tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post6899741996119711929..comments2024-01-24T10:39:27.668-05:00Comments on Coming Untrue: Calling an AudibleDr. S. L. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06303707167715370504noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-2240038578011652372016-05-23T10:41:56.099-04:002016-05-23T10:41:56.099-04:00Thanks for the invite. I've never been to a Ca...Thanks for the invite. I've never been to a Catholic mass, but I've been to a Catholic wedding and two Catholic funerals, so I have some (very general) idea about your order of service and how it compares.<br /><br />As have probably seen in your visits to Protestant churches, women participate fully in communal prayer and singing too and have always done so. I've noticed that some Protestant churches also make use of the ladies to pass the bread and wine, as nothing in scripture forbids such service (which may be a similar function to your altar servers or Eucharistic Ministers, perhaps? I don't know enough about your regular mass to say ...). I've also seen women delivery missionary reports and make announcements from the pulpit. And of course Protestant women are often missionaries, witnesses, door-knockers, Sunday School teachers, teachers of other women and much more with the full support of their churches. <br /><br />I would be remiss if I didn't note that some Protestant churches have fully capitulated to demands for "equality" and ordain women, etc. There is no united Protestant voice on this issue, among others. But those of us who have not shifted our position from that of the church generally throughout the last two millennia note that it's really only with respect to <i>authoritative public teaching in church</i> that the New Testament makes a distinction between the roles of men and women in church. The apostle Paul says:<br /><br />"Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." (1 Timothy 2:11-12)<br /><br />So I recognize that it's done differently in many places, for reasons both practical and having to do with one's view of authority (that is to say, does a church refer only to the Bible for all decisions about faith and practice, or does it look to denominational traditions, the writings of church fathers or other sources for answers to its questions).<br /><br />But since I'm coming from a <i>sola scriptura</i> perspective, you will understand that even a single unequivocal statement like Paul's to Timothy is quite sufficient for me.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596708332568087278.post-73583431128318747522016-05-22T23:19:57.623-04:002016-05-22T23:19:57.623-04:00To me, as a Catholic, this is a bit curious. Such ...To me, as a Catholic, this is a bit curious. Such separation or distinction between sexes concerning church service participation does not exist (any longer) in the Catholic service. We have equal participation in the mass for men and woman. There are male and female readers and lectors, altar servers and Eucharistic Ministers. Both male and female fully participate in communal prayer during mass and in song (if so inclined). The only distinction made is for priests and deacons, who are male (and believe me there are many woman trying hard to have that changed as well).<br /><br />My wife and I have attended many Protestant services (of many different denominations) as part of our church's ecumenical outreach and because of baptism, weddings, funerals of Protestant friends. I wonder if a Protestant should not also attend a Catholic mass once in a while to become familiar with the differences in worship service. Just as we were welcomed, so would they be.Qmannoreply@blogger.com