new church life: september / october 2013
Then the inevitable conclusion must be that women ought not to be
admitted into the priesthood of the New Church. Some kind of ministry, such
as the Stephen Ministry, may be appropriate, provided it does not include
ordination or clerical standing. But the priesthood itself must be reserved for
qualified men only – men who, according to the doctrine, “are skilled in the
law, wise, and God-fearing” (Arcana Coelestia 10792, New Jerusalem and the
Heavenly Doctrine 313), who are able to “lead to goodness of life (i.e., people
living good lives) by teaching truths in accordance with the doctrine of their
church from the Word.” (Arcana Coelestia 10794, New Jerusalem and the
Heavenly Doctrine 315)
Non-Doctrinal Arguments to the Contrary
Arguments in favor of ordaining women into the clergy fall into two general
classes: doctrinal arguments and arguments not doctrinal.
Arguments that are not doctrinal are drawn for the most part from the
surrounding culture. They run something like this:
This is the 21st century. Women are no longer second-cla