{"id":85222,"date":"2025-03-01T17:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T23:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=85222"},"modified":"2025-03-01T17:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T23:22:09","slug":"a-woman-as-bishop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-woman-as-bishop\/","title":{"rendered":"A Woman as Bishop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Vance Trefethen
\nvia Sentry Magazine<\/em>, Vol. 16 No. 1, March 31, 1990\n

The recent elevation of Barbara Harris to the position of bishop in the Episcopal church stirred up a great deal of controversy within that denominational body and called the attention of the world at large to the role of women in the church. The move probably should not have caused as much uproar within the Episcopal church as it did. After all, if you can scripturally and morally have a woman “priest” (her position before being promoted), how could there possibly be any problem with a female bishop? (Understanding that the priesthood of the Episcopal Church is based on the Levitical priesthood and not that of Christians, all of whom are priests.<\/p>\n

One of the most important lessons to be learned by the people of God from these denominational follies is seen in the arguments of conservatives in the Episcopal church who opposed Ms. Harris’ appointment as bishop. None of them argued that a divorced woman could not possibly meet the qualifications of Titus 1:6-9 (“husband of one wife,” etc.) to qualify as a bishop. Perhaps they were constrained by the fact that that passage would also disqualify many male Episcopal bishops.<\/p>\n

Instead, their reasoning went like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Jesus only appointed men as apostles. That’s true enough.<\/li>\n
  2. Bishops are the successors to the “office” held by the apostles. I don’t know where in the Bible one would find that teaching, but it plays a big role in Roman Catholic and Anglican theology.<\/li>\n
  3. Therefore, bishops should be men. Right, but for the wrong reasons.<\/li>\n
  4. And besides, that’s the way we’ve always done it. This is the major reason there has never been a female Anglican bishop in all these years.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There are two major lessons that I believe are readily apparent. First, once you disregard the authority of the Scriptures, there is no place you can stop and say, “No, the church shouldn’t be doing that. That isn’t right.” How could anyone in the Episcopal church appeal to the Scriptures to object to what they conscientiously believe to be wrong when that body practices so many other unscriptural things (apostolic succession, latter-day “priests,” etc.)? Where is the stopping point once you have decided to disregard the scriptures regarding any doctrine or practice? If you can have one unscriptural practice, why not two? Or three?<\/p>\n

    The second lesson is that “the way we’ve always done it” is a poor substitute for the Scriptures. Conservative Episcopalians found that argument insufficient to stop Ms. Harris from being “ordained” to her position. The reason is mainly that the argument has no moral force. “That’s how we’ve always done it” doesn’t make anything right or wrong. An innovator has simply to ask, “So what if that’s the way we’ve always done it?” and he has adequately answered the conservative’s argument. The inspired writers and prophets of the Bible never resorted to that argument to persuade man to walk in God’s commandments. Instead, you find Paul telling the Corinthians to “let the women keep silence in the churches<\/em>” and then telling them to “take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord<\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:34,37). Paul tells the Corinthians that all the other churches are practicing this same teaching (I Corinthians 14:33), but that is not why Corinth is to do so. They had to practice this because it was a commandment of the Lord.<\/p>\n

    The Glen Burnie, Maryland, church sponsors a weekly live radio program in Baltimore on which we take telephone calls and discuss religious issues over the air. A topic that frequently comes up is the question of “women pastors.” Many of the protestant denominations in Baltimore have had female religious leaders for years (unlike the Episcopal church). The preacher for the Glen Burnie church and I were on the program, and we had just finished answering questions along those lines (using I Corinthians 14 and I Timothy 2:12) and reading exactly what the Bible says about the issue.<\/p>\n

    The discussion went something like this:<\/p>\n

    VT: Hello, you’re on the air.<\/p>\n

    Caller: Hello. I just wanted to say that I don’t see anything wrong with having a woman preacher in the church.<\/p>\n

    VT: Well, were you listening just a minute ago when we read the two passages that say it’s wrong?<\/p>\n

    Caller: Oh, yes, but I just don’t see anything wrong with it. I mean, if a woman can do a good job, why shouldn’t she be allowed to preach?<\/p>\n

    Preacher: Do you think I would be wrong to steal, lie, or use foul language? Aren’t those things wrong because the Bible says I’m not supposed to do them? Women preachers are wrong because the Bible says they’re wrong.<\/p>\n

    Caller: Oh, I know, but I just don’t see anything wrong with it…”<\/p>\n

    People with an attitude like that are not simply the figments of some conservative preacher’s imagination.\u00a0The Bible warns against those who “love not the truth.<\/em>” That kind of person won’t be persuaded by “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” We shouldn’t expect them to be. As the next generation grows up, they need to learn why the church does and does not practice certain things, and I define “why” as book chapter and verse. A church that practices the right things for the wrong reasons (or an reason) will last at most one generation. It will soon be disturbed by innovators who will challenge “the way we’ve always done it.” Will our children be ready to give them an answer?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Vance Trefethen via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 1, March 31, 1990 The recent elevation of Barbara Harris to the position of bishop in the Episcopal church stirred up a great deal of controversy within that denominational body and called the attention of the world at large to the role of women in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[493,81,82],"class_list":["post-85222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-episcopal-church","tag-women-preachers","tag-womens-roles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28411,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-did-the-presbyterians-and-the-episcopals-come-by-their-names\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":0},"title":"How did the Presbyterians and the Episcopals come by their names?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently we studied the qualifications of elders and I mentioned the Greek words, Presbuterous (elder, presbyter) and Episkopos (bishop, overseer), and one of the members here asked if this is how the Presbyterian and Episcopal churches came up with their names for identifying their churches. I did some research\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33735,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/episcopals-approve-blessing-for-homosexual-unions\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":1},"title":"Episcopals Approve Blessing for Homosexual Unions","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: \"Episcopal bishops approve blessing for same-sex unions,\" Associated Press, Omaha World-Herald, 10 July 2012. Episcopals have been permitting marriages for homosexuals for many years. Where local politics don't permit such marriages they have been getting around the roadblock by saying it is just a blessing on the civil union\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33759,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-the-episcopal-church-is-collapsing\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":2},"title":"Why the Episcopal Church Is Collapsing","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Rob Kerby, \"Why is the Episcopal Church near collapse?\"\u00a0BeliefNet\u00a012 July 2012. Losing Membership \"Somehow slipping out of the headlines is a harsh reality that the denomination\u00a0has been\u00a0deserted in droves by an angry or ambivalent membership.\" \"Among the old mainstream denominations reporting to the National Council of Churches, the Episcopal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59748,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-solution-to-episcopalian-church-problems\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":3},"title":"The Solution to Episcopalian Church Problems","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 7, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Klein via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, October 7, 2007 For those unfamiliar with it, the Episcopalian Church in America is a denomination that has its roots in the Church of England. These churches, along with Episcopalian denominations in other nations, are collectively\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58455,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/an-open-door-to-where\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":4},"title":"An Open Door to Where?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 25, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The presiding bishop of the Episcopal denomination in the United States was in town this weekend. Katharine Jefferts Schori's message throughout the day was an emphasis on an \"open and not dogmatic\" faith. \"'I read the Gospel to say that Jesus invited everybody into His community,'\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/openDoor-227x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30329,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/corruption-in-church-organization\/","url_meta":{"origin":85222,"position":5},"title":"Corruption in Church Organization","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Acts 20:17-35 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Equality of members (first century) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The early church was marked by the equality of its members - Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As Jesus prayed, the desire was for all Christians to be one - John 17:20-21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There were different duties,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85222\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}