Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women's Ordination

The pastoral office is one of the most critical in Christianity. Historically however Christians have not been able to agree on the precise nature and limits of that office. A specific area of contention has been the role of women in pastoral leadership. In recent decades three broad types of arguments have been raised against womens ordination: nontheological (primarily cultural or political) Protestant and Catholic. Reflecting their divergent understandings of the purpose of ordination Protestant opponents of womens ordination tend to focus on issues of pastoral authority while Catholic opponents highlight sacramental integrity. These positions are new developments and new theological stances and thus no one in the current discussion can claim to be defending the churchs historic position.Icons of Christ addresses these voices of opposition making a biblical and theological case for the ordination of women to the ministerial office of Word and Sacrament. William Witt argues that not only those in favor of but also those opposed to womens ordination embrace new theological positions in response to cultural changes of the modern era. Witt mounts a positive ecumenical argument for the ordination of women that touches on issues such as theological hermeneutics relationships between men and women Christology and discipleship and the role of ordained clergy in leading the church in worship among others.Uniquely Icons of Christ treats both Protestant and Catholic theological concerns at length undertaking a robust engagement with biblical exegesis and biblical historical systematic and liturgical theology. The books theological approach is critically orthodox evangelical and catholic. Witt offers the church an ecumenical vision of ordination to the presbyterate as an office of Word and Sacrament that justifiably is open to both men and women. Most critically Witt reminds us that as all Christians are baptized into the image of the crucified and risen Christ and bear witness to Christ through lives of cruciform discipleship so men and women both are called to serve as icons of Christ in service of the gospel.