I forgot to post this, and I was there and all…
From the ANiC newsletter:
Ordination of new priest
Bishop Don ordained the Rev Karen Bergenstein to the priesthood in Ottawa on January 25th. She had been ordained to the deaconate last May.
I’ve been promised pictures….
Accepting that it is wonderful whenever someone is called by God to His service, and then answers that call, I am personally not yet convinced that woman ordination is ok. We are all aware that there are groups within ACNA that do not agree with woman ordination. Perhaps we should refrain from any more woman ordinations until after ACNA has made a final decision on this issue. In the meantime, women who feel called to the service of God could view themselves to be more like Nuns than Priests. Just a thought and a suggestion.
A thread meant to congratulate someone who has just been ordained to the priesthood is an inappropriate place to discuss women’s ordination. The decision for ANiC in that regard has already been made by our leaders, and the Common Cause partnership has been able to stand united despite disagreement on the issue. Here is what the leader of Common Cause, Bishop Bob Duncan, has said: (Full interview is here.)
Please confine further comments on this thread to congratulations for Karen, and prayers for her ministry at her church plant in Blackburn Hamlet.
#2 Kate:
Let me see if I’ve got this right: when ACoC defies the clear teaching of Scripture and departs from two-thousand years of Christian tradition to bless homosexual couples, it’s okay to denounce them as a pack of hell-bound apostate revisionists. But when ANiC defies the clear teaching of Scripture and departs from two-thousand years of Christian tradition to ordain women, we are only allowed to post congratulations and pray for her unscriptural ministry?
–Slightly edited. –Admin.
No – I just wanted to keep this thread from getting nasty. Obviously I failed. We have gone over this over and over again on this blog, there are wise and orthodox leaders on both sides of the issue, and the Common Cause parternership is forging ahead in spite of their differences regarding WO. I don’t think that a “congratulations” post where the conversation is going to get attached to a particular person’s name is an appropriate place for a discussion that has a high likelyhood of going sour.
Noli,
You aren’t pulling Kate’s chain a little bit are you?
Peace,
Jim
Congratulations and God’s blessings on your ministry, Rev. Karen!
#5
I’m yanking Kate’s pravda chain more than a little bit here, Jim, but I’ll try not to be nasty.
I do sincerely congratulate the Rev. Karen Bergenstein upon the occasion of her ordination, and I do pray for the success of her ministry in Blackburn Hamlet. Although her ordering is contrary to Scripture, I’m sensible enough to realize that even defective trees can bear good fruit in this world. After some soul-searching, I’ve received communion from female Anglican priests (and bishops) in good conscience more than once, and have also listened to their sermons to my benefit. So yeah: God bless Karen’s ministry. However, there’s no way around it: women’s ordination is unscriptural.
I regret that previous conversations on this blog regarding WO got nasty. However, the proposed ACNA settlement on this issue hasn’t really been seriously debated here yet. Plus I’m a relative newcomer to this blog community so I wasn’t exposed to all of the earlier arguments. Blog readership numbers suggest that I’m not alone in that.
I’m willing to respect Kate’s call that the thread for Karen’s ordination probably isn’t the appropriate time or place to get into all that (yet again, for many of you, it seems.) But it’s crazy to avoid talking about the elephant in a room,. So I look forward to a designated opportunity for people to the rehearse their hoary old arguments here sometime soon… with formal civility.
There are many people who disagree with you on that Noli. If I hadn’t read scriptural arguments for WO I wouldn’t support it. There is a wonderful comment thread over on Stand Firm, wherein a Dr. Pricilla Turner, a Greek scholar, makes a scriptural argument in support of WO. It is no longer on the front page, though, and I can’t find it. If someone would post a link, it would be lovely. (I will speak to the other admins about Noli’s request).
God bless you, Karen, and grow the church plant that you are co leading. Karen is one of the people in Ottawa who was denied ordination in the Diocese of Ottawa at the 11th hour (I believe she had passed ACPO and finished all her school, but I could be wrong about that) because she was too orthodox and was associated with an orthodox parish. She had to wait a very long time, and go through much uncertainty before she was finally ordained.
If physical gender were all that mattered then Gene Robinson would be an exemplary bishop. Ditto John Spong.
Thank God for the Karens of the church, who in hewing to the faith show far more courage than any political activist clergy.
Noli [#7],
In the same comment you have both agreed not to do what you have been asked not to do and – done what you have been asked not to do. Enough already!
We’ll take the request under advisement, but I think the dust should settle on this thread for now. Thanks!