My wife Helen was a passionate teacher and leader within the church, and while not one to ‘bang the drum’ about women’s ordination, strongly held the view that we as a church should encourage male and female leadership, including women who hear God’s call to be pastors. Helen had considered the possibility of being a pastor herself and attended a number of the courses at the seminary during our first year in Adelaide in 1975. She attended these lectures, in between looking for work, after having completed her Honours degree at Monash University in Ethnomusicology. Eventually, however, music became her primary passion and she headed in that direction as an accomplished secondary music teacher in government high schools, in Adelaide and then Melbourne.
In our second year in Adelaide Helen completed her Dip Ed. As part of her education studies Helen wrote an academic article detailing the two sides of the ordination debate. Initially it was written as one of her papers in a philosophy subject that year. It is an exegetical examination of the relevant passages and assessing the logical analysis of the theological commentators for and against the ordination of women. It was then published the following year in the Lutheran Student Magazine in September 1977 (77:4). Her concluding paragraph reads: ‘We can say that the NT neither presses for or against the ordination of women. However, the proof texts and consequent theories developed against women’s ordination are of insufficient clarity and without a reasonable basis to be considered sufficient to forbid it in a world where the harvest is ripe but the labourers few!’ This was such a neat summary of the Biblical issue, and is about where we are still up to today in the LCANZ. In her inimitable fashion she was a master at summarising concisely the issues and giving clarity and direction in the face of fuzzy thinking.
Several pertinent points that Helen makes in her paper are the following: ‘The initial problem is that there is no direct correspondence between the office of the minister as practised today and the ‘offices’ practiced in the New Testament times. Whilst, admittedly, there are some parallels, it cannot be said, as has been maintained, that the New Testament is absolutely definitive about the ordination of women, or men, for that matter; i.e. ordination in our present-day sense….Firstly, the texts are often lifted from their original context so that what was once meant as relative to a situation is taken as a timeless maxim….It is therefore a hermeneutical problem with which we are dealing. Which of the proof texts may be interpreted as divine revelations and which are those dictums concerned with dealing with a specific first century problem? The second danger, related to the hermeneutical problem, is that the use of proof texts often leads to legalistic means of resolving church matters and to a biblicistic interpretation of Scripture rather than an overall understanding of the relevant texts within the light of the Gospel. The argument does not go far enough to consider, for example, how women’s ordination would violate the Gospel.’
Helen was a passionate mother of our three children during which time she completed her Masters degree in choral conducting when she returned to Monash University in 1990. It was also there that she later commenced her PhD. When we shifted back to Adelaide she transferred her PhD studies to Adelaide University in 1994. Sometime later, while studying part-time, she became a sessional lecturer at Australian Lutheran College for about eight years where she lectured in the pastoral students stream in the area of communication. This involved voice training and education in non-verbal communication. The subject matter included such things as how to clearly present a sermon both verbally and non-verbally, as well as the best ways to communicate a children’s talk. Other matters included how to shake someone’s hand in a personable manner, along with all the many other matters of public speaking, singing and communication. Helen brought these potential pastors in touch with both themselves and their future parishioners. Many of the students greatly appreciated her analysis of their speaking abilities and she assisted quite a few in addressing some mild to serious vocal issues. Long after leaving the seminary, many who became pastors of the LCANZ, continued to express thanks to her for the assistance that she had given them in shaping them pastorally.
During these years she was also the chairperson of the LCA hymnbook/ song committee which was a sub-committee of the Commission on Worship. Amongst many other things, they oversaw the creation of three new liturgies for use in Sunday worship services in the LCA. Helen was also a contributor to the Lutheran Theological Journal and participated in a number of theological seminars involving leading theologians and pastors of the LCA.
Helen was a very careful and patient listener when it came to hearing another person’s point of view. She would give the other person opportunity to express their point of opinion, giving them an uncritical gracious space. But then, on the spot, she could quite rapidly analyse what they were saying and subsequently shoot back some very pertinent questions and observations which could at times quite disarm people with her sharp and insightful comments. This was true about most of her discussions with people, but especially about the issue of the ordination of both men and women. Over the years she had heard almost every argument and its variations, and so after allowing people the chance to put forward their angle, she would then go to the heart of the matter and leave them with another perspective to ponder and think upon.
Helen had a very balanced perspective that saw the question of the ordination of women as a side issue in relation to the centrality of her Christian and Lutheran faith. Her approach placed the Gospel squarely and firmly in the centre of her life, along with her love and respect of people. She addressed women’s and men’s ordination when it was raised, without fear or favour, no matter who was raising it. But her primary focus encompassed the bigger issues of life and theology. She preferred to get on with meaningfully contributing to the life and work of the church in expressing and sharing the message of Christ in whatever ways she could. She did this both creatively and passionately, reaching out to men and women, children and elderly, and especially those outside of the usual parameters of the church. She has left an amazing legacy for all who were touched by her life, especially her husband, children, family and friends and many parishioners over the decades, along with many pastors of the LCANZ and those on the fringe of the community of faith.
