Women’s Dignity or Church Tradition? Christian Anthropology in the Debate about the Ordination of Women

Abstract

The question of the ordination of women not only separates Christian denominations. It becomes increasingly divisive within individual churches and communities. This is why the problem of women’s ordination remains in the contemporary ecumenical movement one of the most difficult issues to deal with. Although it has been fully accepted in many Christian churches and communities, other Christian groups still oppose to adopt this practice and its theological justification. A Christian ecumenical discussion on this topic involves many specific questions related to various branches of theology and ethics. This article aims to present the anthropological context of the debate. The issue of women’s ordination and its relation to church tradition is frequently addressed from the point of view of Christian anthropology and ethics. Therefore the article in intended to show that above-mentioned controversy is rooted in different understanding of human dignity, especially when it comes to its connection to church tradition and to contemporary social phenomena.