LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 197

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 197

prophets, some evangelists. some “pastors-teachers” (Eph. 4:11),
some teachers, some workers of miracles, some healers, some
helpers, sorne administrators, some speakers of languages (1 Cor.
12:28ff; Romans 1|2:6ff); and

WHEREAS, The purpose of the different charismata is “to equip
the saints for their work of service for building up the body of
Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and in the knowl-
edge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. ... Speaking the truth in love, we
are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, Christ”
(Eph. 4:12-15); and

WHEREAS, According to Paul, Luke, and John, women are the
recipients of the charismata of the Spirit: Women pray and proph-
esy in the congregation (Acts 2; | Cor. 11), teach the Gospel to oth-
ers (John 4; Acts 18), proclaim the Gospel of the resurrection of
Jesus to others (John 20). labor for the Gospel in the missionary
setting of early Christianity (John 4; Rom. 16; Acts 18), serve as
house leaders/patronesses of several congregations (Rom. 16:2;
Acts 16:15); and

WHEREAS, Although women share these Gospel freedoms and
responsibilities with the other disciples and apostles (Rom. 16:7).
there are, to be sure, certain apparent limitations, but these have
been applied by the Synod to the office of the pastoral ministry
(e.g., 1998 3-25A); and

Wuereas,. According to the New Testament witness (Acts
18:26; Rom. 16; John 4). the early church did not apply | Tim.
2:11-14 or | Cor. 14:33b-36 to women in every context of the mis-
sion of the church; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the history of the Catholic and Orthodox
church, qualified women have taught the Word of God to men and
women in schools and universities; and

WHEREAS, In the past, the LCMS has used | Tim. 2:1 1-14 and
| Cor. 14:33b-36 to prohibit women from serving in positions of
“authority over men” in society, from voting in congregations,
from serving as parochial school teachers, from serving on the
Synod’s boards and commissions, and from serving in any number
of other positions of leadership; and

WHEREAS, Despite these previous interpretive decisions in the
LCMS, the LCMS has changed its understanding of these passages
in question so as to affirm now that women may vote in congrega-
tions and may teach the Word in Sunday schools, in adult Bible
classes (e.g... as DCEs), in parochial schools, in evangelism out-
reach, in catechesis classes, and in university and other settings;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the Northwest District memorialize the Synod
to affirm that there is no biblical or dogmatic rationale for why
women ought not serve as teachers of theology in the Concordia
University System.

Northwest District

3-123

To More Widely Use God’s Gifts through Women

WHEREAS, God has blessed the church with many gifts to both
women and men (1 Cor. 12-14); and

WuerEas, All possible gifts should be used to honor our God
and serve the church and all of society; and

WHEREAS, We as a church body have been painfully slow in
both recognizing and utilizing the gifts of women in all activities
and mission of the church; therefore be it

Resolved, That we repent of our neglect to receive and use these
gifts; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod at its conventions expand its recog-
nition and use of God's gifts through women by inviting or ap-
pointing them to serve as convention essayists, worship leaders,
and floor committee chairpersons; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the expansion of the role of women in
the activities of the Synod by requesting the President of the Synod

to appoint them more in proportion to their membership in congre-
gations; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the use of women as candidates for the
office of President in the Concordia University System; and be it
further

Resolved, That we urge the election of qualified women as
teachers of theology in our seminaries and in the Concordia Uni-
versity System; and be it finally

Resolved, That the synodical Committee on Nominations nom-
inate women to all positions more in proportion to their member-
ship in the congregations of the Synod.

St. Peter
San Leandro, CA

3-124

To Examine Theological Implications of Women
Serving as Combat Warriors in Armed Forces

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that “God created man in His own
image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He
created them” (Gen. !|:27); and

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that the male-female relationship
is rooted in a divinely instituted order of creation not negated by
the order of redemption in which both sexes share equally in the
blessing of God's redeeming work in Christ; and

WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that God has given to His creation
a definite order as the expression of His immutable will and dis-
tinctive identities for man and woman were assigned by God at cre-
ation; and

WHEREAS, Relationships between and differentiation of the
sexes belong to the very structure of created existence and the
obligatory character of this order derives from the Creator Himself;
and

WHEREAS, The identities and functions of each sex are not in-
terchangeable, but distinct; and

WHEREAS, St. Paul attests to male “headship” (1 Cor. 11:7-9)
on the basis of Gen. 2:18—25; and

WuereEas, This headship (and accompanying subordination) is
rooted deeply in both Old and New Testaments; and

WHEREAS, It is the Creator’s intention that His people gratefully
recognize and reccive the ordered relation of headship/subordina-
tion as an arrangement that serves the welfare of both sexes; and

WHEREAS, Equality of the sexes before God does not mean
sameness or interchangeability of male and female identities; and

WHEREAS, Adam was given the position and responsibility as
head of the relationship between himself and Eve and exercised
that authority by both naming the animals and his wife; and

WIEREAS, Woman was created from Adam and brought to him
as a “helper” and one who made possible a household and children;
and

WHEREAS, Adam, in turn, was to be a protector and provider for
his partner as head of a relationship intimately described as “one
flesh”: and

WHEREAS, Scripture instructs that the relationship between men
and women bear the elements of the structure given in creation
(Romans 8; | Corinthians 7); and

WHEREAS, The oneness of male and female in Christ (Galatians
3) does not obviate or annul the distinctions given in creation, i.e.,
that the identity of man and woman can be exchanged; and

WHEREAS, Christians honor the rule of God by submitting them-
selves to His will, not by subverting His intent that man be the de-
fender, protector of, and provider for women; and

WHEREAS, The clear message of Scripture is that God both in-
tended and designed men to protect women and nowhere presents
woman as warrior or military defender. (Note that the story of Deb-
orah in Judges 4 is a condemnation of male reticence, not an exal-
tation of woman as warrior. Deborah dons no military gear [Deut.

2001 Convention Workbook