Culture versus Word of God
If so many people want to over-rule a dearly held teaching in the LCA, surely they should be prepared to form their own new church with new ideas, and leave the LCA as it is – strong in doctrine, ignoring modern trends.
© 2024 Lutheran Church of Australia 
Comments 2
Yes, to a certain extent I agree with Gloria! The Lutheran Church has a dearly held teaching of continuing to listen to God’s Word. Let’s not change that!
However, the culture that we may need to be wary of is the one that has persisted for most of Christendom (and most of history). Namely that men are somehow more special than women. This is a cultural norm – not of God’s Word. (Although there are many practical reasons why the cultural norm has existed in history.)
So we need to be careful to continue to listen to God’s Word, and not assume we’ve already understood everything from God. Some things are clear, others are not. We need to not be biased by the cultural norm (of male specialness), but attempt to hear God speaking to us today through His Word.
What do we know clearly from God’s Word?
– Jesus commanded Mary to announce the Good News of his resurrection (John 20:17-18)
– The Spirit gives different gifts to different people (we’re not all the same) (1 Corinthians 12)
– The gifts are not differentiated by gender (again see 1 Cor 12)
– The gifts are given to build up the church (1 Cor 12:7)
– That God is a God of order and wants the church to be orderly (1 Cor 14:33 & 40 specifically)
There have been many excellent articles, papers and comments on this “Ordination, we’re listening” site that show this is not a matter of Culture v God’s Word. Those various writings show we can read through God’s Word that God doesn’t limit the role of pastor to only men. There are many more (and better written) reasons in those writings than what I’ve outlined above. But I write to say this is not a Culture v God’s Word issue – at least not in the way Gloria was thinking.
So let’s not start another new church (that would not be orderly given the existing process our LCA is going through), but let’s continue to hold on to God’s Word instructing us. May we not feel that we no longer need any further instruction from God (Luther’s Large Catechism – Ten Commandments #99). Instead may we read anew and discover together what God has in store for the LCA if we listen to His Word and not be distracted by the cultural pull that men are more special than women.
You say there are many practical reasons why the cultural norm has existed in history. What is this cultural pull? What does biased by the cultural norm of male specialness mean exactly? Or is specialness a rather nice euphemism for dominance? God clearly speaks to is today through His Word, as you have said however i think we choose not to hear. Jesus loved and upheld women as much as men. Yes, Jesus appeared to Mary to announce the good news of His resurrection but this is not an argument for ordaining men. In short this is a straw man argument. (some of these verses do not stand up to greater scrutiny) Culture, societal views, equal rights, feminism have all intruded into the church. Yes, let’s not start another church but be renewed by the great gems of our faith.