kepha31 said:
I'm torn on this issue, to be honest with you.
My contention is this. Gender, as we know it, did not exist before God created it. God, Himself, is neither male nor female. He is simply God. The male pronoun means nothing...no more than calling both men and women "mankind".
Now, I enjoy being a woman. I'm a feminist in that I have three daughters, and I will object firmly to anyone who says that they should not pursue any career they wish, up to and including preaching the gospel of God.
One does not need to be ordained to preach the Gospel. We all do that in various ways in our common priesthood. Jesus commissioned the Apostles (not each individual believer)
to teach Matthew 28:16-20 and there were no women present, just The Eleven. DIFFERENT ROLES DOES NOT MEAN INFERIORITY.
Perhaps I should have made myself very clear. I would object firmly to anyone who says that my girls could not pursue any career that my sons might pursue, up to and including becoming a pastor if that's what they want to do. I know for a fact that there are women with the ability to pastor a church, and do it very well...in fact I know of one who, I think, is doing a much better job than the man she replaced, who didn't bother himself much with such mundane chores as visiting the sick in the hospital, or the old folks' home, for instance, This lady finds time for her congregation...if you need her, she is available literally 24-7...she has been known to get up out of her bed in the wee hours of the morning because someone called and needed her.
It obviously is not a question of ability...and would God have gifted this lady with both the desire and the ability if He did not intend for her to do exactly what she is doing? Somehow, I very seriously doubt that.
We need good good leadership in our churches, and if God should call a woman to the role, should she demur, just because she has different genitalia than her brothers?
However, I'm a traditionalist (is that the right word?) when it comes to the male-female relationship. I like having my chair pulled out, or having doors opened for me...those little courtesies mean a lot to me. OTH...and please, I do not mean to brag...I have often wondered if it might have more to do with being a cute little blonde than it does my gender...I've seen the same guys who seem so eager to do these things for me not quite so eager to do them for other women who they don't see as being attractive...and that is just wrong. Ha! I suppose that, as I get older and really need those courtesies, those guys will be doing them for younger prettier women, and ignoring me.
Well, there's plenty of chivalry in this old man, sweetheart!
I'm very happy to hear it. It seems that most of our knights in shining armour are among the older generation.
But I digress. You say that Junia was not an apostle, but merely someone the apostles admired. I'm not so sure.
Rom 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Was Andronicus an apostle? And what were Andronicus or Junia doing in prison, if they had not been preaching the gospel? Not that it was impossible I suppose, but I do wonder. They were both kinsmen of Paul's, and they were both Christians before Paul had had his Damascus experience. Presumably, Paul was not aware of that while he was on his rampage against Christians.
Anybody could be arrested just for being a Christian, one did not have to be an Apostle.
I suppose that's true...however, in order to get arrested, one would have to draw attention to themselves, don't you think?
Again, evidently these two had been Christians from the beginning, and somehow, Paul...or should I say Saul?...somehow he missed them when he was busy trying to stamp out the new movement among the Jews.
But, it seems that they managed to attract someone's attention, because there they were, in prison with Paul, who writes their names in his epistle, ensuring that they will be remembered for their faith throughout time.
Those folks named in that chapter, both male and female, had to have been pretty important to God, don't you think? I wouldn't take any one of them lightly....
Had they walked with Christ? Were they among the 120 in the upper room at Pentecost?
Come to think of it, how many of the 120, if any, were of the female persuasion?
Acts 1:12-14 lists the Apostles present, together with the women, but it doesn't say how many women were there. I'm sure there were a fair number. Why do you think Mary is the only woman mentioned by name?
If you slide up the page a bit, you will notice that, before Christ's ascension, He is among those He calls His apostles, to whom He promises that they will be baptized with the Holy Ghost:
Act 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Act 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Why is Mary the only woman named? Well, I should think that is obvious. She had the prominence, she was "blessed among women"...she was the most important woman there. She was the Mother of God.
Just some thoughts. Remember, I am not a Catholic. Now, if I totally agreed with the Catholic faith and doctrine, I would be a Catholic, don't you think?
I don't know. There are too many Catholics that don't agree with Catholic faith and doctrine because they are ill-informed. Hearing and acting on the will of God is what makes us all catholic, not blindly following rules, don't you think?
We have those in every denomination, my friend. Just as was prophecied, false teachers and false prophets have crept in among us. As always, Satan's main purpose is to lead away the children of God....
