This is a subject that seems guaranteed to raise strong feelings one way or the other, but personally I don’t know quite what I think about it - I can see both views.
However I have been very interested in the ways people have made their arguments, in the motivations and the resulting stances, whichever way they have been arguing.
Here are a number of arguments that I have heard put forward frequently:
- the equality agenda demands action to address a clear inequality
- if the church is to keep up with public opinion it's high time to address this anachronism
- the church has always done things this way, and changes in public opinion are no reason to change now
- it's clearly not fair
- what was right in 1st-century Palestine is not necessarily right now
- the 'stained-glass ceiling' effect
- that one view is obviously right and the other side is being belligerent / unreasonable / old-fashioned / liberal / etc.
All the above arguments appeal to common sense, human opinion, or an internal sense of 'rightness' or fairness. It is hard to disagree with such arguments; they are common and useful bases from which to make judgements.
However, they are all also 'human worldly thinking’, even when Bible verses are tacked on the end to ‘prove their point’!
And I am certainly wary of any argument that resorts to force or that does not take seriously the views of the ‘other side’.
There are some behaviours that are ‘obviously wrong’ - for example thieving is wrong. Few people would argue that thieving is right, and the Bible is unequivocal: “Do not steal” is one of the 10 commandments.
But the issue of women bishops is not such an issue - there are many, many people who care deeply about this, and present their case carefully for or against - and many use scriptures to back their view. There is no straightforward commandment, “Thou shalt / shalt not have women bishops”, but there were certainly many ways in which Jesus went against the cultural norms of his day to recognise and value the place of women, and there are also passages which speak about leadership being male.
So this seems to be one of those issues that is not ‘core’ Christian doctrine - such as Jesus’ humanity and divinity, death and resurrection, and salvation by faith, are. And yet it is an issue that people feel strongly about!
So, I am happy to hear from any who...
- will grapple honestly with the complexities of what the Bible has to say about men and women, and about leadership
- who demonstrate their love for those of the opposite opinion, by listening carefully and respectfully, and by working for their wellbeing if they are hurt by the outcome.
- and who speak with humility, and listen with openness to the mind of Christ.
For I know that honesty, humility, and love are qualities of God.
