Letter: Woman be in silence
There has been a lot of debate about the Church of England's decision not to ordain women as bishops.
Most comment has been negative.
I have mixed feelings about the situation.
In the New Testament, bishops were overseers of individual local churches, with no authority outside of their own congregations as in Anglicanism.
So really there should not be any 'bishops', male or female.
Also, on a practical level, it would seem obvious that any voting system which allows a small minority (as those opposed to women bishops undoubtedly are) to trump the majority view must be defective.
That said, I side with the minority on this issue because the Scriptures clearly proscribe women from being church leaders.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:12).
Paul was not a misogynist, as may be seen from the many positive references in his letters to female Christians (eg Romans 16).
Nor was he merely giving his own opinion; with only a few clear exceptions, the things Paul writes are 'the commandments of the Lord' (1 Corinthians 14:37).
Yes, women were the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus but at no time did he appoint them to formal office in the church.
The Bible is the word of God which the people of God are to believe and obey, not pick and choose from.
The church becomes irrelevant, not when she holds firmly to Scripture, but rather when she departs from it.
Oliver Gross, Welshpool
