The Vote to Reject The Ordination of Female Bishops is Potentially Disastrous For Christian Witness!

You could say it’s none of my business!  After all I’m a Probationer Presbyter in the Methodist Church of Great Britain and a new one at that; what possible right could I have to comment on the decision made by the Church of England this evening to reject the ordination of female bishops?

No, I’m not an Anglican but then this disastrous decision has ramifications that range far wider than the Church of England.  The average member of the general public does not, on the whole, make any real distinction between the different Christians denominations, nor do they have any interest in the way General Synod votes: all the average unchurched person will understand is that once again the church has said that approximately half the human race are not fit to be leaders.

How can we, as a people driven by mission, try to claim that the Christian faith is as relevant as it has always been when its apparent attitude to women makes it appear completely irrelevant to many?

It is not even as if a strong case can be made from scripture to reject female leadership.  In so far as I can tell the opponents of female bishops rely on one or two suspect passages in Paul’s epistles that may not even have been written by Paul.  The most widely quoted passage is 1 Timothy 2:11-12, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”  In the first place we should note that the passage clear states “I do not permit”, not “God does not permit” or “Christ does not permit.”  The author of the letter is giving his own personal view, not a command from God.  I say the author to make my second point, the Pauline authorship of this letter is hotly disputed and if it did not come from Paul himself that diminishes its authority.

Those who rely on Pauline authority for rejecting female leadership are on very shaky ground, for in many places Paul can be seen to actively support women in leadership roles. In 1 Corinthians 16:19 he sends greetings Aquila and Priscilla and the church that meets in their house.  Surely if Aquila alone had been leader his wife would not have been mentioned.  Elsewhere he refers to women as co-workers.  And it is Paul who wrote that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus.

As I have written before, to say a person isn’t fit to be a leader because they happen to be female is every bit as evil as suggesting that they would not be fit to be a leader because they are black, or because they have ginger hair.

In none of this do I seek to condemn my brothers and sisters in the Church of England, the majority of whom are in favour of female bishops; I pray with you that by the grace of God this disastrous decision can be reversed a lot sooner than 2015.  I also pray that those who are opposed to female leadership, not only in the Church of England but in all Christian Denominations (and, yes, there are still people who think like that in the Methodist Church too) would consider if their position is truly scriptural and totally without any hint of uncertainty (I am convinced that it isn’t) and think again about the potential detrimental effect their decision to oppose female bishops could have on Christian witness in our nation.