In this modern/post-modern age of challenge and change, the role and status of women in society has been a prominent issue. Inevitably Christendom in general, and the Church in particular is confronted with this important issue.
Various Christian groups have sought to accommodate the women’s movement by allowing female ordination, from the diaconate to the episcopate. Even some in the Orthodox Church have argued for a more active role for women in the Church.
This talk seeks to address the issue of the position and role of women in the Church by way of returning to some foundational concepts regarding Christ and His Church, what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, and what it means to be a Christian. I hope that by re-examining these foundational truths, we can place the “debate” into its proper context.
Indeed, context is very important. If we can appreciate the Tradition of the Church, the Teaching of the Scriptures, and the Practice of the Church when it comes to Christian Life and the Priesthood, we will be able to think through these challenges more fruitfully. Perhaps such an understanding will answer more than the particular question of women in the Church. Perhaps we can begin to nurture a deeper understanding of each other, as women, and men, and Christians in Christ’s Holy Church, and our relationship to the world around us.
by Fr. Dcn. Mark Woloszyn
- Bachelor of Theology (St.Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney)
- Graduate Studies in Classics and Archaeology (University of Melbourne)
- Masters of Theological Studies, majoring in Old Testament Biblical Studies, Classical Hebrew, and a double thesis on Biblical Archaeology (Catholic Theological College, Melbourne)
