Don’t assume God’s a man, says top woman bishop

GOD is neither ‘he’ nor ‘she’ according to the country’s most senior female bishop.

Challenging sexism in religion, Rachel Treweek said ‘God is God’ and should not be seen as male. But the Bishop of Gloucester also insisted she was no feminist and simply wanted to ‘gently challenge people’.

Language is ‘very powerful in shaping people’s views and shaping our culture’, she said in an interview with the Observer yesterday. ‘In the creation of narratives, we’re told that God created human beings in God’s likeness, and then it goes on to talk about male and female.

‘If I am made in the image of God, then God is not to be seen as male.’ Despite her breakthrough appointment in June, the 52year-old said the Church of England had a long way to go to combat sexism. She warned: ‘We’re not where we should be with diversity, particularly ethnic minorities.’

Bishop Treweek called on the church to accept it was ‘made up of people of all colours, genders, different experiences, different social backgrounds’, adding she was ‘frustrated that people haven’t necessarily heard the narrative I want to give’.

Last night former Tory MP Ann Widde- combe, who left the Anglican Church following the decision to ordain women priests, told the Mail: ‘Undeniably, if you follow the gospel then God is most certainly a man. And if you don’t follow the gospel, then why are you a bishop?’

In May, a proposal from women priests to start calling God ‘she’ was derided as ‘plain silly’ by Mrs Widdecombe.

The Right Reverend Treweek, who will be introduced as one 26 lords spiritual at Parliament today, is a controversial figure.

Two weeks ago, angry villagers in Willersey, Gloucestershire, sent hate mail containing rotten meat to her office in a row over a hous- ing development. Last month, she was among 84 bishops who pleaded with David Cameron to do more to tackle the refugee crisis.

Her diocese has since made efforts to help refugees and asylum seekers in Gloucester.

She has promised to focus her efforts on helping people on the margins of society and tackling issues of social justice such as homelessness and domestic violence.

Before she was ordained in 1994 Bishop Treweek, who is married, worked as a paediatric speech and language therapist at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Her previous church postings include the archdeaconship of Hackney, east London.