.]]

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the Anglican churches, bishops claim Apostolic succession, a direct historical lineage dating back to the original Twelve Apostles. Within these churches, bishops can ordain clergy including other bishops. Some Protestant churches including the Lutheran and Methodist churches have bishops serving similar functions as well, though not always understood to be within Apostolic succession in the same way.

The office of bishop was already quite distinct from that of priest in the writings of Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 107), and by the middle of the second century all the chief centres of Christianity were headed by bishops, a form of organization that remained universal until the Protestant Reformation.

History

The earliest organization of the Christian churches in Jerusalem was similar to that of Jewish synagogues, which were governed by a council of elders ( presbyteroi). In Acts 11:30 and 15:22, we see this collegiate system of government in Jerusalem, and, in Acts 14:23, the Apostle Paul ordains elders in the churches he founded.

Presbyters were apparently identical to overseers (ἐπίσκοποι episkopoi, i.e., bishops), as in Acts 20:17, Titus 1:5,7 and 1 Peter 5:1. The earliest writings of the Apostolic Fathers, the Didache and the First Epistle of Clement for example, show the church recognized two local church offices—elders (interchangeable term with overseer) and deacon.

, bishop of Hippo Regius.]] The beginnings of a single ruling bishop can perhaps be traced to the offices occupied by Timothy and Titus in the New Testament. We are told that Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete to oversee the local church (1 Tim. 1:3 and Titus 1:5). Paul commands them to ordain presbyters/bishops and to exercise general oversight, telling Titus to "rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15).

Various Christian communities would have had a group of presbyter-bishops functioning as leaders of the local church. Eventually this evolved into a monarchical episcopacy in certain cities. The monarchical episcopacy probably developed in other churches in Christianity before it took shape in Rome. For example, it has been conjectured that Antioch may have been one of the first Christian communities to have adopted such a structure. Eventually, Rome followed the example of other Christian communities and structured itself after the model of the empire with one presbyter bishop in charge ..." The organizational structure subsequently evolved into the present form of one bishop supported by a college of presbyters.

It is clear that, by this period, a single bishop was expected to lead the church in each centre of Christian mission, supported by a council of presbyters (a distinct and subordinate position at least by this time) with a pool of deacons. As the Church continued to expand, new churches in important cities gained their own bishop. Churches in the regions outside an important city were served by Chorbishop, an official rank of bishops. However, soon, presbyters and deacons were sent from bishop of a city church. Graudually priests replaced the chorbishops. Thus, in time, the bishop changed from being the leader of a single church confined to an urban area to being the leader of the churches of a given geographical area.

Clement of Alexandria (end of the 2nd century) writes about the ordination of a certain Zachæus as bishop by the imposition of Simon Peter Bar-Jonah's hands. The words bishop and ordination are used in their technical meaning by the same Clement of Alexandria. The bishops in the 2nd century are defined also as the only clergy to whom the ordination to priesthood (presbyterate) and diaconate is entrusted: "a priest (presbyter) lays on hands, but does not ordain." (cheirothetei ou cheirotonei)

At the beginning of the 3rd century, Hippolytus of Rome describes another feature of the ministry of a bishop, which is that of the "Spiritum primatus sacerdotii habere potestatem dimittere peccata": the primate of sacrificial priesthood and the power to forgive sins.

Bishops and civil government

The efficient organization of the Roman Empire became the template for the organisation of the church in the fourth century, particularly after Constantine's Edict of Milan. As the church moved from the shadows of privacy into the public forum it acquired land for churches, burials and clergy. In 391, Theodosius I decreed that any land that had been confiscated from the church by Roman authorities be returned.

The most usual term for the geographic area of a bishop's authority and ministry, the diocese, began as part of the structure of the Roman Empire under Diocletian. As Roman authority began to fail in the western portion of the empire, the church took over much of the civil administration. This can be clearly seen in the ministry of two popes: Pope Leo I in the fifth century, and Pope Gregory I in the sixth century. Both of these men were statesmen and public administrators in addition to their role as Christian pastors, teachers and leaders. In the Eastern churches, latifundia entailed to a bishop's see were much less common, the state power did not collapse the way it did in the West, and thus the tendency of bishops acquiring secular power was much weaker than in the West. However, the role of Western bishops as civil authorities, often called prince bishops, continued throughout much of the Middle Ages.

Bishops holding political office

As well as being arch chancellors of the Holy Roman Empire, bishops generally served as chancellors to medieval monarchs, acting as head of the justiciary and chief chaplain. The Lord Chancellor of England was almost always a bishop up until the dismissal of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey by Henry VIII. Likewise, the position of Kanclerz in the Polish kingdom was always a bishop until the sixteenth century.

In France before the French Revolution, representatives of the clergy — in practice, bishops and abbots of the largest monasteries — comprised the First Estate of the Estates-General, until their role was abolished during the French Revolution.

The more senior bishops of the Church of England continue to sit in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as representatives of the established church, and are known as Lords Spiritual. The Bishop of Sodor and Man, whose diocese lies outside of the United Kingdom, is an ex officio member of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man. In the past, the Bishop of Durham, known as a prince bishop, had extensive viceregal powers within his northern diocese — the power to mint money, collect taxes and raise an army to defend against the Scots.

Eastern Orthodox bishops, along with all other members of the clergy, are canonically forbidden to hold political office. Occasional exceptions to this rule are tolerated when the alternative is political chaos. In the Ottoman Empire, the Patriarch of Constantinople, for example, had de facto administrative, fiscal, cultural and legal jurisdiction, as well as spiritual, over all the Christians of the empire. A recent prominent example of this was Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus, who served as President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1960 to 1977.

