Dissertation Proposal
(For the Purpose of Application for Admission to the ThD Programme)
Discovering the Fullness of the Gospel of Christ Jesus: Biblical Ground for Elimination of Racial, Social and Gender Distinctions (Galatians
Synopsis
Women have been involved in the varied ministry since the very early days of the Christian church. But does the New Testament place any restrictions on the ministry of women? By appealing to various biblical passages, some believe that women are not to teach or to have authority over men. However, many think that the Bible does not require the contemporary church to limit the ministry of women. Others think it may limit only certain women for certain ministries in certain circumstances.
The debate over gender role is not developed in a vacuum. Wayne Grudem is right when he states, “For more cultures through most of history, the most serious deviation from biblical standards regarding men and women has not been feminism, but harsh and oppressive male chauvinism.” [1] While recognizing there is a need to debate the gender issue, many conservative evangelicals argued that the issue has been framed by abusive sexism’s polar opposite, the ugly face of radical feminism. They often see a connection between ordination of women and acceptance of and ordination of homosexuals.
Against the backdrop of abusive sexism and radical feminism, alluding to differences of role in the church between men and women can provoke a fury.
Last year, moves to ordain women bishops are in jeopardy after senior bishops called for the Church of England to hold back. The Times commented that the Anglican Communion has been brought to the brink of schism by the debate over gay blessings and ordinations (women bishops). [2] Actually, that was typical in many denominations.
The purpose of this dissertation is to find a meaningful ground to re-examine the current debate of gender role distinction in church by studying the text of Galatians 3:28 with special attention given to the phrase “you are all one in Christ Jesus”.
Galatians
In Galatians 3:28, three distinctions are declared by Paul to be invalid in Christ, however, it is interesting to note that, as F.F. Bruce observes, Paul’s other bans of discrimination on racial and social grounds have been accept literally, while the last ban, distinction between men and women, has met with restrictions. [3]
This paper will be divided into four sections. The first section will study the meaning of the first two negations, namely, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free”. By examine the biblical ground and account of debate of these two negations it aims to develop a meaningful and reasonable reference for debate over the third negation, “neither male nor female”.
The second section examines the current debate on the gender role in the church, particularly regarding the offices of elder and pastor. This section will also present a theological understanding of manhood and womanhood.
The third section will first focus on the hermeneutical aspects of Galatians
The final section will offer and defend a proposition that as Galatians 3:28 proclaims all sinful separation between us resulting from the fall of mankind has been done away, through the divine grace and reconciliation in Christ women share equally with men in all gifts for ministry in the church.
(words: 588)
Outline
Section I: Elimination of Racial and Social Distinctions
1. Distinction of Jew and Gentile
a. Early Church as a Multi-racial Community
b. Jew the
c. Jew and Gentile are One in Christ: Romans 3:24-26, Ephesians 2:11-22
d. Racial Tension/Reconciliation in
2. Distinction of Slave and Free
a. Slavery in the
b. Pauline Attitude Towards Slavery Institute: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Colossians 3:22-25, Philemon 8-20
c. Tension between Paul’s Gospel and Slavery Institute
d. From Proslavery Tradition to the Opposition to Slavery
3. Lessons to be Learned
Section II: Distinction of Male and Female
1. Understanding the Key Issues of Gender Debate
2. Pauline Teaching about Women in the Church:
a. Be Silent: 1 Corinthians 14:33-36
b. No Authority Over Men: 1 Timothy 2:11-15
c. Head Coverings and Prophecies: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16
3. The Place of Women in the Church Ministry
4. The Unchangeable Difference of Male and Female
Section III: Study of Galatians 3:28
1. Issues in Contemporary Hermeneutics
2. Exegetical Study
3. The Meaning of “You are All One in Christ Jesus”
4. The Implications of Paul’s Gospel for Gender
Section IV: Facing the Challenge of Gender Reconciliation
1. Our Reality and Challenges in Postmodern World
2. New Paradigm of Church Life: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
3. Tomorrow: All One in Christ
Bibliography
Commentaries:
Barrett, C. K. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Harpers/Blacks NT Commentaries. Harper & Row, 1968.
__________. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Harpers/Blacks NT Commentaries. Harper & Row, 1973.
Bruce, F.F. The Epistle to the Galatians, The New Testament Greek Testament Commentary.
Carson, D. A. Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14.
Cranfield, C. E. B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, (2 vols).
Fee, Gordon D. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, New International Biblical Commentary. Hendrickson, 1988.
____________. The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Commentary on the New Testament.
Fung, Ronald Y. K. The Epistle to the Galatians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament.
Knight III, George W. The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary.
Lincoln, Andrew T. Ephesians, Word Biblical Commentary.
Longenecker, Richard N. Galatians, Word Biblical Commentary.
Marshall,
Moo, Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament.
Mounce, William D. Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary.
O’Brien, Peter T. The Epistle to the Ephesians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary.
Quinn, J. D. and Will C. Wacker. The First and Second Letters to Timothy, Eerdmans Critical Commentary.
Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans.
Books:
Anderson, Ray S. (ed.) Theological Foundations for Ministry.
Beck, James R. and Craig L. Blomberg (eds.). Two Views on Women in Ministry.
