Magisterial Reformers and Ordination

The magisterial reformers made a clear break with the Roman Catholic sacramental view of ordination of the clergy. The descendants of Luther and Calvin closely followed the Reformers’ ordination theologies and practice. In this paper we will discuss Luther and Calvin’s ordination theology and practice in the context of their break with the Roman Catholic Church

Ellen G. White on Biblical Hermeneutics

Most of Ellen G. White’s life was spent in the nineteenth century as the foundation of the modern historical-critical method of Bible interpretation was being laid. She frequently commented on the importance of the Bible to our lives and how to interpret it. When the church was faced with difficult issues she successfully guided it, always appealing to Bible principles. This paper attempts to bring together Ellen G. White’s views on the objectives, principles, and methods for interpreting Scripture in order to discover the truth about God’s teachings and practices in the Bible

The Adventist Theologian, the Three Angels’ Messages, and the Unity of the Church

This paper is written in the context of God’s mandate to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This mandate calls for Seventh-day Adventists to proclaim the great commission, focusing on the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14. The paper focuses especially what this means for Adventist theologians

Women\u27s Status and Ordination as Elders or Bishops in the Early Church, Reformation, and Post-Reformation Eras

This paper will investigate the views of the status of women in the church and whether women were ordained as elders, bishops, or priests in certain periods of the history of the Christian Church. The main focus of this paper will be on the Early Church, the Reformation, and Post-Reformation eras. The sources for the early church are limited to the early church fathers, and for the Reformers to their commentaries on the Bible. Martin Luther and John Calvin have been chosen because of their emphasis on the Bible as the rule for doctrine and practice, which was adopted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. John Wesley was selected as representing Methodism, the practices of which strongly impacted Adventist pioneers. The ordination of deaconesses will not be discussed in this pape

Shapes of Ministry in the New Testament

The chapter evaluates an interpretation of the New Testament ministry that argues that there was no specific local church organization spelled out in the Bible. The absence of organizational structure allows for the ordination of women in the local church and presents Junia as the first female apostle and Phoebe as a female minister. The evaluation presents the biblical structure of leadership and shows that through incorrect interpretation of the texts this view distorts the biblical view of local church leadership