From Clinton and Gina Wahlen’s website:
Free Download– English, Spanish, Portuguese Editions — GC Special Until July 8, 2015
In order to encourage everyone to read and study the issue of women’s ordination up to the time it will be discussed at this year’s General Conference session, we are making an amazing FREE offer. Just click on the image below to download the book of your choice in English, Spanish, or Portuguese—and please share this page with all your friends!
Women’s Ordination: Does it Matter? ENGLISH PDF
Women’s Ordination, Does it Matter? SPANISH PDF
Women’s Ordination, Does it Matter? PORTUGUESE PDF
Clinton Wahlen serves as an associate director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference.
Category: Clinton Wahlen
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Clinton Wahlen response to Ty Gibson
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Ty Gibson recently placed a lengthy article favoring TOSC position 3 on the internet. In his brief response Clinton Wahlen gently points out glaring problems in Gibson’s approach. Elder Wahlen serves the church through the General Conference. He is associate director of the Biblical Research Institute.
FIND IT HERE.
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Videos from WO Symposium in Germany
A Symposium on Women’s Ordination was held June 8-10, 2015 in Germany titled “Frauenordination und die Einheit der Gemeinde” (“Ordination of women and the unity of the community”). Speakers included Christopher Kramp, Eugene Prewitt, Ingo Sorke and Clinton Wahlen. If your German is not up to speed, you will benefit the most from the English language presentations by Clinton Wahlen and Eugene Prewitt (all others are in German).
1. Adam, wo bist du? | Ingo Sorke (German language only)
2. Leiterschaft entsprechend der Schöpfungsordnung | Clinton Wahlen (English and German)
3. Paulus: Lokal oder Global? | Ingo Sorke (German language only)
4. Argumente unter der biblischen Lupe | Eugene Prewitt (English and German)
5. Die offizielle Erklärung zur Position 1, wie sie dem Annual Council der GK 2014 präsentiert wurde | Clinton Wahlen (German and English)
6. Ordination in der Adventgeschichte | Christopher Kramp (German language only)
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1 Corinthians 1 Timothy Annual Council Biblical Interpretation Clinton Wahlen Complimentarian Council of Adventist Pastors (CAP) Doctrine of the Church Doctrine of Unity Ecclesiastical authority Gender General Conference Session 2015 San Antonio Genesis Headship Ordination Without Regard to Gender OrdinationTruth.com Pre-fall headship Seventh-day Adventist Church Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) TOSC position one Women in Ministry Women's Ordination
Position 1 Statement to Annual Council
Clinton Wahlen was asked to make the presentation of the TOSC Position 1 group at Annual Council 2014. The Adventist Review has reproduced it here:
http://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/theology-of-ordination-position-no.-1
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1 Corinthians 1 Timothy Biblical Interpretation Clinton Wahlen Consensus Council of Adventist Pastors (CAP) Culturally driven Daniel Bediako Distinct roles Doctrine of Holy Scripture Doctrine of the Church Doctrine of Unity Edwin E. Reynolds Equality Galatians Gender Genesis Gerhard Pfandl Headship Historical-grammatical method Ingo Sorke Jerry Moon Junia Junias Laurel Damsteegt Male-sex specific roles Ordination Without Regard to Gender OrdinationTruth.com P.G. Damsteegt Paul Ratsara Phoebe Principle-based Historical-cultural Method Richard Davidson Rio Document 1986 Seventh-day Adventist Church Stephen Bohr Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) Unity Women in Ministry Women's Ordination
Evaluation of egalitarian papers
In the January 2014 meeting of the Theology of Ordination Study Commottee (TOSC), several papers were presented. Among these was this short paper prepared by 10 members of the committee. This paper is a concise evaluation of several of the arguments favoring women’s ordination. The ten authors writing this response are Gerhard Pfandl with Daniel Bediako, Steven Bohr, Laurel and Gerard Damsteegt, Jerry Moon, Paul Ratsara, Ed Reynolds, Ingo Sorke, and Clinton Wahlen.
Among other things, this paper addresses the following pro-woman’s ordination arguments advanced by those holding that position:
- In Genesis 1 there is full equality in function between man and woman.
- Adam and Eve were priests in the pre-fall Eden sanctuary.
- Male headship did not exist in the Garden; it is a result of the fall and applies only to the marriage relationship and not to the church.
- The qualification lists in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1:1-11 are gender neutral.
- Junia in Romans 16 was a female apostle.
- Galatians 3:26-29 applies not only to salvation, but it also abolishes the subordination of “females to males.”
- 1 Timothy 2:12-14 applies only to a specific situation in Ephesus and does not refer to the relationship that should universally exist between men and women.
- The priesthood of all believers permits women to be ordained as elders/ministers.
- Ministry in the New Testament Church was non-hierarchical.
- “Head” in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 has the meaning of source rather than spiritual authority.
