Women Bishops in Anglican Church

[aurelie]

Hello everybody,
I am a French woman studying translation. I am in England for 8 months, and during my stay I have a "memoire" to do. I choose to work on women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church. The main question of my memoire is : How do English people consider women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church ?

Therefore I would be really pleased if you can share your views on the subject with me. I'm waiting for opinions from both Christians and Non-Christians people.

The only thing I'm asking is to let me quote you in my memoire, under the nickname you've chosen in this forum. Thus, I can do statistics and comparisons.

Hoping you'll help me in my task,

Thanks in advance !!

Aurelie

[MagusYanam]

To aurelie:

Hello everybody,
I am a French woman studying translation. I am in England for 8 months, and during my stay I have a "memoire" to do. I choose to work on women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church. The main question of my memoire is : How do English people consider women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church ?

Therefore I would be really pleased if you can share your views on the subject with me. I'm waiting for opinions from both Christians and Non-Christians people.

The only thing I'm asking is to let me quote you in my memoire, under the nickname you've chosen in this forum. Thus, I can do statistics and comparisons.

Hoping you'll help me in my task,

Thanks in advance !!

I am not an Englishman but an American; I was, for a time, affiliated with the Episcopal Church (and we had a female priest), and I have an abiding respect for the rationalist broad-church tradition, so I hope I can be of some help.

(Also, I am 22-year-old white male from Providence, Rhode Island.)

I think it is a good thing that women are being allowed to become bishops. After all, several followers of Jesus were women (notably Mary Magdalene), who had authority under him to perform exorcisms, to heal and to teach. Jesus also had a discussion with a Gentile woman (St Mark 7:25-30), something that was nearly unheard-of at that time (Jews were not supposed to speak with Gentiles, and men were not supposed to respect arguments made by women the way Jesus did).

Also, St Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, spoke to the equality in the Church, in the body of Christ, of men and women, of Jews and Gentiles and of free and enslaved. I believe this to be one of the more important standards by which our Church must be held, and that we must hold fast to what is good.

To bernee51:

Wouldn't you hold that the letters of St Paul as they appear in Scripture actually do hold the marks of a varied authorship (perhaps having been edited later, after they were first written)? Perhaps it wasn't just St Paul himself expressing those sentiments?

Actually, I would almost see St Paul as something of a misanthrope rather than merely a misogynist - he tended to have a dim view of all human nature, at any rate.

[Dragon]

Prove what you say of Paul.He gives his reasons for women not having authority.

No, YOU prove what you say of Paul.

Firstly, prove that he was a real person. Then prove that he wrote those words. Then prove that your interpretation (of what you imagine he said) is the correct interpretation.

Then give us a reasoned defence of what you claim he meant - in other words, argue your case, don't just hide behind behind something that was written in a book.

No, it's OK, I know you can't do that, you just believe it's all true because it's in the bible.

That's fine, this wasn't just any old book: it was dictated by God (apparently) so we have to believe everything in it.

Have you really thought about why I, and millions of others, don't buy this valuation of half the human race?

Has it never occurred to you that it is men, not women, who are vastly more responsible for wrongdoing (call it sin if you like) in this world?

It would make much more sense to bar men from these positions.

[Mere_Christian]

Hello everybody,
I am a French woman studying translation. I am in England for 8 months, and during my stay I have a "memoire" to do. I choose to work on women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church. The main question of my memoire is : How do English people consider women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church ?

Therefore I would be really pleased if you can share your views on the subject with me. I'm waiting for opinions from both Christians and Non-Christians people.

The only thing I'm asking is to let me quote you in my memoire, under the nickname you've chosen in this forum. Thus, I can do statistics and comparisons.

Hoping you'll help me in my task,

Thanks in advance !!

Aurelie

Since Israel had a female leader sitting in judgment over the people (Judges 4), a Christian female leader is not so off-base.

[micatala]

Hello everybody,
I am a French woman studying translation. I am in England for 8 months, and during my stay I have a "memoire" to do. I choose to work on women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church. The main question of my memoire is : How do English people consider women becoming bishops in the Anglican Church ?

Therefore I would be really pleased if you can share your views on the subject with me. I'm waiting for opinions from both Christians and Non-Christians people.

The only thing I'm asking is to let me quote you in my memoire, under the nickname you've chosen in this forum. Thus, I can do statistics and comparisons.

Hoping you'll help me in my task,

Thanks in advance !!

Aurelie

Since Israel had a female leader sitting in judgment over the people (Judges 4), a Christian female leader is not so off-base.

I agree with the point.

However, this points out we appear to have inconsistent teachings within the Bible. Paul's teaching would seem to run counter to the practice of allowing people like Deborah to function as judges, at least to the extent the Deborah would be functioning as a teacher within a church or synagogue setting. If Deborah is only functioning as a political leader or legal judge, then this might not run counter to Paul's teaching. Given the lines between religious and political leadership within Israel through most of the OT, it is a legitimate question.

Obviously Paul would have been aware of the example of those like Deborah. One wonders why he wrote as he did given her example. Of course, there are some analysts who make the case that some of Paul's more mysoginist passages were insertions by later mysoginists within the church, and not original to Paul.

[Mere_Christian]

Since Israel had a female leader sitting in judgment over the people (Judges 4), a Christian female leader is not so off-base.

I agree with the point.

However, this points out we appear to have inconsistent teachings within the Bible.[/quote]

Let's see. Inconsistent or different?

Paul's teaching would seem to run counter to the practice of allowing people like Deborah to function as judges, at least to the extent the Deborah would be functioning as a teacher within a church or synagogue setting.

Deborah's position is preceded with a messes up Israel. Not exactly a great endorsement for a woman leader being raised to prominence.

If Deborah is only functioning as a political leader or legal judge, then this might not run counter to Paul's teaching. Given the lines between religious and political leadership within Israel through most of the OT, it is a legitimate question.

The Church congregation setting is different than the Israelite religious situation.

Obviously Paul would have been aware of the example of those like Deborah. One wonders why he wrote as he did given her example.

It looks like he is writing to a specific Church with specific problems.

Of course, there are some analysts who make the case that some of Paul's more mysoginist passages were insertions by later mysoginists within the church, and not original to Paul.

Makes no sense that damaging things would be included in the NT. It would make sense, if things were going to be redefined, it would be edited to make sinner-clergy look perfect and would make everyone welcome within The Church structure with little restrctions to implement and gain power and money far faster than European politicians figured out with their oppressive and evil church endeavors.