Why Wait?

[Gregory Matthews]

What Are We Waiting for Now? | Adventist Today (atoday.org)

 

[Gustave]

That's the appeal of the Protestant movement, no one has to wait, they can just start their own new Church that does it more like those folks think it should be done. I've never understood what the big deal is in Protestantism about female Pastors being confirmed / affirmed. Is there a pay difference mixed up with this or retirement benefit difference? 

Or is this more a matter of a woman who pays her way through theological training to become a Pastor in the SDA church and then doesn't get hired through one of the SDA Unions - just because of gender? 

[Gregory Matthews]

Gustave, My answer will pertain only to the issue of female pastors in the SDA denomination and it may not be a complete answer.

*  There was a time when females were paid less than males for the same work.  That issue was settled by the Merikaye Silver case against the Pacific Press in the 1970s.  It is if interest that in testimony given at that trial, Neal Wilson (GC President) the Father of Ted Wilson (Present GC President), in a sworn statement compared his power to that of the Pope.

*  Just about every aspect of this issue is subject to dispute in the SDA Chruch.  Therefore, just about every statement that I make that follows will have people who think that my statement is wrong.

*  Generally the disagreements center in focus on theological issues and what the Bible teaches.  In addition some focus on whether or not females should be pastors, and others focus on whether or not women should be ordained when they become pastors, as males are ordained.  NOTE:  The official position is that female pastors should be Commissioned, not Ordained.

*  Ted Wilson probably (?) believes that women should not be pastors.  However, regardless of that, he has focused his attempts to discipline denominational leaders who ordain women.

*  It is commonly believed that the SDA denomination has officially voted to allow women to be ordained as Local Elders, but has prohibited their ordination a clergy.  Ted Wilson may (?) believe that neither is allowed.

*  I, along with others believe that the SDA Unions (Not the General Conference) have the authority to decide who should be ordained as clergy.  It is on that basis that today females are being ordained to serve as SDA Clergy.    Ted Wilson and others disagree with this position.

*  The Northern California Conference (where I live), as does other Conferences, ordains women to be SDA clergy and is supported by the Pacific Union and the North American Division.  I agree with this.

*  Internationally in some places women are ordained, in other cases they are Commissioned.  It should also be noted that in some places males are Commissioned and that is another issue which I am not addressing.

*  According to official policy people who are Commissioned have some limitations in authority that those who are ordained do not have.

*  However, in some places people who are Commissioned are given the same authority as that held be people who are ordained. 

 

Gustave, if the above seems complex, remember that I have been brief and I have not addressed every issue.  In addition if it seems to lack logic, I have not addressed that issue.     I make no claim to logic as to what the Chruch sometimes does.

[GHansen]

Chatting with a working class British gentleman who belonged ta a group connected ideologically to William of Orange, he described the situation in Britain vis-à-vis homosexuality thusly: At one time, homosexuality was abhorred, then it was tolerated, then accepted. Now people are afraid it's going to become mandatory. WO is probably not much different. Unless it does become mandatory e.g., all churches must have at least one female clergy member on staff, people can just go to another congregation. Some might consider changing denominations. A YouTube video, since removed, featured an interview with a young SDA woman sent to pastor a church  on the east coast. ~Half the congregation left when she arrived. Switching churches is an easy solution. If that's not convenient, go congregational and start a small fellowship.