To Affirm That God Does Indeed Prohibit Females from Public Reading of Scriptures, for Reading Is Preaching/Heralding the Word

Preamble It cannot be denied that we at Trinity Lutheran Church,Tryon,N.C., are concerned that the Synod is drawing ever closer to the edge of allowing female pastors—if we have not already fallen over and are hanging on that edge. The Rev. Dr. William Weinrich has provided the most significant argument against women pastors in his lengthy article, “It Is Not Given to Women to Teach” (Matthew C. Harrison and John T. Pless, eds., Women Pastors? The Ordination of Women in Biblical Lutheran Perspective: A Collection of Essays [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008], 353–88). Our concern goes to the present practice within the Synod of female readers in the public service. If the intrinsic work of a pastor is to preach the Word, and if to read the Scriptures in the public service is to preach or to herald, as James plainly states in Acts 15:21, it is easy to consider that de facto we are there already. The following overture encourages a scriptural ly mandated reset regarding the Office of the Ministry before it is too late. For information on the practice of the Lutheran Reformers, see Gunther Stiller’s Johann Sebastian Bach and Liturgical Life in Leipzig (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1984, 66–74, 121, 136).

WHEREAS, The Synod holds the Bible to be the Word of God, both incapable of error and free from error, and that as stated in the Lutheran Confessions, We believe, teach, and confess that the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with all teachers should be estimated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament alone” (FC Ep, Summary Content, 1 [Triglotta]); and

WHEREAS, The Synod recognizes that preaching in the services of the congregation is intrinsic to the Office of the Ministry, and therefore the Synod recognizes Jesus’ prohibition against females serving as preachers and does not allow females to preach; and

WHEREAS, By the Holy Spirit, James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem and brother of our Lord, authoritatively declares in Acts 15:21, “For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those [preaching/heralding] him (τοὺς κηρύσσοντας), since he is read (ἀναγινωσκόμενος) every Sabbath in the synagogues” (author translation); and

WHEREAS, This public reading of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy) itself entails his being preached/heralded as recognized and stated plainly by Gerhard Friedrich, “In Acts 15:21 the weekly reading of the OT Law in the synagogue is called a preaching of Moses” (κηρύσσω, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964], 3:705); and

WHEREAS, St. Paul refers to his own appointment as a herald/preacher (κῆρυξ), apostle, and teacher (1 Tim. 2:7), leading up to his clear exclusion of a female (γυναικὶ) from teaching or exercising authority over a male (ἀνδρός) in 1 Timothy 2:12, “but for a female to teach I do not allow, neither to exercise authority over a male” (author translation) because of the order of creation and the way in which the female (γυνὴ) was involved in the fall; and

WHEREAS, The source of Synod’s current position that Scripture does not prohibit women from reading the Scriptures in the church service goes back to 1989 Resolution 3-14, “To Address Appropriate Roles for Women and Men in Worship” (Proceedings, 118):

WHEREAS, The Gospel images and expectations of women— particularly those associated with the incarnation, the resurrection, and the ministry of Jesus—present strong and persistent recognition of the active and vital roles of service that women can offer to our Lord and to others; and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) has stated that there are certain distinct functions which should not ordinarily be carried out by the laity (who may hold auxiliary offices) but which are to be exercised by the pastor, including the following: (Women in the Church, p. 42); and

WHEREAS, The CTCR has also stated in its report Women in the Church: “There is no ceremonial law in the New Testament regarding the reading of Scripture in the context of public worship. Nor is there explicit apostolic prohibition of such reading by women. Nevertheless, it is the opinion of the CTCR that the reading of the Scriptures is most properly the function of the pastoral office and should therefore not ordinarily be delegated to a lay person, woman or man,” (Women in the Church, p. 45); and

WHEREAS, The use of lay assisting ministers, both female and male, is permitted within the rubrics of Lutheran Worship for the reading of the lessons, except the Gospel and the leading of the prayers of the people; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod urge and encourage the continued service of women and men to our Lord and His church in accordance with His will as set forth in Holy Scripture; and be it further

Resolved, That the CTCR report Women in the Church and especially Section III, “Guidelines for Practice,” be commended for study and guidance; and be it finally

Resolved, That the congregations of the Synod proceed with care and sensitivity in making decisions permitting the lay reading of the Scriptures, recognizing decisions in this regard lie in the area of Christian judgment. Action: Adopted (15). and

WHEREAS, The 2005 Commission on Theology and Church Relations report The Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices with Guidelines for Congregations, in its section “Scriptural and Confessional Basis” (20), states: … detailed list of the activities required of pastors in the congregations they “are called to serve.” Intrinsic to this office, however, are the following functions: “1) preaching in the services of the congregation; 2) leading the formal public services of worship; 3) the public administration of the sacraments; and 4) the public administration of the office of the keys.” and the Lutheran Confessions teach, has adopted resolutions which permit women to vote in congregational assemblies (without any limitations on the matters on which they may vote) and to read the Scriptures in public worship services, there by indicating that these activities are not distinctive functions of the pastoral office nor do they constitute “official functions [that] would involve public accountability for the function of the pastoral office” (cf. 1969 Res. 2-17; 1989 Res. 3-14) [emphasis added]; and

WHEREAS, The practice of having female readers of the Holy Scriptures in the public worship service was based on the faulty and limited view (a reductionist view) of preaching as an intrinsic function of the Office of the Ministry, without proper consideration that the Holy Spirit defines the public reading ofthe Holy Scriptures as preaching/heralding (Act 15:21) and the responsibilities of an overseer to be “[public] reading, exhortation, teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13, author translation) and that St. Paul in his holy office calls himself a herald, apostle, and a teacher (κῆρυξ καὶ ἀπόστολος· ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύδομαι· διδάσκαλος) (1 Tim. 2:7), and because a careful reading of Scripture does not put the public reading of Scripture outside the office of preaching, but even equates that reading with preaching; therefore be it

Resolved, That we exercise great care when it comes to the clear words of the Holy Spirit: that to read Scripture is to herald or preach it, and give thanks to God that it is so, because—in the days of the apostles—Jewish rabbis did not regularly preach Jesus the way Moses does, and yet through the public reading of Moses the truth was preached and hearts were prepared for the apostles’ teaching that Jesus is the Christ; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod hereby acknowledge Jesus Christ’s prohibition against females reading the Scriptures in the public services of His Church, rescind its erroneous 1989 Res. 3-14, as well as correct its statements, rubrics, and practices, and Synod pastors everywhere repent of the error of inviting females to publicly read (which is to preach/herald) the Scriptures in the services of Christ’s Church, even as we comfort those females that they have not sinned, who have followed their pastor’s and the Synod’s lead down this perilous path.