

I do not think so, but would be willing to be proved wrong.

Re: "I don't recall any specific reference to a deaconess role at all."

I also would like to see that.

[Amelia]

PHILIP » One of the seven servants (Greek: diakonos)

DEACON » The Greek word (diakonos) translated "deacon" means servant, and is so translated in (Matthew 23:11; John 12:26)

NICANOR » A servant (Greek: diakonos) of the congregation at Jerusalem (Acts 6:5)

NICOLAS » A proselyte of Antioch, and servant (Greek: diakonos) of the congregation at Jerusalem (Acts 6:5,6)

PHILIP » One of the seven servants (Greek: diakonos) (Acts 6:5)

PROCHORUS » An early Christian servant (Greek: diakonos) (Acts 6:5)

Strong's Number: 1249

Original Word Word Origin

diakonoß probably from an obsolete diako (to run on errands, cf (1377))

Transliterated Word TDNT Entry

Diakonos 2:88,152

Phonetic Spelling Parts of Speech

dee-ak'-on-os Noun

Definition

one who executes the commands of another, esp. of a master, a servant, attendant, minister

the servant of a king

a deacon, one who, by virtue of the office assigned to him by the church, cares for the poor and has charge of and distributes the money collected for their use

a waiter, one who serves food and drink

[Gregory Matthews]

Amelia, exactly.

[Tom Wetmore]

Diakonos is most frequently translated as "minister" in the KJV. Out of 31 times it is used in the NT it is translated as "minister" 20 times. It is only translated as "deacon" 3 times and as "servant" 8 times , including two times in reference to a woman who was described as a "servant of the church."

It is a term Paul used in reference to himself and to Timothy as well as others. Despite the fact that we derive our present day English word "deacon" from the Greek word, the role of diakonos in the apostolic church was not simply and exclusively what we now ascribe to deacons. While today we seem to want to ascribe levels of importance and a hierarchy of church offices and officialdom, my impression is that most of the terms that we now use as formal and specialized offices of the church were simply common functional words that were used more broadly, informally and interchangeably for church activities and common secular activities.

In the context of the topic at hand, there also did not seem to be the rigid male/female church role demarcations that became ingrained in church tradition and which some still wish to impose. For example the Greek terms for "elders", "apostles", "prophets" and "disciples" are each used in reference to women in the NT, as well as diakonos as noted above.

Tom

[Johann]

Diakonos is most frequently translated as "minister" in the KJV. Out of 31 times it is used in the NT it is translated as "minister" 20 times. It is only translated as "deacon" 3 times and as "servant" 8 times , including two times in reference to a woman who was described as a "servant of the church."

It is a term Paul used in reference to himself and to Timothy as well as others. Despite the fact that we derive our present day English word "deacon" from the Greek word, the role of diakonos in the apostolic church was not simply and exclusively what we now ascribe to deacons. While today we seem to want to ascribe levels of importance and a hierarchy of church offices and officialdom, my impression is that most of the terms that we now use as formal and specialized offices of the church were simply common functional words that were used more broadly, informally and interchangeably for church activities and common secular activities.

In the context of the topic at hand, there also did not seem to be the rigid male/female church role demarcations that became ingrained in church tradition and which some still wish to impose. For example the Greek terms for "elders", "apostles", "prophets" and "disciples" are each used in reference to women in the NT, as well as diakonos as noted above.

Tom

This has not changed during the past 13 years

[Neil D]

This has not changed during the past 13 years

nor has it changed in the last 7......