One of the most common arguments against the ordination of women deacons is that it represents a break with the orthodox tradition. In this engagingly written new book, John Wijngaards, in a careful examination of historical evidence such as histories, written documents, and tombstones, shows that countless women served as sacramentally ordained deacons in the early centuries of Christianity. Wijngaard’s book contributes to the conversation about the role of women in today's churches, and offers us a fascinating look at an overlooked element in Christian history.

Women Deacons in the Early Church: Historical Texts and Contemporary Debates

History

Wijngaards, John

World

PublishDrive

John Wijngaards may be the only Roman Catholic priest to have resigned from the priesthood because of the church's refusal to ordain women. A biblical scholar and a popular spiritual writer, he's long been a supporter of women's ordination. He wrote a book championing it in 1977 and the following year he attended the National Women's Ordination Conference in Baltimore, one of the few men to do so. In 1998 he resigned from the priesthood to devote himself full time to the campaign for women's ordination. This book is the result.In this engaging and informative book, the author shows how the church's anti-woman tradition is a veritable cuckoo's egg--a spurious import from Greek philosophy that destroys all contrary evidence from scripture and tradition (for instance, the fact that for many centuries women were ordained deacons). Offering a rigorous examination of Rome's arguments, the book includes extracts from key materials and supplies website links to comprehensive documentation, making this the most complete and authoritative resource on the issue.

Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church: Unmasking a Cuckoo's Egg Tradition

Bloomsbury Academic

The Seven Circles of Prayer

McCrimmon Publishing Company

Monsignor Shamus McKenna begins as a narrow-minded bureaucrat in Vatican service. The Pope commissions him to study natural law as it pertains to women. His quest for the truth brings him to explore options that he never considered before. He discovers Amrutha and meets extraordinary women who invariably push his boundaries of propriety. At every point his determination to follow natural law leads him into more murky and untested waters of sex, morality, heroism, and women's lives. "Engaging and endearing. I wept a good half-dozen times . . . Tongue-in-cheek humor brought me spontaneous laughter. This work is a cross between Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Don Johnson's The Harrad Experiment" - Dr Aaron Milavec, Vice-Principal Catherine of Siena College, Cincinnati Ohio. "Vivid scenes, haunting images, gripping action. And underneath, the ever puzzling question: what is that mysterious Law of Nature that Popes invoke to ban condoms, condemn gays and downgrade women" - Elisabeth Price, correspondent of Catholics for a Changing Church "This is a lively and action-packed book. Despite - or perhaps because of - its polemical intent, the story succeeds in holding the reader's interest throughout. Altogether, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read" -Dr Pat Anne Pinsent, Senior Research Fellow, Roehampton University, London www.thepopesman.com

Amrutha: What the Pope's Man Found out About Law of Nature

Religion & Spirituality

AuthorHouse Publishing

Does God exist? In this modern, scientific age, is it still reasonable to believe in God? Does God cause evil? How can an "all-good" God allow the suffering of innocent children? In 65 brief, readable chapters,How to Make Sense of God answers these and many other basic questions about God's love and care, the pgift of human freedom, and the real power of prayer. Wijngaards shows clearly and convincingly why belief is, in fact, eminently reasonable in the modern world.

How to Make Sense of God

Christian Books & Bibles

Sheed Ward

Christ's Idea of Authority in the Church

Wipf & Stock Publishers

A recent theological statement from the Roman Catholic Church has increased hopes that while women may not be ordained as priests, their ordination as deacons may soon become reality.  This is a new, enlarged edition of a groundbreaking book that gathered historical evidence from ancient liturgies, literature, art and inscriptions on graves to show that the practice of ordaining women as deacons in the first ten centuries of the Church was normative. Women carried out sacramental rites alongside priests and had responsibilities for the care of the Christian community. Recent research has identified over 120 known female deacons â€" a figure that has tripled since this bookâ€™s first appearance, under the title No Women in Holy Orders? in 2002.  This offers a positive, theological and historical contribution to a debate that is fast gaining momentum in the Catholic Church worldwide.

The Ordained Women Deacons: of the Church's First Millennium

Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd

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Books by Wijngaards, John