A controversy has broken out in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) over the ordination of women, particularly as ministers.

For background, the PCI has had female elders since the 1920’s and the General Assembly approved the ordination of women in 1973.

Now, in the Northern Ireland city of Portadown two PCI churches, First Portadown and Armagh Road Church have held a joint Christmas service for over 60 years.  However, this year the Rev. Stafford Carson, the pastor at First Protadown, which was scheduled to be the host church, extended the invitation for Armagh Road to join them, but specifically excluded their new female minister, the Rev. Christina Bradley, from preaching, as is the tradition.  The Armagh Road Church declined the invitation if it came with those conditions and for the first time in 60 years the two churches held separate services.

This has developed into a national debate in the PCI, as well as in Irish Society.  The news broke before Christmas, including an article in the Belfast Telegraph.  Since then the Belfast Telegraph has printed a well written opinion piece that outlines many of the details as well as setting out the implications going forward.

The Rev. Bradley says that she will bring this to the church’s 2008 General Assembly while those who oppose the ordination of women, welcome the opportunity to overturn the 1973 GA decision.  The Belfast Telegraph opinion piece seems to think there is a very real chance of a split in the PCI over this:

The Presbyterian Church may wish to prevent a split, but it cannot afford to sit on the fence. The General Assembly needs to decide its policy and implement it at the earliest opportunity.

Either it ratifies its policy of ordaining women – and instructs all serving clergy to fall in line – or it takes a step back into the dark ages and decides to banish women from the pulpit. Further equivocation will undermine the church’s credibility.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCI, Dr. John Finlay, has gotten involved and met with the two ministers in Portadown over the last few days.  The Belfast Telegraph published an article with his comments in today’s edition.  In the article he suggests that this can be resolved quickly and locally and will not become an issue for the GA:

I am confident the two churches can resolve the issue between them. Both ministers are reasonable people.

I do not minimise the problem, but we must continue to reconcile the two schools of thought over women ministers in the Presbyterian Church.

However, the article goes on to quote Dr. Finlay to say:

But there are conscientious objectors who interpret the Scriptures differently and the Church allows their freedom of conscience,

This is the law of the Church. We have to accommodate both points of view, or the Church could be torn apart.

There has to be a counter-balance so that ministers have control of who enters their pulpit and Stafford Carson exercised that right according to his conscience.

Mrs Bradley may see it as discrimination against women, but I tried to reassure her it was simply to square a circle within the Presbyterian Church.

But in contrast, the article closes with Rev. Bradley’s comment that “I cannot see it otherwise than discrimination.”

That doesn’t make it sound like it will be resolved quickly and quietly.