Female Ordination (AQA A-Level Religious Studies): Revision Notes
Female ordination
Background context
The role of women in the Church is influenced by theological grounds as well as social and political factors. In the UK, it is illegal to discriminate against women in employment. This created legal issues for the Church of England when women were not allowed to be ordained, as it could be argued the Church was breaching equal opportunity legislation.
The intersection of religious practice and civil law created a unique challenge for the Church of England, forcing it to address the question of women's ordination not just on theological grounds, but also as a matter of legal compliance.
The structure of ordained ministry in the Church of England
The Church of England has a threefold order of ordained ministry:
- Deacon - The first level of ordination. Whilst some remain permanent deacons, most are ordained priest within two years.
- Priest - Deacons are typically ordained as priests after two years of ministry.
- Bishop - After several years of ministry, some priests are consecrated as bishops.
The Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion - A worldwide group of Churches which are self-governing but share common Anglican theology and all pay respect to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Church of England is one Church within the Anglican Communion. These Churches govern themselves independently but maintain theological unity.
The ordination of women to the priesthood
Early discussions (1920)
The first attempt to discuss women's ordination took place at the Lambeth Conference in 1920. An Archbishops' Commission was established to consider the issue but ruled it out.
Florence Li Tim-Oi (1944)
A Historic First in China
The next significant development occurred in the Far East:
- In 1944, Florence Li Tim-Oi, a deaconess in China, was ordained priest.
- This was in response to a shortage of male clergy following the Japanese invasion during the Second World War.
- Her ordination was temporary, and she resigned her licence after the war ended.
- In 1971, when the Synod of Hong Kong and Macao ordained two other women as priests, Florence Li Tim-Oi was again officially recognised as a priest.
General Synod discussions (1975-1992)
General Synod - The governing and decision-making body of the Church of England. It comprises three houses: the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity.
A Critical Requirement for Change
Since all three houses must approve changes to Church law, gaining majority support across the House of Bishops, House of Clergy, and House of Laity proved to be the key challenge in advancing women's ordination.
The Church of England's General Synod discussed female ordination on several occasions:
- 1975 - The Synod agreed there were no fundamental objections to women being ordained.
- 1978 - A proposal to remove barriers to women's ordination through changes to Church law was passed by the House of Bishops and House of Laity, but lost in the House of Clergy. Since all three houses must approve changes to Church law, this blocked progress.
- 1981 - The Synod agreed women could be ordained as deacons.
- 1985 - Legislation for women deacons was passed.
- 1987 - The first ordinations of women deacons took place. However, unlike male deacons who would normally progress to priesthood, this option was not available for women.
- 1988 - The proposal to ordain women to the priesthood was discussed again.
- 1992 - The proposal finally received the required majority in all three houses of Synod.
- 12 March 1994 - The first 32 women were ordained as priests in the Church of England.
Arguments against female ordination
Those opposed to the ordination of women put forward several arguments:
- The Church of England did not have the authority to overturn the tradition of male-only ordained ministry in the Apostolic succession.
- Female ordination would damage the relationship between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, which opposes it.
- Conservative interpretations of biblical texts were used to argue against women's ordination.
Women as deacons (1981-1987)
From 1981, women could be ordained as deacons. The first women deacons were ordained in 1987. At this stage, women deacons could not progress to priesthood, unlike their male counterparts. This remained the case until 1994.
The consecration of women as bishops
International developments
Within the wider Anglican Communion, Barbara Harris was elected suffragan (assistant) bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in the USA in 1988 and was consecrated in 1989.
Libby Lane (2015)
In the Church of England, controversy continued over female bishops. Libby Lane became the first female bishop in the Church of England when she was consecrated as Bishop of Stockport in January 2015.
The debate about female bishops
Key terms:
- Sacrament - Physical action which has spiritual meaning and affects the soul of the person who receives it.
- Consecration - 1) To make something or someone sacred; 2) The religious rite by which a priest is made a bishop through the laying on of hands.
The debate about female bishops differed from that about female priests and centred on the Catholic view of the Apostolic succession:
The Sacramental Validity Question
Traditionalists raised a fundamental concern about the validity of sacraments:
- A bishop's role includes ordaining priests and performing the sacrament of confirmation.
- Traditionalists argued that any ordination or confirmation carried out by a woman would not be valid, as they believed women could not continue the tradition of male ordination and consecration going back to the apostles.
- Some Conservative Churches in the Anglo-Catholic tradition insisted they would not accept the oversight of a female bishop or any bishop who consecrated female priests.
Provisions for traditionalists
To accommodate those opposed to female ordination:
- Arrangements were made for provincial episcopal visitors (nicknamed 'flying bishops') to care for those who, in conscience, could not accept the ministry of female priests and bishops.
- Some Anglican clergy felt the Church of England had lost its legitimate ministry and asked to be received into the Roman Catholic Church.
- This included some married Anglican priests. Catholic priests are normally required to be celibate, but an exception was made for some former Anglican priests.
The continuing debate today
Whilst the Church of England as a whole has accepted the ordination of women as priests and bishops, many individual Christians, congregations, priests and bishops continue to oppose it.
Alternative episcopal oversight
The Church of England provides alternative episcopal oversight for those who reject women's ordination. This means parishes which oppose women's ordination are placed under the authority of a bishop who shares their view, in addition to their diocesan bishop.
The Philip North case (2017)
A Controversial Appointment
As the number of women priests increased, the position of bishops who oppose women's ordination became controversial:
- In 2017, Philip North, suffragan Bishop of Burnley, was announced as the next Bishop of Sheffield.
- As a diocesan bishop, he would have been responsible for all parishes and clergy in Sheffield, including many female priests and parishes welcoming women's ministry.
- Following criticism from within and outside the diocese, North withdrew his acceptance of the post.
Parishes separating from Church authority
At the most extreme, some parishes have separated themselves from the Church of England:
- Some churches have refused to accept any oversight from a diocesan bishop who ordains women.
- In 2017, the parish of Jesmond invited a bishop from a conservative Church in South Africa to consecrate their curate, Jonathan Pryke, as a bishop.
- This completely rejected the authority of their diocesan Bishop of Durham.
Key Points to Remember:
- The Church of England has a threefold order of ministry: deacon, priest and bishop.
- The first women were ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994, after decades of debate beginning in 1920.
- Libby Lane became the first female bishop in the Church of England in 2015.
- Key arguments against female ordination centre on Apostolic succession and the belief that the Church lacks authority to change this tradition.
- The Church of England provides alternative episcopal oversight for parishes and clergy who oppose women's ordination.
- Controversy continues today, with some parishes rejecting the authority of bishops who ordain women.