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Under The Stained-Glass Ceiling: The Ambiguous Position Of Ordained Women In Protestant America, Jesse Klitzke

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The ordination and pastorship of women in Protestant America is as ambiguous as it is rare. Due to the constitutional separation of church and state in the U.S, churches do not follow anti-discrimination laws, and can hire or reject women for employment at their own discretion. This thesis argues that this discretion has created a disconnect between the acceptance of female pastors that many Protestant denominations of Christianity advertise, compared to what actually comes to fruition for women who are ordained within these denominations. This thesis will ultimately present the adverse reality of being an ordained Protestant woman in America …