Yes, EGW used the word "ordain"
-- but did she give it the same meaning as the Greek word "kath-is'-tay-mee which means -- to put in place , to designate, to appoint, constitute, to make, set up,

or did she give it the Catholic meaning of "conferring holy orders"?

1. She quoted Titus 1:5 as written --

2. She sometimes used the word in contexts totally apart from anything to do with ministers, elders etc.


3. She sometimes used the word for "workers" in general



4. She used the word in reference to choosing ministers and elders, apostles, etc.


Probably the most thorough dealing with ordination is found in Acts of the Apostles


Ordination greatly abused


Quotes pertaining to women


WOMEN "LICENSED TO PREACH" BY THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH DURING ELLEN WHITE'S LIFETIME INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:

1. A RESOLUTION TO ORDAIN WOMEN WAS DISCUSSED AT THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF 1881. Ellen White was not present. James White was dying, he died in 1881. The resolution was tabled, and disappeared.
Also after Ellen White's death, "licensing" women to preach died out for many decades.

What does all that have to do with the idea of ordaining women? Catholic ideas of ordination? Where did that come from?







Here is more from the same article from which I took the above quotes.



Here is the link to the article

Concept of Ordination in the Writings of Ellen White
https://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/EGWOrdination.htm

You will want to read the entire article. It shows that your selective quotes are taken out of the context of what she believed.

For some reason link creation is not working.

Here is another quote from Ellen White on the ordination of women. It comes from The Review and Herald July 9. 1895 in which she wrote an article titled The Duties of the Minister and the People.

Interesting, you quoted some of the same passages I did --

Review and Herald July 9, 1895
and Acts of the Apostles, except I quoted two whole pages on ordination from Acts of the Apostles saying "These are probably the most thorough dealing with ordination found in Acts of the Apostles"
It's on pages 161 to 163, quite a thorough presentation of what ordination should mean.


Yet when I quote that earlier, your only comment was to belittle all those direct quotes. Why?
They aren't out of context. They say exactly what she said.



I quoted a wide range of quotes by her to show her use of the word "ordain" and "ordination", starting with her general use of the word, then sharing quotes directly dealing with the ordination itself, then ending with her quotes pertaining to women workers, as well as a list of women licensed to preach in Ellen White's lifetime.

So what was your problem? I don't think you even read it. If you don't read it that's OK, I know it was long, but don't condemn what you don't read.



Yes, there was s reference to Catholic ordination as well, though not the main part of the post.

The dictionary meaning you posted earlier said a meaning of ordination was
-- "confer holy orders"

That is a Catholic meaning.
?Ordination? actually comes from the Latin word ordinatio, which means to incorporate someone into an order. In the Catholic Sacrament of Holy Orders, a man is incorporated into the priesthood of Christ with special powers. This is NOT a pastor, this is a priest, administering the Eucharist, and claiming to have the power to forgive people their sins.

1. In Acts of Apostles 162 Ellen White speaks of abuse made of ordination.

No, ordination does not elevate a man into a priest with the same role as Christ our High Priest, with the keys to grant forgiveness and reoffer Christ as a bloodless sacrifice.
Christ is our High Priest.

Why point that out?
It's true we don't see any women priests in the Levitical priesthood, so many anti-woman ordination, will wax quite eloquent as they liken pastors to priests. But the Levitical priesthood is no longer -- Christ is our high priest. Because these people are zealous to keep women out of the ministry, they elevate mere men into the priesthood of Christ, akin to Catholic understanding of what ordination does.

And also -- just as the Catholic church cannot make a day holy, yet the "ordain feasts" as "holy days".
Ellen White points out that ordination does not make a person holy, she is quite adamant that before anyone is ordained to gospel ministry, they should have a vital, sanctifying relationship with Christ.

Are you claiming the author of that article came to the same conclusions you do about what Ellen White believed about women's ordination?

Close, yes, though I won't say 100%, but definitely close. It depends on his understanding of certain terms he uses -- but let's not get into that.

What do I agree with?

All italicized parts are quotes from Fortin's paper.

Step one:
" God is the one who first of all ordains (in the sense of appoints) one to be his servant and, consequently, it is also God who spiritually lays his hands upon this servant."

Step Two:
"These ordinations to ministry in the New Testament church and early Adventist movement, therefore, demonstrated the organizational principles of harmony and order, and adaptability."
"Thus, as the early church and the apostles chose qualified men to serve as leaders and ordained them, so the early Adventist church was to proceed. The solution to false teachings and anarchy was the ordination of able men who would supervise and look after the interests of the people

There needs to be leadership and someway to recognize who is representing the church and it's teaching.
But notice the author's emphases on adaptability throughout the paper.
He does not launch into a male only, pastors only, lecture.

Step Three:
He points to the election of seven deacons in Acts. Broadening out responsibilities so the first apostles could do their designated work, seven more men were ordained for another work of ministry for the Lord.
Ellen White allowed for the church to decide whether some people, other than ministers, should be ordained or set apart by the laying on of hands in other ministries.
These too should be recognized and given church authority to carry out the work to which they were ordained.

She earnestly believed that the ordained ministry alone was not sufficient to fulfill God's gospel commission, that God is calling Christians of all professions to dedicate their lives to his service

Step Four:
Differentiates between Divine authority and church authority.
By setting someone apart as a leader and preacher, the church gives them the authority to represent and act for the church in a specified ministry for the gospel work.
But only God can give Divine authority, and God does not limit that authority to those who have received church ordination.

