Searching the Scriptures - Samuel Pipim

credibility and sense of fairness"--created by the inconsistent and "clearly untenable"position of the Seventh-day Adventist church on the issue of women's ordination.The Two Choices Facing Us. The NAD president highlighted the biblical inconsistencyof the church's present position: "It appears to be ecclesiological hairsplitting to say thatwe will recognize ordination of women [as local elders] on one hand and refuse torecognize it [their ordination as pastors] on the other hand, while calling them bothscriptural positions." 3 The implication should not be missed: If women can be ordained aslocal elders, it is equally valid for them to be ordained as pastors. But by the same token,if the practice of ordaining women as local elders is unbiblical, it is also unbiblical toordain them as pastors. So the question really facing the church is this: Is ordainingwomen as elders biblical? If it is, we must continue the practice and extend it to includeordaining women as pastors. On the other hand, if ordaining women as local elders is notscriptural, we must reconsider previous church council actions in order to come intoharmony with the Bible.Fidelity to God's Word. The NAD president rightly maintains that in resolving thisdilemma, "Our objective must be fidelity to God's Word." This explains the title of thisbook--Searching the Scriptures: Women's Ordination and the Call to Biblical Fidelity.But though the NAD apparently does not consider the ordination issue as theological, 4we hold that the question of women's ordination is a theological issue, and therefore itcan only be resolved legitimately on the basis of the Bible.So this small volume will provide a biblical--not pragmatic or socio-cultural--investigation to try to determine whether the practice of women's ordination is accordingto God's plan. We will examine the Bible's portrayal of the partnership of male andfemale in both the home and the church, to see whether God has established distinctiveroles for men and women, and whether the relationship of male and female is one ofequality or of superiority/inferiority. Gaining a clear understanding of the Bible'steachings on these and related matters and applying those teachings to our situation offersthe best hope for "preserving the ability of each member or region of 'the body' to bestfunction in its unique sphere"--one of the very things sought by the NAD.Church Unity and Empowerment for Mission. The NAD president correctly set the goal,in attempting to resolve this dilemma, that we not "embarrass," "divide" or "bringdishonor upon this church that we love." Rather, our objective must be to provide "unityin diversity" and to "empower people for mission." 5 But we hasten to add that ontheological issues--such as the one confronting us with regard to the women's ordinationquestion--unity, and not diversity, is the biblical obligation. Unity ensures harmony andpeace in the church. The Bible urges believers to be "of the same mind, having the samelove, being in full accord and of one mind" (Phil 2:2). Again we are told, "Let us thenpursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding" (Rom 14:19). But the unitywhich the Bible speaks about is not a conformity to popular opinions which compromisebiblical truth. Instead, Scripture urges us to pursue a "unity of the Spirit" which leads us"till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Eph4:3, 13). True unity and consequent harmony in the church always derive from agreement