Women priests
Sir: Your article by Edward Norman (November 18) in which he describes the reluctance of some ChriStian churches to admit women to the priesthood is not, in itself, surprising.
The history of the Christian .church since its adoption of the Pauline conception and later in the
early fourth century AD when a theology was hammered out which as intended to remain fixed for all time, and was to dig itself in s8ainst all changes, has left us With a philosophy which in the 4oClear age is disconcertingly Pritnitive.
However inflexible they have ren in matters of theology they l'ave shown a surprising aptitude 'or adapting themselves to political sed economic conditions, good or had.
it is expecting too much in an ;Ige when we must become more '051cal to cope with present day ,technical problems that we should De expected to suspend our powers reason as soon as we pass ,Lsrough a church door. The idea of °0 many, that faith is the ability Le believe in the incredible, has “.41,1enated and will alienate many 'Ito live by elementary Christian ethics and can only result in the reduction of the numbers who supPort any church. It is true that the churches make concessions to the present day With religious pop groups !rid those awful twentieth century gYrtin tunes, but the theology remains unaltered. „There is a lot of sense in the '4ea of various denominations cooPerating in good causes and xchanging ideas but if the idea of %-hristian unity is to form one lell,rissive church then the lessons of istory tell us that, as before, it ould develop into a spiritual ictatorship
l'he fact remains that if all
teligions were swept away in the 4ature, man's survival on this Pnlanet would depend on formulat11'‘g a code of conduct that would „e accepted by the 'greatffst "e_rriber.
rile nonconformists have a few 'JcItnen ministers and preachers uut they appear to be as orthodox
their male colleagues. Whether ns tendency would still prevail if .7ornen were admitted in larger `I_I-trabers to authority in the church ,7 do not know, but what is ",..uvious is that the equality of crnen in the church is one of !irly reforms which will be "eessary if it is to be adaptable ,.qough to make any impact on the mture.
A. Monks
94 Oldhan Avenue. Coventry
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