The Swiss Army Verses: The Rending of the Temple Veil

Today I wanted to begin a two-part series on a couple of New Testament passages which frequently appear in discussions between Catholics and non-Catholics.

These are verses which appear significant, but their implications are not explained in Scripture.  They are seized upon by preachers who say they know the real meaning of the text.  And frequently those interpretations are given in the context of protests against distinctive Catholic beliefs.

I call them .... the "Swiss Army Verses".

Was Jesus Thwarted By Ancient Sexism?

A couple weeks ago a student asked why the Catholic ministerial priesthood is reserved to men.  Today I wanted to look at one of the points brought up in that discussion.

In his encyclical “Ordinatio  Sacerdetolis”, Pope John Paul II definitively taught that the Church has no authority to ordain women to the ministerial priesthood.  One of the principle reasons given is the example of Christ, who only chose men to be among the twelve Apostles.

The most common retort is something like this:

"Jesus would have liked to ordain female Apostles, but He knew the cultural misogyny of those times would not have tolerated priestesses or female preachers.  But now we live in more enlightened and egalitarian times.  Thus we can and should ordain women to the ministerial priesthood."

What do we say to that?

Christianity and Sexism: The New Testament

In the first part of this series we looked at sexism in the Old Testament. You can find that >here<.
Today we move onto the New Testament.

How to NOT do Historical Exegesis

I recently ran across a fella whose background included sub-optimal experiences with his Catholic family.  It left him being very jaded toward the Catholic Church - particularly the idea of hierarchical leadership.  

I pointed out that church leadership was found (and commended) in the Bible.  One good example would be in the letter to the Hebrews:

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." - Hebrews 13:17

He replied by telling me to keep in mind the sin of the Nicolaitans.  What is that, you ask?  Good question.  I didn't know either.  

Short Answers: Male Priesthood and Calling Priests "Father"

Dear Apologist, Why is it that only men can be priests?  Is that rule changeable?