Step Five:
Fortin's conclusion is really quite pro-women's ordination

"Ellen White's basic reason for supporting the setting apart of women and medical missionaries concurs also with what we have already seen on the adaptability of church structures to meet new needs. Under the guidance of God, the church can and should branch out in its methods of labor by setting apart in ordination people serving in various ministries.But more importantly, I believe, Ellen White implied here that God is leading the church in this direction, that it is God's will for the church to branch out, to be strengthened and built up by ordaining women to ministry."


Just as the seven deacons in Acts, were not ordained as apostles, yet they were still ordained to the gospel ministry, authorized to be preaching, baptizing, and caring for the people in the church.
Actually those seven deacons in Acts were more like present day "pastors", while the first group ordained in the early church were the apostles.
The apostles were the overseers, the ones resisting confusion and keeping the church on the right track. Overseeing the church at large.

Then there are those seven deacons who had also been given considerable church authority, their ministry was to take care of the home church and its members. Though they too did the work of an evangelist.
So yes, I would agree, the church should ordain people (not based on gender) for their specific gospel ministry to which they (by God's calling) have dedicated their lives.

As I've said before:
Ordination shouldn't be only for Bishops. (overseers)

According to Ellen White's statement women can be called to the same type of work the seven deacons in Acts were designated to do. And that work was FAR different than what present day "deacons" do in the church today.

Here is what I out of of that article.











No where in this article does the author say Ellen White supported women's ordination. She supported ordaining women who supported their spouses financially but not ordaining them as ministers. She also supported ordaining women to do social work inside the church but not as ministers.

I'm sure those reading can come to their own conclusions. .

I see something different in the article as he reasons step by step how the church adapts and he ends with suggesting the next step is actually ordaining women.

Though this statement you made has me confused

Actually she wrote that women who supported their minister husband in his work (working beside them also giving Bible studies, and visiting from family to family, etc.) should be PAID. She didn't say they should be ordained.

Here's she writes in 5MR 323:
The ministers are paid for their work, and this is well. And if the Lord gives the wife, as well as the husband, the burden of labor, and if she devotes her time and her strength to visiting from family to family, opening the Scriptures to them, although the hands of ordination have not been laid upon her, she is accomplishing a work that is in the line of ministry. Should her labors be counted as nought, and her husband's salary be no more than that of the servant of God whose wife does not give herself to the work, but remains at home to care for her family?....
God is a God of justice, and if the ministers receive a salary for their work, their wives, who devote themselves just as interestedly to the work as laborers together with God, should be paid in addition to the wages their husbands {5MR 323-324}

The Review and Herald article by Ellen White -- July 9, 1895 -- is a different article.
It's not talking about minister's wives.
The greater context of that article by EGW is actually that the ordained ministers should get out of the way and not do all the work themselves but designate and empower church members.
If ministers and men in positions of authority will get out of the way, and let the Holy Spirit move upon the minds of the lay brethren, God will direct them what to do for the honor of his name. Let men have freedom to carry out that which the Holy Spirit indicates. Do not put the shackles upon humble men whom God would use. If those who now occupy positions of responsibility had been kept at one class of work year after year, their talents would not have developed, and they would not have been qualified for the positions they hold; and yet they make no special effort to test and develop the talents of those newly come into the faith. {RH, July 9, 1895 par. 7}
Let Women who are willing to consecrate some of their time to the service of the Lord be appointed to visit the sick, look after the young, and minister to the necessities of the poor. They should be set apart to this work by prayer and laying on of hands.In some cases they will need to counsel with the church officers or the minister; but if they are devoted women, maintaining a vital connection with God, they will be a power for good in the church. This is another means of strengthening and building up the church. We need to branch out more in our methods of labor. Not a hand should be bound, not a soul discouraged, not a voice should be hushed; let every individual labor, privately or publicly, to help forward this grand work. {RH, July 9, 1895 par. 8}


EGW was very cautious on this topic of women ordination, but that last quote says --
Women should be appointed to a ministry. (not THE ministry, but A ministry)
And be set apart for this work by prayer and laying on of hands

So, you've been telling me that she supported women's ordination for the ministry as that has been your position up to now. Now your tune has changed. What changed it?

So again you assumed I was telling you something, that I wasn't telling you.
It all depends on what you mean "THE ministry"
It seems to me that you see this whole conversation as a strict (that there is only one ordination which means the ordained person is qualified for ALL ministerial functions)
Not that I blame you -- as that seems to be how many see it --
They see it as THE ministry which enables the initiated to do EVERYTHING ( be pastor, overseer, evangelist, conference president, etc, etc, all wrapped up in one ordination). That's the NARROW view that sees Ordination as entitling the one ordained to do EVERYTHING, as in once ordained they are THE ministry.



The other position is to BROADEN ordination.
Go back and read what I wrote, if you want to know what I'm saying.
It's actual quite similar idea to the paper you linked.

I would propose that the church recognize the different ministries (and not lump them all into one) and then ordain, set apart, officially recognize, those called for these ministries.
So it's not just THE ordination, but more a matter ordaining people for their ministries, some overseers, some pastors, some missionaries, etc. The ordination for overseers (ministering to a region of churches), be not the same as the ordination for pastors (ministering to members in local churches).
Women, as I see it in EGW's writings can be ordained as pastors
In fact, EGW seems to quite strongly encourage women to take up pastoral work (not just men).
Yet, she still strongly promotes the need for true Christian men leaders.