To the degree that the church adopts the ideas and
mores of the popular culture in opposition to its
doctrines, it gradually ceases to be a church in fact
and becomes just another secular institution. Even
a small change in one generation becomes license
for still another change in a later generation.
And little by little, through the generations, the
church becomes no longer what it once was, but
something manufactured out of the minds of men.
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry
and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and
take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison,
and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch
as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew
25:31-40)
Many – both men and women – have been drawn by these verses to a
religious vocation. And we suspect that women in the New Church seeking
ordination into ministry have also been inspired to do so by them.
Ministry, however, does not define the priesthood. This may seem to be
a surprising assertion, but there is a difference. Ministry implies service – in
the context of the church a type of religious social work. The term derives
from a Latin word meaning servant. But priesthood implies governance. In the
Heavenly Doctrines, the Latin term for priest is sacerdos, which means either
“a giver of the sacred” or “devoted to the sacred.”
Published statements by New Church women who have sought ordination
or who are seeking ordination indicate that it is ministry they seek rather than
actual priesthood. They do not cite doctrinal research, purity of doctrine, or
order in the church as goals, but rather chaplaincy and the right to lead in
worship.
Not the right to lead in worship if it includes preaching, but many of these
other services and ministries are worthy and pious goals, and are no doubt
shared by many male clergy; but they do not represent what it essentially
means to be a priest.
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