# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S239
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Women and Military Service:
A LUTHERAN PERSPECTIVE

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© 2018 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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St. Louis, MO 63122
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

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A REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH—MISSOURI SYNOD

239

MARCH 2018

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The
Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover Photo: U.S. Marines photo by Cpl. Richard Currier

Women and Military Service:

Women and Military Service: A LUTHERAN PERSPECTIVE

A LUTHERAN PERSPECTIVE

Part I.
Part Ii.

Male-Female Distinctions within the Order of Creation
Scripture’s Teaching about Conscience

Practical Considerations
Supporting our Christian Sisters and Brothers in Matters of Conscience
Guidance for Individuals and Pastors

A Final Word

Background and Introduction

Theological Considerations
The Faithful Service of Christians in Governmental Vocations

Part IiI.

Part 1:

Background and Introduction

T

hroughout American history, women
have served in a variety of roles in support
of military forces, particularly during times
of war.1 However, women normally did not function
in direct combat roles, and they were never subject
to conscription.2 The increasing role and number of
women in the U.S. military in recent years, and their
participation in combat, has coincided with several
societal shifts occurring in the latter half of the 20th
century and the early 21st century.3 These changes include
movements for equal rights (including calls for equal
opportunities for women in all fields), the end of the
draft and the beginning of the all-volunteer U.S. military
force in 1973, and the evolution of combat tactics of

enemy forces in war to a nonlinear battlefield (also
called asymmetrical warfare) in which, by definition,
there is no set line of battle or clear articulation of
what is behind combat lines. In asymmetrical warfare,
enemy assaults and acts of terror are often intentionally
directed toward “soft targets” consisting of noncombat
support units, which are then thrust into the middle of
combat. Since the Vietnam War, for example, traditional
noncombat units have regularly engaged the enemy in
forward operating bases, convoys, at checkpoints, in
action involving both direct and indirect fire, and met
with improvised explosive devises (IEDs) and suicide
bombers.
Following the Vietnam War, the role of women in the
U.S. military began to increase in noticeable and significant ways. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a law
permitting women to enroll in the U.S. military academies.4 But in 1981, in the Rostker v. Goldberg ruling, the
U.S. Supreme Court upheld as constitutional the practice
of requiring only men to register for the draft, since
women were ineligible to serve in a combat capacity at
that time. In 1988, the Department of Defense (DoD)
adopted a department-wide policy called the “Risk Rule.”
This set a single standard for evaluating positions and
units on the basis of which the military services could
prohibit women from direct combat involvement.5

From 1775–1783, women served as cooks, laundresses, nurses and
seamstresses in support of the colonial army. In 1812, women nurses
served aboard U.S. Navy ships. From 1861–1865, women nurses served
wounded service members. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker served in the
Union Army and was appointed the first female surgeon; in 1895, she
was the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor. In 1901, the U.S.
Congress established the Army Nurse Corp; in 1908, the Navy Nurse
Corps was established. In 1917, the U.S. Navy allowed women to enlist
and serve stateside during World War I. In 1942, President Franklin
D. Roosevelt authorized creation of the Army, Navy and Coast Guard
women’s auxiliary/reserves. In 1948, the Women’s Armed Services
Integration Act granted women permanent regular and reserve status
in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and newly created Air Force; women
could comprise 2 percent of enlisted and 10 percent of officer total end
strength. archive.defense.gov/Home/features/2012/0212_womenshistory/
1

2
Military terminology (including terms employed to define various
facets and aspects of “combat”) is encyclopedic and, at times, complex.
For a thorough and official glossary and discussion of military terms,
see jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/dictionary.pdf.

4
The first women entered the U.S. military academies in 1976, and the
first women graduated in 1980.

3
A brief survey of the history of the draft in the U.S. can be found at
selectiveservice.us.

WOMEN AND MILITARY SERVICE: A LUTHERAN PERSPECTIVE

5
The rule exempted women from noncombat units or missions if the
risks of exposure to direct combat, hostile fire or capture were equal to

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PART 1

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2019 Convention Workbook