Date of Award
2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
First Advisor
Dr. Edward Hanenberg
Abstract
30 years ago, the Church of Ireland allowed women’s ordination as deacons, then later priests and bishops. Leading to this doctrinal and social development, the Church of Ireland wrestled with big questions on the nature of Christian ministry and women’s roles in the church. Have the Bible and church tradition always upheld male headship? Are women being called by God to serve as deacons, priests and bishops? Can groups with major theological differences reconcile and remain one church? The author introduces this historic Irish development to a United States audience with relevant lessons for social transformation, following the human drama in the political process. This thesis argues that the Church of Ireland built a structure and culture of listening to differences, which allowed the development of women’s ordination to take place while maintaining the Church’s unified identity.
Recommended Citation
Howe, Meagan Farrell, "HOW WOMEN BECAME PRIESTS IN IRELAND: THE DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN’S ORDINATION IN THE CHURCH OF IRELAND" (2014). Masters Theses. 48.
https://collected.jcu.edu/masterstheses/48
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.