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From: crf@mace.princeton.edu (Charles Ferenbaugh)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Immediate Applicability of Scripture
Message-ID: <Mar.9.00.40.32.1991.22853@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 9 Mar 91 05:40:34 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: Princeton University Mathematics Department
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In yet another article which has expired from my system, the Moderator was
discussing the applicability of Scripture to such modern issues as ordination
of women.  His point (or perhaps his presentation of the PC(USA)'s point)
was that Paul was giving situation-dependent advice which is not directly
applicable to us today.

First let me say, I agree that sometimes the Biblical writers were addressing
specific situations, and we do have to consider this possibility before
blindly applying Scripture to a situation where it doesn't fit.  So no
disagreement there.

However I don't think this is the case regarding ordination of women, because
in fact we have some record of what Paul's considerations were.  In one of
the letters to Timothy (sorry I can't be more precise, I'm working from
memory), Paul writes that he does not allow women to teach or have authority
over men, _because_ in the beginning the woman was deceived, but not the
man (he chose freely).

Let me comment specifically on what Paul _doesn't_ say.  He doesn't say,
don't ordain women because I hate women; if he did then we'd probably be
right in questioning that statement (along with a lot of others).  He doesn't
say, don't ordain women because women are uneducated, or because women can't
work outside the home; in this case we could definitively say that Paul was
basing his argument on a cultural factor which has since changed.

But Paul _does_ base his argument on the Fall, something which is as much of
an influence on us today as it was in his own time.  (Note that this holds
true whether you regard Genesis 3 as a literal historical event or as a
metaphor for what's wrong with the human race.)  So in this particular case,
I don't see how we can let Paul's statement slip by as being addressed only
to his own time and place.

Grace and peace,

Charles Ferenbaugh