This week, following decades of heated dispute, the Church of England finally agreed to ordain women bishops. 

The opposition to women serving as bishops was based on a claim that the Bible requires women to submit to their husbands in marriage and to male leaders in the church. Therefore, they cannot be leaders in mixed congregations of men and women.

This long overdue vote to ordain women bishops was greeted with not only joy but also huge relief. The question of women serving as pastors, priests, ministers has been a controversial and hot topic within Christianity. 

A number of larger Christian denominations Episcopal, Lutheran, Anglican, United Church of Christ among others do ordain women priests. On the other hand, Orthodox Churches and Roman Catholic do not.

The opposition to women in Christian ministry was based on passages like 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 which says, "As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”

Among the questions that have dominated Christianity discourses are: What is the Bible’s stand on women ministers, priests and pastors? What role should women play in church? Are women not permitted to speak in church?

According to Pastor Kevin Masengesho, an Anglican clergy in Remera, even though in the old testament, women played subservient role to men, there were many of them that were mentioned as prophets and leaders of Israel including Deborah, Miriam, Huldah, Athaliah and Esther.

"Women from the time of the Bible had proved that they could be leaders. Thus to deny them prominent role in the church was such a grave injustice,” he says.

Masengesho says that denying women role in the church was done under the premise that among Jesus’ 12 disciples, none of them was a woman. 

According to an article appearing in Bible.org, "Jesus chose only men as His 12 apostles (Mark 3:13-19), and that is sometimes cited as a reason that only men should be appointed to church leadership roles. However, Jesus sent His apostles out to spread the gospel to the world, seeking food and shelter where they could find it, facing great danger and ultimately martyrdom. This would not have been considered an appropriate role for a woman in Biblical times, just as it would not be considered appropriated today.” 

But Pastor Masengesho says that indeed, Jesus had some women in His larger circle of disciples, adding that there were some women who held important positions in early Christian churches.

The man of the Cloth adds that apostle Paul proclaimed that in God’s sight all believers are equal thus no one should be denied his or her right to serve in any role in the church, citing the book of Galatians 3: 26-29 to reinforce his views. "You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

"The Church cannot be seen to be lagging behind when women have been liberated in all sectors of the society. It is high time conservative churches realise that society has moved on and the issue of women being denied church roles is no longer applicable,” says Maria Hashekimana, a Christian in Remera.