Confused about ordination? Watch this video! Dr. George Knight, professor emeritus of church history at the SDA Theological Seminary, clears up the confusion. Dr. Knight is a leading Adventist historian, theologian, author, and educator. He is the best-selling Adventist author of the past 30 years and is one of the most influential voices in the denomination. Here is a brief summary of some of the fascinating facts explained by Dr. Knight in the video:

1. Ordination is not a biblical concept (it is a post-biblical Catholic concept).

2. The laying on of hands is a biblical concept, but they received their “commission from God Himself, and the ceremony of the laying on of hands added no new grace or virtual qualification.” It was simply a human recognition that God had called the person. (AA, p. 161)

3. After Bible times, the Catholic church started to associate “ordination” with Continue reading

There is so much misinformation floating around about women’s ordination. There is nothing like a dose of truth to clear up the malady of confusion. Here (also in Spanish) is a logical, succinct list of facts about ordination of women in ministry:

FACT: The SDA Church has had women pastors since at least 1872.

FACT: There were many more women pastors in Ellen White’s day, proportionately, than now. Continue reading

UPDATE July 8, 2015, 6:15 pm CDT: Out of the 2,363 delegate votes, 977 were in favor of the motion. 1,381 were against. (41.3 percent were in favor). Thus, the status quo remains. Women ministers will still be commissioned per the General Conference action of 1990; and the unions retained the authority to decide on women’s ordination. The following article was originally published the day before the vote. It also contains important information that will help to make sense of what the vote means now and how the unions can move forward.

Jared Wright of Spectrum explained what the vote on women’s ordination actually means and what it does not mean.

On Wednesday (July 8), General Conference Session delegates in San Antonio, Texas will vote on what has been the most talked about (and perhaps least understood) issue in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in this quinquennium: ordination. For all of the discussion of the issue, many misperceptions of its significance persist.

Currently, women in the Adventist Church not only can and do serve as ministers, but they are also Continue reading

After the “No” vote on July 8, the unions still retain the authority to decide on women’s ordination. This article was originally published on AToday.org a few days before the vote. It also contains important information that will help to make sense of what the vote means and how the unions can move forward.

On Defining Rebellion: Unions and San Antonio

At this year’s long-anticipated General Conference session in San Antonio, delegates will vote on whether each Division may decide for themselves whether to ordain women. With all of the hype, the Internet war, and the mass mailings, it may help to step back and consider whether we are asking the right question. While all of the church is swept up in the argument over Divisions deciding for themselves, perhaps we need to ask, whose decision is it, really? Continue reading

On June 19 Pastor Ty Gibson of Light Bearers published “Women’s Ordination: Is the Church Free To Act?” —a powerful follow-up to his excellent “A Closer Look at Women’s Ordination.” Ty explains that the church is free to act on the ordination question, to do what is best for the mission of spreading the Gospel. It is an ecclesiastical (church operational) decision, not a theological issue. Continue reading

Fascinating facts on Adventist women as spiritual leaders under the headship of Christ. In an attempt to cut through some of the confusing ideas surrounding the question of whether the Seventh-day Adventist Church should ordain women as pastors, here are some basic ideas and principles that should inform our Biblical understanding of the issue. From our friends at OrdinationFacts.com.

One of the false arguments asserted by the anti-WO activists is a new theology of “male headship.” They claim that it applies to the pastor as head of the church. There are several problems with that new theology. For one, the minister is not the head of the church!

Ellen White made it clear that Jesus Christ is the only head of the church. She also preached that the secret of unity is the equality of believers in Christ. (Ellen White, 1SM 259) She said the Holy Spirit “prepares workers, both men and women, to become pastors.” (Ellen White, Testimonies Vol. 6, p. 322) Our prayer is that the Adventist Church will unite in the equality of believers, including equality in ministry.

For more information on headship, including insightful papers and videos, see our post, Pastor Is Not the Head.

El Dr. George Knight, profesor emérito de historia de la Iglesia en el Seminario Teológico Adventista, es un importante historiador, escritor y educador. Él es considerado como el autor Adventista más vendido en los últimos 30 años y es una de las voces más influyentes en la denominación. El Dr. Knight explica lo siguiente: Continue reading