Belleville, Linda. Women Leaders and the Church: Three Crucial Questions. Baker, 1999.
Bilezekian, Gilbert. Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says about a Woman’s Place in Church and Family. 2d ed.
Bonhoeffer, Deitrich. Ethics.
Børresen, Kari Elisabeth. The Image of God: Gender Models in the Judeo-Christian Tradition.
Boyarin, Daniel. A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of Identity.
Campbell, Douglas A. (ed.) Gospel and Gender: A Trinitarian Engagement with being Male and Female in Christ.
Clouse, Bonnidell, and Robert G. Clouse. Women in Ministry: Four Views. Downer’s Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1989.
Combes,
Dodd, Brain. The Problem with Paul. Drowner Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1996.
Fee, Gordon D. Gospel and Spirit: Issues in New Testament Hermeneutics. Hendrickson, 1991.
France, R.T. Women in the Church’s Ministry: A Test Case for Biblical Interpretation.
Gagnon, Robert A.J. The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Text and Hermeneutics.
Giles, Kevin. The Trinity & Subordinationsim: The Doctrine of God & the Comtemporary Gender Debate.
Grenz, Stanley J. and Denise Muir Kjesbo. Women in the Church: A Biblical Theology of Women in Ministry.
Groothuis, Rebecca. Women Caught in the Conflict: The Culture War Between Traditionalism and Feminism.
Grudem, Wayne (ed.). Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood.
Harris,
House, H. Wayne. The Role of Women in Ministry Today.
Käsemann, E. “Some Thought on the Doctrine of Reconciliation in the New Testament” in J. M. Robinson (ed.), The Future of Our Religious Past, Essays in Honour of Rudolf Bultmann.
Keener, Craig S. Paul, Women and Wives: Marriage and Women’s Ministry in the Letter of Paul.
Köstenberger, Andreas J., Thomas R. Schreiner and H. Scott Baldwin (eds.). Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9-15.
Marshall,
Martin, Dale B. Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in Pauline Christianity.
McQuilkin, J. R. “Problems of Normativeness in Scripture: Cultural Versus Permanent,” in Hermeneutics, Inerrancy and the Bible, Paper from ICBI
Mickelson, Alvera (ed.). Women, Authority & the Bible.
Pierce, R. W., Groothius, R. M., & Fee, G. D. (eds.) Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy.
Piper, John, and Wayne Grudem (eds.). Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism.
Sayers, Dorothy. Are Women Human?
Swartley, William. Slavery, Sabbath, War and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation.
Torrance, Thomas F. The Ministry of Women.
Vymeister, Nancy (ed.). Women in Ministry: Biblical and Historical Perspectives.
Webb, William J. Slaves, Women and Homosexuals.
Williams, Don. The Apostle Paul and Women in the Church.
Wire, Antoinette Clark. The Corinthian Women Prophets: A Reconstruction through Paul’s Rhetoric.
Journals and Articles:
Boucher, Madeleine. “Some Unexplored Parallels to 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 and Galatians 3:28: The NT on the Role of Women,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 31 (January 1969): 50-58.
Bruce, F. F. “Women in the Church: Biblical Survey”, Christian Brethren Review 33 (Dec. 1982): 7-14.
Brueggemann, Walter. “Biblical Theology appropriately Postmodern,” Biblical Theology Bulletin 27 (Spring 1997): 4-9.
Fee, Gordon D. “Reflections on Church Order in the Pastoral Epistles, with Further Reflections on the Hermeneutics of Ad Hoc Documents,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 28 (1985): 142-148.
___________. “The Cultural Context of Ephesians
Kahl, B. “No Longer Male: Masculinity Struggles Behind Galatians 3:28?” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 79 (2000): 37-49.
Knight III, George W. “Authenteoeo, in Reference to Women in 1 Timothy
Loubser, J. A. “The Contrast Slavery/Freedom as Persuasive Device in Galatians,” Neotestamentica 28 (1994): 163-76.
Moo, Douglas J. “The Interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15: A Rejoinder,” Trinity Journal 2 (1981): 198-199.
Payne, Phillip. “Libertarian Women at
Scholer, David M. “Galatians
Snodgrass, Klyne R. “The Ordination of Women—Thirteen Years Later: Do We Really Value the Ministry of Women?” Covenant Quarterly 48, no.3 (1990): 34-35.
Torrance, James. Gender, Sexuality and the Trinity. (http://www.apologetics.fsnet.co.uk/gender.htm).
Webster, John. “Hermeneutics in Modern Theology: Some Doctrinal Reflections,” Scottish Journal of Theology 51 (1998): 306-41.
Witherington III, Ben. “Rite and Rights for Women,” New Testament Studies 27 (1981): 593-604.
[1] Grudem is a co-founder and past president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, an organization that promotes men and women are equal in dignity and worth, though women are subordinate to their husbands and barred from holding offices in the church of leadership over men. See the saying of Grudem in Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth (Sisters,
[2] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1676582,00.html (Accessed on
[3] F. F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), p. 189.
1 条评论:
What happened to your thesis defense? Well, from the looks of your thesis proposal, you certainly have a lot to give to the academia. Are you going for a Theology degree with this thesis proposal? Anyway, I hope everything went according to your plan, and successfully defended your thesis paper.
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