Glad you asked - women bishops

Glad you asked – women bishops?

The attention the church has received over the last week will have generated a whole raft of reactions and emotions, whatever our opinion about Jesus, the church, or the particular disagreement[1].  But let’s not miss the opportunities, if we are Christians, that any attention stimulates to tell people the good news of Jesus.  We’ll have been and will be asked by folk who won’t call themselves Christians what we think – some slightly mocking, some in incomprehension, some genuinely interested, some close to anger, some because we’d run out of conversation!  How do we make the most of this ‘opportunity’ to talk about Jesus clearly and well? 

Here are three ways I’ve approached it:

An opportunity to explain that people matter to God and should be treated equally – and that is good news.

Genesis 1:27 tells us God made everyone in his image. 

So God created humans in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Not just an elite few; not just one gender; not just one ethnic group; not just people of a certain intellect or moral code.  Everyone is equally created in the image of God.

Therefore the church truly believes in the equality of all people – men, women, young, old, pre-born and toward the end of life, mentally restricted or mentally a genius, rich and poor, whatever religious persuasion, sexual orientation, cultural background, or moral code.  Everyone, everywhere is made in the image of God.  No one is less human or more human.  All are equally valuable and to be treated with dignity and care whatever their education, or background, or culture, or whether they slept the night in a four-poster or cardboard box.  The Bible teaches, the church strives and Jesus demonstrated perfectly that all people are equal and are to be treated as such.

Tell them your story of being treated equally and impartially by God, and your experience of the church striving to be like that.  This is good news.

An opportunity to explain that people matter to God and should be treated as individuals – and that is good news.

Equally doesn’t of course mean treating everyone identically.  My wife and my children are truly and fully equal but, because they are equal, I treat them very differently.  True equality means understanding people as individuals and treating everyone as unique and distinct. 

God in the slow-motion action replay of how he made humanity does not make Adam and Eve from a set mould or in one indistinct lump but unique and individual and different.  There is half a chapter and a whole heap of activity between man being made and woman being made.  And they are made through very different processes by God.  They are unique.  (Compare Genesis 2:7 and 2:22)

Psalm 139 emphasises this as the reality of all people everywhere – individual, unique, different to anyone else, distinct.  It says things like: ‘Lord, you know me completely’ and ‘you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb’ and ‘all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.’

So treating people equally is knowing and treating people individually – their personality, experiences, talents, needs, contributions all considered as we see them as an individual person.  It is taking account of who they are and avoiding neutralising everyone into one ‘average’ nobody.  So the Bible says treat older people as older people, with respect; and young rash men as young rash men, with instruction; and trustworthy leaders as trustworthy leaders, with honour.  Equality means seeing everyone uniquely and responding to them in unique, different ways.

And of course our gender is significant in who we are, alongside many other things.  A significant part of what makes me Alex is that I am male.  So the Bible does not talk about women being spouses and partners but wives; and men not as spouses and partners but husbands.  Intuitively we know our gender effects who we are.  Ignoring that is an error (one society seems to be embracing at the moment).  God treats us as individuals. 

  

Tell people about a God who does not treat us as a number, or one of the masses, but as a unique, distinct individual.  Tell people about your experience of church where you are accepted for who you are.  How attractive is it to find a place, in a culture that is more and more denying the individual, which values us and treats us as individuals by recognising who we uniquely are?  The church is serious (because God is serious) about treating individuals as individuals, including the reality of our gender in shaping us.  That is good news.

An opportunity to explain people matter, and they matter more to God than we could ever imagine – and that is the best news.

Whatever we or our friends feel and think about this week, somewhere will be pain.  Though the church has historically led the charge in some women’s rights, for example in marriage and the work place during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, often the church has handled how men and women relate poorly.  Its credibility is low and people’s confidence even lower.  But the church never claims to be perfect.  None of us are.  ‘All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.’ (Romans 3:23).  The church does claim, however, to point to Jesus, who is perfect. 

What an opportunity to help people grasp that whatever pain they feel, Jesus presents a full and complete solution.  Take the opportunity to tell people about God, his love, Jesus, forgiveness and new life.  Tell them about your experience of God and why you trust Jesus yourself.

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’  (John 3:16)

Three responses to avoid, however tempting they might be:

Don’t be silent because of the complexity of the discussion or embarrassment about how it has been handled.  We have a good God and good news in Jesus – there’s an opportunity to talk about that.  You might not feel able or willing to talk about this specific debate.  That’s fine.  But do talk about Jesus; be personal; tell your story of knowing him.  Don’t be silent.  Talk about Jesus.

Don’t be strident because your theological position or emotional response dominates over introducing Jesus, crowding him out.  Don’t think someone understands or cares about ‘denominations’ and in house ‘labels’.  Don’t talk about other churches and ‘those’ Christians (whoever those Christians would be for you).  Don’t be strident.  Talk about Jesus.

Don’t be ignorant of what you think and why others think differently.  Take the opportunity to listen to other’s opinions carefully.  Don’t believe the labels – talk, listen, read, pray and talk some more.  Reflect again on your thoughts and feelings, and why you have them.  Most importantly read the Bible, seek to understand it, ask wise Christian friends and pastors, pray for yourself and others.

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[1] This post is at the end of the week that the Anglican Church narrowly voted against appointing women as Bishops in the UK.