Short non-exhaustive thoughts on Church government

Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC (trekearth.com)

Methodology

I am not a chauvinist. I am not a feminist. Females are equal to males, both made in the image of God, Genesis 1: 27. I am a Biblical theologian. I write this post because like the previous article it came up in a recent discussion. That is all. That is where many of my ideas come from.

As a philosophical theologian and philosopher of religion I like to state that Church Ministry as a profession is not my 'bag'. But all Christians should be ministers at least as in small 'm'. I have never had any interest in becoming a Reverend. Frankly, I would be a pretty useless theologian and Christian philosopher if I could not minister to someone in Christian love. I do this. While I was in Dublin in 1995 a lady tried to kill herself, sort of, by leaving her baby and carriage across the street outside of a pub and she threatened to jump into the River Liffey and I did council her until the police came. I think she was trying to get her husband's attention. I had just been in the city for thirty minutes. Welcome to Dublin. A very nice city by the way.

Government

The other day I was briefly discussing women as elders in the Church with a Reverend. We basically have a very similar view. We agreed that the overseer (episkopos) Browning (1997: 112), in the New Testament was a man and should be today, even with cultural considerations such as more education for women. I did state I thought the issue did get slippery in regard to educated Christian women with Doctorates in congregations with men with much less spiritual maturity. Especially small congregations. I stand by this.

My scanner is small and some of the texts are very large and so the scans will not be perfectly straight, my apologies once again.

Strong page 40

There are other considerations such as I Timothy 3 pointing out that an overseer should be the husband of one wife. So a man. Also in Ephesians 5 there is the concept of the husband as head of the wife and as Christ is the head of the Church, a reasonable resulting view being a woman therefore should not be the spiritual head of a local church, if she is not the spiritual head of the home. I do not conclude from this that a woman should not be a head of a corporation, country, etc..

Browning states that when the overseers met they were considered the elders (presbuteroi) Browning (1997: 112). Wallace notes it in English as (presbytereroi). Wallace (1996: 347). Thiessen expresses his opinion that the terms pastor, elder and bishop all were one and the same office in the New Testament quoting Acts 20. Thiessen (1956: 418). He quotes Saint Jerome that stated the elder was identical to the bishop in the text the 'Early Years of Christianity' from E. De Pressense. Thiessen (1956: 418). Wallace states that the term episkopos/overseer is used interchangeably with versions for the word for elder in Acts 20 and in Titus. Wallace (1996: 347). Wallace reasons overseers are always elders but he is not sure that elders are always overseers. Some elders may have not been overseers. Wallace (1996: 347).

Image is from Strong page 80.

If in the New Testament when the overseers met they were the elders then there could be an argument made that the only legitimate elders today in a church are overseers/pastors/Reverends.

However, with my findings it is not crystal clear that only overseers were elders Biblically.

Browning states women could be regarded as deacons. Browning (1997: 93). Deacons were agents of the overseers. Browning (1997: 93).

Conclusions

If what Browning appears to be stating and what Thiessen is stating is the Biblical case, then today's elected elders that are not overseers are actually more like deacons. So, there can be an argument and discussion on whether or not women can be elders/deacons by this modern church definition only. But, I do not think they can be elders/overseers Biblically. This is a slippery topic.

If the other view suggested by Wallace is the Biblical case, then women can become Biblical deacons only.

Yes, this in my view is somewhat semantics.

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

STRONG, J. (1890)(1986) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Welch.

THIESSEN, HENRY C. (1956) Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, Perrysburgh, Ohio, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

WALLACE, R.S. (1996) ‘Elder' in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.


Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC (trekearth.com)


Victoria, BC (trekearth.com)

Now I admit while I was attending Bible School I used to nap in the
library while I waiting for driving partner Bobby Buff to do his assignments. As he did his work at school and I did mine at home, but this is one place I would never nap.


Well, we have had some really smart blondes (comment) on this blog...I imagine this one is smart too. 

Thanks PMH for the photos.