Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Ramalli, and welcome to today's RE lesson, which is part of our unit.

Jesus, how did He speak truth to power? In today's lesson, we are going to be exploring the challenge to power for Christians today.

Okay, let's start our lesson.

Today's lesson outcome is I can explain the role of women in the church today.

Topic for today's lesson, there are four keywords.

Our keywords are asylum, challenge, ordained, and priest.

Asylum refers to a place of safety.

Challenge refers to something new and difficult, which requires great effort and determination.

Ordained is being officially recognised as a religious leader, and priest is a person who has the authority to lead a community and perform religious ceremonies.

Today's lesson on the challenge to power for Christians today takes two parts.

We're gonna start today's lesson by exploring how are women treated in the church today, moving on to consider how does the church speak truth to power today? Izzy explains how we use social science in religious education.

Izzy says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live and how contexts like where they live or when they lived affects this.

We can better understand people's world views by looking at photographs or analysing data.

We can survey or interview people to find out more about their worldview." In this lesson, we will be examining a case study to better understand the role of women in the church today.

Izzy wants to investigate how women are treated in the church today.

Izzy interviews Canon Ann Easter, a priest in the Church of England and her husband, Reverend Christopher Owens.

Izzy asks, "What is a priest, Canon Ann Easter?" Canon Ann responds, "A priest is a person who has the authority to lead a community and perform religious ceremonies.

I was the second woman to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England.

I was ordained in 1994." Okay, let's pause and complete a check for understanding.

Select the meaning of priest.

A, something new and difficult, which requires great effort and determination; B, a person who has the authority to lead a community and perform religious ceremonies; or C, being officially recognised as a religious leader.

Pause the video and then press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you selected B as the correct answer.

The meaning of priest is a person who has the authority to lead a community and perform religious ceremonies.

Izzy asks, "Did you always want to be a priest, Canon Ann Easter?" Canon Ann replies, "Yes, I knew from as young as seven years old that I wanted to teach and tell people about God and God's love.

However, my church, the Church of England, hasn't always allowed women to be priests.

I became a nurse before becoming a priest." Izzy tells us that at the start of the 20th century, women had limited opportunities and no vote to change things.

Things have become more equal in the 21st century.

So between 1914 and 1918 was World War I and in 1928, women got the right to vote.

Between 1939 and 1945, there was World War II, and in 1946, some married women were allowed to work.

In 1975 was the equal rights for working women, and in 1985 was the new Equal Pay Act.

Canon Ann Easter explains how she became a priest in the Church of England.

In 1992, the Church of England decided to allow women to become priests.

This was a huge decision because prior to this, only men were allowed to be ordained as a priest.

I think having female priests is very important because it helps girls and women to feel represented.

Being a priest can be hard, but I feel that God has called me to this role and I appreciate everyone that has supported me.

Okay, let's pause and check you've understood what we've just heard.

In which year did the Church of England allow women to be ordained as priests? Was it A, 1902; B, 1912; C, 1982; or D 1992? You've got five seconds to choose the answer that you think is correct.

Well done if you selected C.

The Church of England allowed women to be ordained as priests in 1992.

Izzy asks, "Why were only men ordained as priests before 1992, Canon Ann Easter?" Canon Ann replies, "Many people felt that tradition should be followed and that only men should have teaching roles in the church.

One reason is that Jesus' 12 disciples were all men.

This is an ongoing debate.

Not all churches allow women priests.

I believe that a man or women can do the job of a priest." Okay, time to have some discussion.

Why do some people not agree with female priests? So with your partner or in a small group, I'd like you to use Canon Ann's answer to answer the question and discuss why does some people not agree with female priests? Pause the video and press play when you're ready to reflect on your answer.

Welcome back, everyone.

Fantastic discussions.

So why do some people not agree with female priests? Did you identify that it's because Jesus' 12 disciples were all men, therefore some people within the church believe that only men should have a teaching role? Well done if you said that in your discussions.

Reverend Christopher Owens is married to Canon Ann.

He explains his view on female priests.

In 1992, when the Church of England voted to allow female priests, I did not approve.

I believe that women had an important role to serve in the church, but that Jesus only wanted male leaders.

30 years on, I believe the church of England were right.

I now fully support Ann's role as a priest and really proud of all that she has achieved.

Why did Christopher not agree with his wife Ann becoming a priest? So again, with your partner or in a small group, I would like you to discuss that question using the answer from Reverend Christopher Owens to help.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, fantastic discussions, everybody.

Well done if you identified that the reason Christopher did not agree with his wife initially becoming a priest is because he believed that Jesus only wanted male leaders.

Canon Ann explains her view on female priests.

She says, "I believe that men and women are equal but different.

I think it is important to have men and women priests.

I believe in the biblical story of Martha and Mary where Jesus was showing that women and men are equal.

Okay, let's complete a check for understanding.

Select one reason why some churches do not ordain female priests.

A, Jesus's 12 disciples were all male; B, Jesus' 12 disciples were male and female; or C, Jesus' disciples were all female.

Pause the video and press play.

When you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you selected A as the correct answer.

One reason why some churches do not ordain female priests is because Jesus' 12 disciples were all male.

Canon Ann Easter explains how she has been treated since becoming an ordained priest.

Canon Ann tells us, "When I was first ordained as a priest, some people did not make me feel welcome.

I was often the only female priest in the room or at a meeting and my views were often dismissed.