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Biblical Interpretation Biblical Research Institute Clinton Wahlen Council of Adventist Pastors (CAP) Culturally driven Darius Jankiewicz E.D. Hirsch Feminist Theology Hermeneutic of Suspicion Historical-Critical Method Historical-grammatical method Lake Union Conference (LUC) Ordination Without Regard to Gender OrdinationTruth.com Postmodernism Principle-based Historical-cultural Method Reader-response criticism Rio Document 1986 Seventh-day Adventist Church Women in Ministry Women's Ordination
Hermeneutics and Scripture in the 21st Century
Earlier this year we reported that the Lake Union had held a prayerful discussion on the matter of women’s ordination and had chosen rather than to move into a position of opposition to the Church, to work with the Church with reference to this topic. Among the presentations at the Lake Union was “Hermeneutics and Scripture in the 21st Century,” by Clinton Wahlen.
Wahlen points out how methods of interpreting Scripture continue to adjust and modify. The use of the historical-critical method has waned but a new focus has arisen. This new focus moves away from locating meaning in the text of Scripture and places meaning instead in the reader. It is fascinating that, while this material was presented nearly a year ago, reader-response criticism forms a central part of the NAD’s “new” proposed women’s ordination hermeneutic released last month (NAD Report, pp. 23-31). The NAD Report actually critiques the Church’s 1986 “Methods of Bible Study” (Rio) document for lacking this emphasis. However, we agree with Wahlen who warns in this paper, “…all of these methods [“literary ” and reader-focused”] as classically defined employ a critical approach to the text ‘which subordinates the Bible to human reason’ and should therefore be ‘unacceptable’ to Seventh-day Adventists, as the 1986 ‘Methods of Bible Study’ document voted in Annual Council has made clear” (“Hermeneutics and Scripture in the Twenty-First Century,” p. 1). The paper by Wahlen linked above provides important background for those who peruse the NAD Report.
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1 Corinthians 1 Timothy Biblical Interpretation Clinton Wahlen Complimentarian Deborah Distinct roles Doctrine of Unity Edwin E. Reynolds General Conference Session 2015 San Antonio Genesis Headship Historical-grammatical method NAD TOSC Minority Report NAD TOSC Report NAD Year-end Meeting North American Division (NAD) Ordination Without Regard to Gender OrdinationTruth.com Principle-based Historical-cultural Method Rio Document 1986 Seventh-day Adventist Church Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) Women in Ministry Women's Ordination
NAD Minority Report
It may appear to the world church that the North American Division is immovably united in favor of Women’s Ordination. This is far from the case. Many Adventists in the small towns surrounding our universities in North America do favor Women’s Ordination. There are a few geographical locations like Southern California, Western Oregon, and parts of Ohio, where this is also the case. However, it is probably still true that the majority of Adventists in North America are not committed to Women’s Ordination. Many oppose it on serious biblical grounds.
Many NAD administrators and scholars seem in favor. But not all. For example, Edwin E. Reynolds teaches in the religion department at Southern Adventist University. Clinton Wahlen is an associate director of the Biblical Research Institute. Both are members in the North American Division and were among those selected to engage in study on behalf of the North American Division Theology of Ordination Study Committee. They have prepared a powerful study in which they dissent from the Majority report. This material is included as part of the NAD Report released on November 2, 2013. We have made available in the following link the full North American Division Theology of Ordination Study Committee Minority Report.
http://ordinationtruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/nad-ordination-14-minority.pdf
In the report, Reynolds and Wahlen point in particular to the central issue of interpretive method. “The current divergence in views on the subject of women’s ordination is due in part to different understandings of the nature of Scripture and how it should be interpreted. . . Some advocate an approach that takes into account the ‘trajectory’ of Scripture. . . extrapolated so that the trajectory beyond and outside of Scripture can be seen. . . such an approach, even though it might broadly affirm the Bible’s inspiration, nevertheless undermines it by characterizing selected portions of Scripture as time- and culture-bound and, therefore, tinged with the author’s prejudicial views on such topics, rather than God’s thoughts which are valid for all places and all time” (p. 195). The authors are concerned about this approach, and warn, “it is one thing to study the historical-cultural backgrounds to enlighten our understanding of the setting in which the text was written; it is another thing altogether to suggest that the text was culturally conditioned and that, therefore, a trajectory beyond the text must be constructed for our current, more enlightened age” (pp. 196, 197).
Reynolds and Wahlen look closely at passages like Genesis two, Deborah in Judges, 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 11, among others. They conclude that “ordaining women represents a significant departure from the biblical model” (p. 207). And, they warn that “To follow the Bible model on the issue of women’s ordination will require courage like that of our pioneers. Nevertheless, it is the only basis on which we can expect to maintain global unity, receive God’s continued blessing, and, most importantly, anticipate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to finish His work” (p. 208).
Among the varied studies produced on Women’s Ordination in the past five years in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, few illuminate so much in so compact a space as this document. The Council of Adventist Pastors encourages all to read the NAD Theology of Ordination Study Committee Report Minority Report.
