011074 cn Role of American Women in Religion is increasing

The status and role of women in U.S. religion are on the rise.

American women are being chosen for high national, in some cases international, administrative positions:

- Claire Randall, a Texan and United Presbyterian laywoman, is general secretary-elect of the National Council of Churches, a Protestant-Orthodox organization.

- Jean Eckstein of Iowa City was elected in October as president of the National Council of Catholic Laity.

- Dr. Marion Kelleran of Alexandria, Va., was chosen last July as chairperson of the Anglican Consultative Council, a global advisory body that includes the Episcopal Church.

Conservative Judaism in the U.S. in September changed its regulations to allow women to be counted in the minyan. the quorum of 10 or more adult Jews required for communal worship.

Women are more numerous in chaplaincies, including military and hospital assignments.

- The Rev. Florence Dianne Pohlman, a United Presbyterian, became the first woman U.S. Navy Chaplain last July; in September, the Rev. Lorraine Kay Potter, ordained by the American Baptist Churches, was sworn in as the first woman Air Force chaplain.

- The Rev. Faith Cornwall, a United Methodist and chief chaplain at Tennessee's Central State mental hospital, is one of a growing force of lay and clerical women involved in hospital, and prison chaplaincies.

Women are more prominent in religion related and seminary education.

- Nuns are assuming top leadership in several parochial school systems. For example, Sister Elinor Ford, O.P. is superintendent of schools in this Archdiocese and, recently, Sister Amadeus McKevitt, 0,S.U.. was named Associate Vicar for Religion.

- The Rev. Patricia Budd Kepler, a United Presbyterian, is the new director of ministerial studies at the Harvard University Divinity School.

- Ten women were among the 60 administrators attending the late October meeting of the Midwest Association of Theological Schools. Sister Joan A. Range of St. Louis University Divinity School became the first woman on the association's board and was subsequently elected secretary-treasurer.

The visibility of women in religion is increasing apart from the issue of the ordination of women, although that continues as a thorny issue in Catholicism and Anglicanism.

In early October, the triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church failed to approved moves that would have permitted women priests. The denominations ordain women to a lower level of ministry and the relatively strong vote for women priests at the convention gave supporters cause to hope for a liberalizing of the canons in three years,

The Anglican Consultative Council, which holds no legislating power for the world's 47 million Anglicans, sees no reason to bar women from the priesthood and it suggests that each of the autonomous Anglican Churches make its own decision.

While the pre-convention Episcopal debate on women priests claimed wide attention, there was almost no fanfare last June when the Reformed Church in America broke with a 345-year-old precedent and opened the way for possible ordination of women.

Joyce Stedge, 47 a mother of six who. lives in Pearl River, is the first woman in the Reformed denomination to receive a license to preach. She anticipates ordination.

From the point of view of many women, a progressive step was taken when the regional Reformed Church organization which granted Mrs. Stedge I s license interpreted the word "person" in the Book of Church Order to mean women as well as men,

The section of the book on clergy begins: "The ministers of the Word are those persons who..." The interpretation was made by 40 men.

Despite & assertion of British author Joan Morris that women held jurisdiction equal to that of bishops in pre-16th century Catholicism, advocates of women's ordination in the Catholic Church see little likelihood of winning Vatican or popular backing in the near future.

A Commission on the Role of Women in Church and Society, approved by Pope Paul. is not considering the possibility of ordaining women.

Yet the panel is exploring ways to expand the involvement of women in the Church, and the pontiff does not seem to have closed the door on those who disagree with the Vatican's views on women's ordination. Sister Maria Teresa MacLeod. O.P.. a nun who reportedly finds no biblical or doctrinal objections to women priests, has been named to the Vatican Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes.

Demands for "equality" stand behind many of the national and international, denominational and ecumenical studies on the role and status of women. A major rationale for all Christian inquiries was summed up by the 1972 United Methodist General Conference:

"The Gospel makes clear that Jesus regarded women, men and children equally. In contrast to the contemporary, male-centered society. Jesus related to women with respect and sensitivity, as individual persons."

Assessment of individual qualities were behind the selections of Ms. Randall to the top National Council of Churches post, of Mrs. Eckstein as president of the Catholic laity council and Dr. Kelleran as chairperson of the Anglican Consultative Council.

"Tokenism" does not appear to have been involved in any of these choices. Each of three women, in their own areas of activity, has had long years of experience and tested ability.

Ms. Randall, who became the world's foremost women ecumenist when she succeeded Dr. R. H. Edwin Espy as National Council general secretary on New York Way, is known as a "tough" administrator with a reconciling spirit.

Women often bring broad spectrums of concerns - and high moral values, according to Cardinal Humberto Medeiros of Boston - to public and religious life.

In taking the helm of the National Council of Catholic Laity, Mrs. Eckstein said the organization in the future must be concerned with persons, families, communities, the world and the Church. "We must listen to everyone, inside and outside the Catholic Church ... and get to know the pulse of the people," she said.

The faith commitments and administrative capacities of women are not open to question. For decades in America, women have planned, funded and implemented a large part of the mission programs and religion-based education and social service.

But women's efforts growing out of religious motivation have often faced obstacles raised by men who, some women say, have feared a loss of power if women gained equality. In 1817 in Medway, Massachusetts. Congregationist women who wanted a Sunday school were opposed by the men who complained, "These women will be in the pulpit next."

Speaking to 8,000 United Methodist Women attending an early October assembly, Dr. Philip A. Potter, general secretary of the World Council of Churches. commented, "The glory of Methodism has been its women. "

But to permit that "glory" to operate in Christian witness, Methodist women across the past century have often found it necessary to circumvent the men, as described in a new book called Conduct Becoming a Woman by Elaine Magalis.

Ms. Magalis presents documents showing that male Methodist officials did not want women intruding into mission work in the late 19th century. There was fear of the "women's rights" spirit in the women's Missionary Society.

Men wanted to dominate the women's organization and, on occasions, the women permitted bishops and others to think they were in control. Then when the men "retired," the women conducted their business.

Many modern church women are saying they will no longer either operate clandestinely or be shut out from the larger religious forums.

On-going developments suggest that the points are being won - slowly at times, yet with steady progress.

Dr. Georgia Harkness, the theologian now over 80, is among those who feels that not enough progress is being made fast enough. She links the attainment of equality for women with the maturity of the laity. Dr. Harkness agrees with a statement by Francis 0. Ayres:

"The church needs to recover a sense of its wholeness, of being the people of God in which there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female - in other words, neither basic nor primary distinctions."

Dr. Harkness believes that day may be coming. (Religious News Services,)