Thankfully, this was only a minority of people and the majority welcomed to me.

I had so many wonderful opportunities.

I have featured on the BBC programme "Songs of Praise," Radio 4 show's "Daily Service," and I worked as Queen Elizabeth II's chaplain at Windsor.

I now work as a priest serving my local community in the east end of London.

The skills of caring and nurturing that I developed working as a nurse is still highly valuable.

Now I care for girls and women in my community.

I'm someone for them to talk to and pray with.

I aim to be a good role model for girls and women.

By being the second female priest to be ordained in the Church of England, I aim to live a life that tries to challenge and change the system.

True or false? All churches have ordained female priests.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done If you said this statement is false.

Not all churches agree that women should be priests.

Some churches believe that men should be priests because Jesus' 12 disciples were all male.

So now we're gonna pause and we are gonna complete our first practise task.

Sophia has a Christian worldview and attends an Anglican church.

Sophia asks, "I would like to become a priest when I'm older, Canon Ann.

What advice would you give me?" Use these keywords to write a response from Canon Ann.

Community, caring, praying, challenge, and role model.

Good luck completing the practise task.

I'd like to pause the video here and then press play when you're ready to reflect on your answers.

Welcome back everybody.

So your answer may include these points.

When I was seven years old, I knew that I wanted to become a priest.

Being an ordained priest is a special way to serve God and help people within your community.

Being a priest involves listening, caring, and praying for others.

It involves teaching and telling people about God and God's love.

As a female priest, you may challenge the traditional ideas that only men should be priests, but you will act as an important role model for other girls and women.

Well done, everybody, on completing the first practise task.

So that moves us on to the second part of today's lesson on the challenge to power for Christians today.

Now we're going to explore how does the church speak truth to power today? Stories from the Bible might inspire Christians to speak truth to power.

Many of Jesus' stories challenge those in power in His society.

In the Good Samaritan parable, the Samaritan seen as an enemy showed the most compassion.

In the Widow's Mite, the poor widow showed the most generosity.

And in the story of Martha and Mary, Mary made the better choice by listening to God's Word.

Izzy is investigating how different churches speak truths to power.

To find out more, she will interview two people with a Christian worldview.

Asher regularly attends a free church and Niamh occasionally attends a Roman Catholic church.

Izzy says, "How does your church speak truth to power, Asher?" Asher replies, "My church speaks truth to power by encouraging us as Christians to put our faith into action.

This involves challenging those in power.

One way that I do this is by speaking on behalf of families seeking asylum in the UK.

These are families that are in the UK seeking safety." "What do you do to help families seeking asylum, Asher?" "I support the Lift the Ban campaign.

This calls on the government to allow people seeking asylum in the UK the right to work whilst they're waiting for their application to be processed.

I have challenged the government by writing to my local MP and I have signed a petition." Asher reflects on the importance of faith in action.

As a Christian, Jesus teaches me that I must show compassion and care to all people.

The parable of the Good Samaritan reminds me that Jesus wants everyone to understand that being a good neighbour isn't just about who we know or where we come from.

It's about showing compassion and kindness, helping those in need no matter who they are or where they come from.

This is why I show compassion to those seeking asylum.

True or false? Jesus thought it was important to show compassion to all people.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done if you said that statement is true.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches people to show compassion and kindness to all people no matter who they are or where they come from.

Izzy asks, "How else does your church speak truth to power, Asher?" "My church has a female priest.

Having a female lead our community and perform religious ceremonies challenges some people in power who believe that only men should be teachers in church.

I believe that women can be disciples of Jesus as shown in the story of Martha and Mary." "How does your church speak truth to power, Niamh?" Niamh replies, "My church also encourages us to put our faith into action.

Jesus' story of the Widow's Mite teaches me to be generous and give whatever I can to help others.

I do this by volunteering my time to help run the food bank at my church.

Other Christians may donate to charities." True or false? All Christians must volunteer to run food banks.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Well done If you said that statement is false.

Some Christians might put their faith into action by volunteering to run food banks, but this is not the only way.

For example, some Christians may donate to charities.

So time to complete our second practise task.

Izzy is trying to explain why Christians are inspired to challenge those in power.

Use any or all of these pictures to help Izzy explain how Christians today speak truth to power.

The Good Samaritan parable, the Widow's Mite, and the story of Martha and Mary.

Good luck completing the practise task.

I'd like you to pause the video here and then press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Welcome back, everybody.

So in your answers you might have said, "Christians might be inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan to help people seek asylum in the UK to be able to work.

Christians might be inspired by the story of the Widow's Mite to volunteer their time to help others or give money to charity.

And Christians might follow Jesus' example in the story of Martha and Mary to treat women as equal to men and appoint a female priest to lead their church." And perhaps she thought of other things too.

Fantastic.

Well done on completing the second practise task.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson and our summary of our learning on the challenge to power for Christians today.

Here are the key learning points that we've covered into today's lesson.

The role of women in churches is changing, with more women now holding positions of power.

In certain churches, women are permitted to be ordained as priests.

The Church of England began ordaining women as priests in 1992.

Many Christians are motivated by Jesus's parables and stories to challenge those in power and help those in need.

For example, people seeking asylum in the UK.

Christians might challenge those in power by signing petitions or writing letters to their local member of parliament.

Well done and all of your hard work in today's RE lesson, and thank you very much for joining me.

Goodbye.