Woman shouldn't be ordained in the SDA Church?

http://www.adventistsaffirm.org/proveallthings/A.01appendix.html

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I wish you had left your name... I looked at the site you posted. Should I stone Sabbath breakers next week? According to the methodology of the book you listed, I should...

Would be interested in hearing more of your perspective...

---
"HeavenlySanctuary.com - Surf The Innernet!"

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-----Original Message-----
From: Izidor Pokrivac [mailto:izzy_pokri@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 6:18 AM
To: sbacchiocchi@biblicalperspectives.com
Cc: info@adventistsaffirm.org
Subject: Question about ordination

What do you say about this document?

http://www.heavenlysanctuary.com/article.php/20040311183958281

Was EGW ordained minister or not?

Thanks for your answer!

Your brother in Christ,
Izidor

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Dear Brother Izidore Pokrivac,

Your inquiry to Adventists Affirm was forwarded to me at the Ellen G. White Estate in hopes that I could help you with it. I am glad to do so.

The website item that you referred to is in error when it claims that Mrs. White was ordained. The document it pictures is not "ordination credentials," as the site says, but "Ministerial Credentials," the credentials that are given to ordained ministers. It is interesting to
me that "marco," the person who posted the materials on the website, chose to show Mrs. White's 1885 credentials, because on this particular document the word "ordained" has been neatly crossed out with small diagonal strokes through each of the letters. The reproduction on the website is too small for this to be evident, but it is clearly visible on the document from which this image most likely was taken, "Exhibits Relating to the Ordination of Women," prepared by the White Estate staff for a presentation by Robert W. Olson at the 1990 General Conference ministerial presession. This document is available still from the White Estate. The author, "marco," also noted
that Mrs. White said, on her 1909 Biographical Information Blank, that she had not been ordained. It is a mystery to me why, in light of Mrs. White's own testimony to the contrary, he claims that she had been ordained.

The same White Estate document I referred to has this note in connection with reproductions of several of Mrs. White's ministerial credentials:
"For many years Ellen White was voted ministerial credentials by the Michigan Conference (see e.g. RH, Sept. 10, 1872), and then later by the General Conference. However, she was never ordained by human hands, nor did
she ever perform a wedding, organize a church, or conduct a baptism."
These are activities that throughout her lifetime were recognized as pertaining to the ordained minister. She did not do them. So it appears that she did not take on the responsibilities of an ordained minister, despite the
credentials that were granted here.

How does one explain how these things fit together? It seems to me that the church at that time wanted to recognize Mrs. White's contribution to the church, but it didn't have "prophet's credentials" (it still doesn't).
So it gave her its highest credentials, those of an ordained minister, without ordaining her and without calling on her to exercise the responsibilities of
an ordained minister. The fact that on at least one such ministerial credential they crossed out the word "ordained" indicates to me that they recognized that such credentials were not a perfect fit. But they gave them anyway in honor of her unique role. Clearly, though, she did not need
such credentials. She had functioned for more than 25 years without them, doing the same kinds of things that she did after she began to receive them.

I hope that this will help to clarify matters. May the Lord bless and guide you as you study His word.

William Fagal
Associate Director
Ellen G. White Estate
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20905-6600 U.S.A.

Phone: 301 680-6550
FAX: 301 680-6559
http://www.WhiteEstate.org

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I would like to respond to the person who remarked about the "small diagonal lines through each letter" in the word Ordained in the document shown.

Besides being very picky, it shows an ignorance of basic editorial copyediting. Small, diagonal lines through letters indicates that the letter so marked is to be capitalized. If the document is hand written (and in 1885 it was likely to have been) then it simply means that when the document was transferred to printed state the typesetter would automatically capitalize the word.

In other words, instead of negating the word, those little diagonal marks are emphasizing it. Considering this was 1885, it is very likely that whoever created this document would emphasize that Sr. White was being ordained simply because she was a woman.

However, the proof "Marco" offered is not the only copy of such evidence. There are other such documents in existence which do not exhibit the copyediting marks on which the author coments.
dj

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I must add a second comment. Elder Fagel comments that Sr. White never exercised any ministerial role after receiving the 1885 paper (I am supposing he means baptizing, marrying and burying--as she did preach, and often) it is his belief that the documents were simply to honor her status as prophet.

As I know more than one Ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister who has never functioned in the capacity of church minister, or baptized or married or buried, am I to understand Elder Fagel is suggesting that these men were being honored for prophetic gifts? I doubt that sincerely.

Ordination does not automatically preclude service in any particular vein. I know of officers in Conferences who are ordained ministers who have never functioned as church ministers, preached, baptized, married or buried. They hold their ordination because of the office they fill at the conference. At the same time I know more than one preacher that has never been ordained. Ordination does not preclude ministerial duties--it can be an indication of clerical or administrative office. And preaching and even baptizing does not have to have ordination to justify it.

I am not addressing whether women should be ordained. I am only commenting on statement made in this particular letter that seem to beg comment.
dj

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Now, that is fascinating...

Thank you for your comment!

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