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Church governance Clinton Wahlen Council of Adventist Pastors (CAP) E-60 Edwin E. Reynolds NAD TOSC Minority Report NAD TOSC Report NAD Working Policy NAD Year-end Meeting North American Division (NAD) OrdinationTruth.com Pacific Union Conference (PUC) Polity Sandra Roberts Sandy Roberts SECC SECC constituency meeting Seventh-day Adventist Church Southeastern California Conference Unilateral Action Unity Women's Ordination YEM
NAD Year-end Meeting 2013 developments
UPDATED: 2013-11-05 01:51: Adventist Review Reports on the NAD TOSC Report here: http://www.adventistreview.org/article/6791/archives/issue-2013-1530/30-cn-north-america-church-leaders-receive-theology-of-ordination-report.
2013-11-04 21:59: As the North American Division Year-end Meeting draws to a close, the NAD has finally come to its Division report for the Theology of Ordination Study committee. They voted to receive the report, although 31 voted “No.” NAD has also launched a new website (NADOrdination.com) with several videos. What will surprise some is that NAD has now come out into the open with a new hermeneutical approach in contrast to the Historical-grammatical approach of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The new approach has been designated by its advocates the “Principle-based Historical-cultural” method (PBHC). Kyoshin Ahn writes positively about the new hermeneutic as a representing “a whole new movement in biblical studies. . . . The overwhelming majority of the [NAD] committee feels that these difficult passages [passages mentioned by those who oppose WO] require the modern Adventist reader to employ a principle-based approach” (North American Division Theology of Ordination Study Committee Report, pp. 23, 31). In the Minority Report, included in the NAD-TOSC Report, Edwin H. Reynolds and Clinton Wahlen ably point out the dangers of unsound interpretive approaches. Warn Reynolds and Wahlen in their minority report, “. . .it is one thing to study the historical-cultural backgrounds to enlighten our understanding of the setting in which the text was written.; it is another thing altogether to suggest that the text was culturally conditioned and that, therefore, a trajectory beyond the text must be constructed for our current more enlightened age. If the latter were true, it would mean that the Bible does not set forth universal principles but only that which was perceieved by the inspire writers to be valid for the local situation at the time or, even worse, reflects then-current prejudices and misunderstandings” (Ibid., pp. 196, 197). No doubt, CAP shall publish more on these developments in due course.
2013-10-31 13:26: It appears so far that the first report below may be correct. Ms. Roberts is said to have been welcomed at the Year-end Meeting by NAD Secretary G. Alexander Bryant. Long applause is reported. The NAD, PUC, and the SECC seem to be jointly aligned in upholding actions which are in defiance of the General Conference in session.
2013-10-31 07:22: General Conference Statement “Moving Forward Together” here: http://www.adventistreview.org/article/6780/archives/issue-2013-1530/30-cn-moving-forward-together. Excerpt from the statement: “Working Policy, which is the recording of our agreements as to how we will work together to do the Lord’s work and mission, serves as one of the practical unifying agents that the Holy Spirit uses to bind the church together. Policy is not inflexible. It can be changed but it reflects the understanding of the collective group, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When personal convictions are placed ahead of the collective policy decisions of the worldwide church, troubling precedents are set. God works in an orderly way and wishes His church to exemplify this sanctified behavior through the power of the Holy Spirit. Humility and submission to God for the good of the church body as outlined in the Word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy are fundamental Biblical principles for the benefit of the church.
“At the 2012 Annual Council in a voted action entitled, “Statement on Church Polity, Procedures, and Resolution of Disagreements in the Light of Recent Union Actions on Ministerial Ordination,” the world church strongly indicated that it does not recognize as ordained ministers individuals who do not meet the criteria outlined in policy. It deeply concerns the world leadership of the church that recently a local conference constituency elected as a conference president an individual who is not recognized by the world church as an ordained minister. Ordination to the ministry is one of the criteria set forth for being a conference president. General Conference administration is working with the North American Division administration as they deal with the implications of this local conference action, which is contrary to the 2012 Annual Council action.” (This statement appears now here: http://news.adventist.org/all-news/news/go/2013-10-31/adventist-officers-release-statement-regarding-a-local-conferences-recent-election-of-president-1/. The NAD Year-end Meeting begins on October 31 at 1:30 Eastern time.
2013-10-31 00:40: It is being reported that NAD officers and the union officers from the NAD met on October 30 and confirmed that Sandy Roberts will be given the same registration packet and badge as everyone else and will participate in the NAD Year End Meetings the same as every other elected president of a local conference.
If this is true, and if it actually comes to pass that Ms. Roberts will be a voting participant in this YEM, the North American Division will be openly aligning itself with the insubordination of the Southeastern California Conference that elected a woman in a position the world church only authorizes men to fill. If indeed this comes to pass it will mean that the NAD stands in open violation of its own Working Policy. Check E-60.
NOTE: Information in this post is to be considered only tentative until confirmed.
NOTE: This post will be updated.