Table Of ContentSACRED TEXTS AND SOCIAL CONFLICT
The Use of Bible in the Debate over Women’s Ordiantlon in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
BY
Olive J. Hemmings
A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Claremont Graduate University in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate
Faculty of Religion
Claremont, California
2004
Approved by:
'aren Jo/Toijesen
Copyright by Olive J. Hemmings 2004
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&AJaa V •
:n Jo Toijesqn, Cnair /
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(Jawl Au-Co
Ann Taves, Member
Vincent L. Wimbush, Member
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Abstract of the Dissertation
Sacred Texts and Social Conflict
The Use of Bible in the Debate over Women’s Ordination in the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
By
Olive J. Hemmings
Claremont Graduate University: 2004
The major source of authority outside of the Bible for Seventh-day Adventists is the
writings of a woman, its founding prophet, Ellen White. Yet, it has resisted women’s
ordination based on the biblical argument of male authority. This has engendered a
dibate over women’s ordination in which two opposing sides defend their arguments
using the same basic biblical interpretive approach. The conflict, therefore, cannot be
reduced to a problem of biblical interpretation. Rather, it indicates a process of
scripturalization defined by a larger social process involving the denomination’s response
to the pressure to uphold full gender equality, its separatist stance, and the Protestant
Fundamentalist resistance to liberal religion. The study examines the manner in which
the particular theological, ecclesiological and political dynamics within Seventh-day
Adventism interacted with the 19th and 20th century antiliberal religious subculture and
the two waves of the women’s movement, to evaluate the use of Bible in the debate over
women’s ordination. Not only does the official inerrantist stance of Seventh-day
Adventism not place it in opposition to women’s ordination, but its roots in American
revivalism inclined it towards women’s ordination. However, its need to protect its
separatist stance from the inroads of Spiritualism in the 19th century, and higher criticism
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in the 20th century halted two definite moves to ordain women. The denomination’s most
powerful ally in maintaining its separatist stance is Protestant Fundamentalism which has
constructed an inerrantist institutional world where resistance to women’s ordination and
full gender equality symbolizes resistance to liberal religion. Because Spiritualism and
higher criticism represent liberal religion, women’s ordination took on symbolic weight
as an enemy of the denomination. This gives the opponents of women’s ordination the
advantage, and makes the debate a hermeneutical struggle in which each side of the
debate seeks to present biblical arguments that both support its position, and affirm the
separatist stance of the denomination. As such, the issue of women’s ordination became
a scapegoat in the denomination’s struggle to protect its identity, and the debate became
essentially an ideological struggle in which the Bible is more an accessory than it is
instructive.
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To the prophet
May her vision flourish
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Acknowledgements
This work began with a proposal that focused on gender ideology in Western society.
The present work has evolved from this with the help and direction of various persons. I
first acknowledge my mentor and advisor Karen Toijesen, Dean of the School of
Religion at Claremont Graduate University for directing me to the rich and fertile ground
for research in my own tradition, Seventh-day Adventism. I further acknowledge Zack
Plantak, chair of the Department of Religion at Columbia Union College for
brainstorming with me and pointing me to sources that helped me determine what I
wanted to focus on as far as gender in Adventist Ministry. Coupled with this, my
consultation with Bert Haloviak, Director of the Office of Records and Archives at the
Seventh-day Adventist World Headquarters lead me to my final topic and the primary
unpublished resource materials to begin with.
I further acknowledge those who have graciously given me their help and advice.
First I thank Dr. Harold Leigh, president of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-
day Adventists for handing over to me valuable unpublished primary resource materials,
and great encouragement to complete this project. I also thank the administrative staff of
Columbia Union College for lending me six months of teaching time to focus on this
project. The sense of accountability that such generosity has inspired in me has been the
chief motivating factor in the completion of this work.
vii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Acknowledgements vii
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1
Chapter
I. The Direction of the Debate Over Women’s Ordination: Organizational
Structure and Hermeneutical Politics 35
A. Doctrinal Structure: The Basis of Organizational
Structure 38
B. Administrative Structure: The Key to the Outcome
of the Debate 50
C. The Decision Making Body of the World Church and
The Debate over Women’s Ordination 72
D. Structural Diversions: Who Will Have the Last Say
on Women’s Ordination? 77
E. The Seventh-day Adventist Academe: The Center of
Hermeneutical Politics 79
F. Summary and Conclusion 84
II. Women’s Ordination and the Conflict over Interpretive
Methodology 88
A. Methodology or Doctrine? The Real Challenge 91
B. Ellen White and Hermeneutical Politics 101
C. The Conflict over Biblical Authority and Inspiration:
Who is Right? 105
D. Hermeneutics: The Heart of the Debate 124
E. Women’s Ordination: The Scapegoat in the Defense
Of Seventh-day Adventist Theology 146
F. Summary and Conclusion 154
Appendix................Methods of Bible Study 156
III. The Debate: Deriving Meaning form the Bible or Imposing
an Agenda upon It? 162
A. History of the Debate 164
B. A Survey of Methodology 167
C. The Utrecht Debate: A Platform for Male Headship 172
D. The Argument for Male Authority 176
E. The Argument for Gender Mutuality 195
F. Male Headship and Gender Equality 210
viii
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ix
G. Hermeneutics and Meaning 215
H. Summary and Conclusion 217
IV. Resistance to Women’s ordination: Hermeneutical Crisis
Or Cultural Dilemma? 219
A. Ordination: The Ultimate Symbol of Social
Elevation 223
B. Gender Roles, Social Order and Resistance 240
C. Church, Unity and Identity 244
D. The Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Seventh-day
Adventism: Ellen White and the Denomination’s Rules
on Women Clergy 249
E. Summary and Conclusion 279
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 282
BIBLIOGRAPHY 286
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