“It seems a
sad commentary on the church and on its understanding of the Holy Spirit that
“official” leadership and ministry is allowed to come from only one half of the
community of faith. The New Testament evidence is that the Holy Spirit is
gender inclusive, gifting both men and women, and thus potentially setting the
whole body free for all the parts to minister and in various ways to give
leadership to the others. Thus my issue in the end is not a feminist agenda—an
advocacy of women in ministry. Rather, it is a Spirit agenda, a plea for the
releasing of the Spirit from our strictures and structures so that the church
might minister to itself and to the world more effectively.”
sad commentary on the church and on its understanding of the Holy Spirit that
“official” leadership and ministry is allowed to come from only one half of the
community of faith. The New Testament evidence is that the Holy Spirit is
gender inclusive, gifting both men and women, and thus potentially setting the
whole body free for all the parts to minister and in various ways to give
leadership to the others. Thus my issue in the end is not a feminist agenda—an
advocacy of women in ministry. Rather, it is a Spirit agenda, a plea for the
releasing of the Spirit from our strictures and structures so that the church
might minister to itself and to the world more effectively.”
Gordon Fee,
Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Regent College, ordained in the
Assemblies of God in
“The Priority of Spirit Gifting for Church Ministry”, Discovering Biblical Equality Complementarity
without Hierarchy. Ronald W. Pierce, Rebecca Merrill
Groothuis, Gordon D. Fee (eds) (IVP Academic, 2012) p.254.