Two papers in support of an inclusive clergy by Shada Sullivan
These papers are written out of love for the spiritual principles of the New Church. Thanks to the second coming, these principles of love are becoming manifest in the world around us in so many beautiful ways. In my small corner, as a member of the General Church, here is my attempt to articulate a theology of balance, to make an argument for allowing women to be ordained. The first paper explores the doctrines of regeneration and marriage within the context of degrees of order, and analyzes several common doctrinal arguments against ordaining women as priests.
There is no Deficiency, Only Blessing
The second paper examines policy issues more closely, including questions of how to view the Writings and the function of the priesthood:
Examining the Policy of a male-only clergy in the General Church
Thanks for reading!
Loving this, especially knowing Janie’s article is published in NCL using her title. The ball is still rolling!
Hi Shada, just read no deficiencies only blessings plus papers by King, Rogers and a recent draft by Mike Gladish. Intellectually, your paper runs rings around them. Your paper is clear, cogent and well argued. Further, their “led to the Truth” doctrine is highly flawed. I have felt for a long time there is no doctrinal evidence in the Writings to justify a male only priesthood, only an incorrect male led inability to see and lead to the truth. The men are drawing doctrine which is incorrect because that is way they have been trained. There is so much illogic in our doctrines. Take for example the idea that the Writings tell us the spiritual sense of the Bible but have no spiritual sense themselves. that is rubbish. How can what is the literal sense actually tell us in the sense of the letter the spiritual sense? It is this perspective that lies behind the male priest only syndrome – what is written in CL is seen to apply specifically to gender whereas in fact it applies equally to men and women as it is a book, not about physical gender differences, but about regeneration – there are no separate paths for men and women – that would mean that women can only regenerate if they are married to a regenerating male. It is this false doctrine that taken further dictates an all male priesthood. The priesthood represents Divine Good and all those, irrespective of gender, who are in the celestial heaven. Clearly, women in the celestial heaven are priests. And since they are they should be here too. But the priesthood here is an office. those holding the office may be evil, may be not regenerating, may be useless at their jobs, yet the argument for male priests only assumes that they are all regenerated men and thus able to “see” Divine truth and lead others to it. rubbish! Priests are only everyday people “dragged off the floor” , trained and given a job. Any gender can do it. to assume that men and men only have special powers is nonsense.