Being Female In A Male Dominated World

ContextIn 2018 Bishop Sarah became the first female Bishop of London, and only the 4th female Bishop in the Church of England. Her life journey has taken her from a comprehensive school, to Woking College, then a Polytechnic, into Nursing, up to the heights of Chief Nursing Officer in the government. From there she was accepted into ordination and juggled part-time theological study with her position in the NHS, before making the life changing decision to throw herself completely into her ministry.

Despite the heights she has achieved, she remains one of the most humble people I have met, and talking through her reflections with her was an honour.

Teaching The BibleThe first question I put to Bishop Sarah after we sat down to talk, was about some of the issues the Bible presents women with. Growing up I have always found the story of Ruth in the Bible to be truly inspirational, however, she barely gets a mention in most church teaching. I asked Bishop Sarah whether she agreed that there are a lack of good female role models in the Bible, and put it to her that some of the gospels that are more inclusive to women and did not make it into the Bible should now be considered to replace some of the more patriarchal writings.

Bishop Sarah s answer was, I believe, the message the whole church needed to hear and take up as a way to move forward inclusively. She explained to me that she aimed to make all of her sermons accessible and inclusive to everyone, by bringing in both male and female figures from the bible, as well as, where possible, biblical examples of those with disabilities. Bishop Sarah elaborate that just the day before, in her sermon as part of the opening of the legal year, that she had used Deborah as a key figure within her sermon, and her sermon the previous Sunday had included Esther. She agreed that there was a lack of good female examples in the bible, however she disagreed with the idea of changing the Bible. Bishop Sarah was clear that the examples that there are, though limited, should be drawn out of the Bible and used to encourage women in their faith.

Connecting With OthersDuring my time with Bishop Sarah we spoke of the importance of connecting with others. Obviously within her role as Bishop, she connects with those who have suffered bereavement, have experienced the highs and lows of faith and life and those who are contemplating, are in the midst of, or have completed training for ministry. However, Bishop Sarah sees her position as being much more than that, and explained to me that she almost always takes public transport as it provides a means to connect with the people of London, and to keep her grounded and in touch with those whom she serves. During her journeys she regularly speaks to Londoners about their faith, their struggles and their general questions. Through this she aims to bring more love and hope to the capital.

The Difference ChallengeFor me one of the most crucial things Bishop Sarah spoke to about is what I have termed the difference challenge . No two people are the same, something Bishop Sarah was keen to emphasise. The issue with our society is that difference is regularly seen as problematic, Bishop Sarah took a clear stance against this in our discussions. She sees difference as a crucial benefit to society, where we can use our differences to bring about the very best of humanity.

Dealing with difference is perhaps something that Bishop Sarah knows about more than most. She described always feeling like an outsider through her education, feeling abnormal and that she never fully fit in. Today she is a rarity, a female Bishop in the Church of England. She previously was at the top of her game in the NHS, with another stand out position as Chief Nursing Officer. And, of course, there is her faith. The key part of her identity: following the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Church of England is a broad church to say the least, with a wide variety of theological outlooks, especially on the subject of the role of women in the church. Bishop Sarah finds herself in the position where there are more clergy in her diocese that do not believe that women should be ordained than there are female clergy. Within the Diocese of London only 14% of clergy are female, whilst about 19% of clergy hold to a theology that does not allow female ordination. Bishop Sarah sees it essential that she be able to move forward with those that believe she does not have the right to be in the position she currently is within the Church. She meets with them regularly and fully accepts their differences, both in persons and in theologies, and works alongside them for the betterment of the Church and local community.

Hope in the Darkness

Brexit is a topic that has hung over Britain like Hurricane Katrina hung over New Orleans. Like with Hurricane Katrina, the people long for the storm of Brexit to move on so that rebuilding can start. Bishop Sarah made quite clear that she voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 EU Referendum, however, she now holds to the same view as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. She holds that the UK must now leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible in order to heal the wounds left in our country as soon as possible and reach over the divide to connect people once again.

Bishop Sarah and I also discussed faith during dark times. She highlighted to me the importance of a daily prayer routine. She herself prays daily, on a number of subjects, regardless of whether she is in a strong or weak moment in her faith, as she has faith and trusts that ultimately God will answer her prayers, although she admitted that God s answers to prayer are not always in those ways that one envisages. Prayer, according to Bishop Sarah, holds a number of purposes, not only in connecting us to our Creator, but also in enabling one to process and the dark moments that they are in.

Dealing With TerrorKnife crime is an issue that Bishop Sarah has unfortunately had to continuously deal with through her time as Bishop of London. She has met regularly with the survivors, the families and friends of victims and others within the community who have been affected by knife crime. As well as comforting those affected by knife crime, Bishop Sarah has also worked with charities and churches to provide safe spaces for young people after school/college finishes for the day. The aim of this is to prevent young people from entering gangs by giving them a safe space to make/meet with friends and have a purpose. They will have a meal and chat, receive advice and help, and generally chill.

The Best Is Yet To ComeConsidering her high status in the Church of England, I decided to ask Bishop Sarah about the future of the Church of England. I mentioned to her that Wycliffe Hall, the Church of England sponsored Theological College within Oxford University, had recently boasted that 25% of its ordinands were female. I asked whether the Bishop thought that the Church had come far enough since it allowed women to be ordained in 1994. Put simply, her answer was no. She believed that the Church still has a long way to go in modernising, however she is encouraged by the continued rise in the number of female ordinands and clergy. The Bishop explained that she has committed to a 50/50 ratio of male/female ordinands, however for her the crucial element was not just rushing through anyone and everyone to ordination, but actually helping people journey towards and through their vocation. What this means is that everyone, no matter who they are, is encouraged to follow their God given talents and expertise in such a way that they are consumed by living for God and through God, and they are, in their own right, evangelists and missionaries for God. Obviously, for many that vocation is ordination, for others it may be nursing, for a good number it is youth work, or charity work, or family work, or education etcetera. In a way, the Bishop s own vocation is guiding others to/through their God given vocation.