http://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/2007/05/egalitarian_rep.html

As for not learning the importance of women in church history, you must not have been paying attention at the prayers venerating St. Mary and other female saints? Or again, were you only focused at what was happening at the altar? Evangelical teaching touches little if at all on the importance of the Theotokos or on remembering the saints. How is an evangelical setting more affirming of womanhood?

Actually, I was wondering the same thing. Historically, the Church has had a mixed attitude towards women. They were either the seducer Eve who corrupted Adam or the saintlike Mary who redeemed herself. However, at least the Catholic Church has acknowledged the positive role of some women in its history. Any good histororian will tell you about the numerous women saints that the Church recognizes. (My favorite is St. Brigid–the Celtic woman who served as a bishop.) Growing up as a Protestant, I never heard about any woman who had any role in the Reformation.

As for poor Mary, I only ever heard of her at Christmas, and then only because she submitted to God (just like other biblical women, such as Sarah and Eve, had submitted to their husbands). Contrast that with a book I have, which is a collection of addresses given at a conference about Mary. Most of the speakers were Catholic, and they gave some fascinating perspectives on her. One of them even explained how Mary can be considered the first disciple! I was so impressed I drew upon those speeches for a couple of services I preached at Christmas and Ephiphany.

to be at the center of Christianity

equates to this:

the number of young women volunteering as altar servers, women in faculty positions at Catholic seminaries, and women in top positions on diocese advisory boards

Since when is “influence” in the church a factor of positions of visibility and status?

And why did the study not take the role of nuns and lay leadership (committee heads etc.) into consideration? To me it looks pretty skewed towards the results it wants to announce.

As for not learning the importance of women in church history, you must not have been paying attention at the prayers venerating St. Mary and other female saints? Or again, were you only focused at what was happening at the altar? Evangelical teaching touches little if at all on the importance of the Theotokos or on remembering the saints. How is an evangelical setting more affirming of womanhood?

And the Women’s Justice Coalition, judging by some of the organizations which make up its membership, is not exactly a group which commands much respect from anyone calling him/herself an Evangelical. It’s goal certainly is not “biblical” equality — whatever that is.