In 2001, Peter Hollingworth, AC, OBE – then the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane – was controversially appointed Governor-General of Australia. Though Hollingworth gave up his episcopal position to accept the appointment, it still attracted considerable opposition in a country which maintains a formal separation between Church and State.

Episcopacy during the English Civil War

, Charles I's Archbishop of Canterbury.]] During the period of the English Civil War, the role of bishops as wielders of political power and as upholders of the established church became a matter of heated political controversy. John Calvin formulated a doctrine of Presbyterianism, which held that in the New Testament the offices of presbyter and episkopos were identical; he rejected the doctrine of apostolic succession. Calvin's follower John Knox brought Presbyterianism to Scotland when the Scottish church was reformed in 1560. In practice, Presbyterianism meant that committees of lay elders had a substantial voice in church government, as opposed to merely being subjects to a ruling hierarchy.

This vision of at least partial democracy in ecclesiology paralleled the struggles between Parliament and the King. A body within the Puritan movement in the Church of England sought to abolish the office of bishop and remake the Church of England along Presbyterian lines. The Martin Marprelate tracts, applying the pejorative name of prelacy to the church hierarchy, attacked the office of bishop with satire that deeply offended Elizabeth I and her Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift. The vestments controversy also related to this movement, seeking further reductions in church ceremony, and labelling the use of elaborate vestments as "unedifying" and even idolatrous.

King James I, reacting against the perceived contumacy of his Presbyterian Scottish subjects, adopted "No Bishop, no King" as a slogan; he tied the hierarchical authority of the bishop to the absolute authority he sought as king, and viewed attacks on the authority of the bishops as attacks on his own authority. Matters came to a head when King Charles I appointed William Laud as the Archbishop of Canterbury; Laud aggressively attacked the Presbyterian movement and sought to impose the full Anglican liturgy. The controversy eventually led to Laud's impeachment for treason by a bill of attainder in 1645, and subsequent execution. Charles also attempted to impose episcopacy on Scotland; the Scots' violent rejection of bishops and liturgical worship sparked the Bishops' Wars in 1639–1640.

During the height of Puritan power in the Commonwealth and the Protectorate, episcopacy was abolished in the Church of England in 1649. The Church of England remained Presbyterian until the Restoration of the monarchy with Charles II in 1660.

Churches

Catholic Church, Orthodox churches and Anglican churches

is used as a symbol of the bishop's ministry in Western Christianity.]] of a Roman Catholic bishop.]]

Bishops form the leadership in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, the Independent Catholic Churches, the Independent Anglican Churches, and certain other, smaller, denominations.

The traditional role of a bishop is as pastor of a diocese (also called a bishopric, synod, eparchy or see), and so to serve as a "diocesan bishop," or "eparch" as it is called in many Eastern Christian churches. Dioceses vary considerably in size, geographically and population-wise. Some dioceses around the Mediterranean Sea which were Christianised early are rather compact, whereas dioceses in areas of rapid modern growth in Christian commitment—as in some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and the Far East—are much larger and more populous.

As well as traditional diocesan bishops, many churches have a well-developed structure of church leadership that involves a number of layers of authority and responsibility.

;Patriarch:Patriarchs are the bishops who head certain ancient autocephalous or sui iuris churches, which are a collection of metropolitan sees or provinces. Some of these churches call their leaders Catholicos; the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Egypt, is called Pope, meaning 'Father'. While most patriarchs in the Eastern Catholic Churches have jurisdiction over a "ritual church" (a group or diocese of a particular Eastern tradition), all Latin Rite patriarchs, except for the Pope, have only honorary titles. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave up the title of Patriarch of the West. The first recorded use of the title by a Roman Pope was by Theodore I in 620. However, early church documents, such as those of the First Council of Nicaea (325) had always listed the Pope of Rome first among the Ancient Patriarchs (first four, and later five: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem—collectively referred to as the Pentarchy). Later, the heads of various national churches became Patriarchs, but they are ranked below the Pentarchy.

worn by an Eastern bishop with icons of Christ, the Theotokos (Mary, Mother of God) and Forerunner (John the Baptist).]]

;Catholicos:Catholicoi are the heads of some of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Rite Catholic sui iuris churches (notably the Armenian), roughly similar to a Patriarch (see above). ;Primate:A primate is usually the bishop of the oldest church of a nation. Sometimes this carries jurisdiction over metropolitan bishops, but usually it is purely honorific. The primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church is chosen from among the diocesan bishops, and, while retaining diocesan responsibility, is called Primus. ;Presiding Bishop or President Bishop: These titles are often used for the head of a national Anglican church, but the title is not usually associated with a particular episcopal see like the title of a primate. ;Major archbishop:Major archbishops are the heads of some of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Their authority within their sui juris church is equal to that of a patriarch, but they receive fewer ceremonial honors. ;Metropolitan bishop:A metropolitan bishop is an archbishop in charge of an ecclesiastical province, or group of dioceses, and in addition to having immediate jurisdiction over his own archdiocese, also exercises some oversight over the other dioceses within that province. Sometimes a metropolitan may also be the head of an autocephalous, sui iuris, or autonomous church when the number of adherents of that tradition are small. In the Latin Rite, metropolitans are always archbishops; in many Eastern churches, the title is "metropolitan," with some of these churches using "archbishop" as a separate office. ;Archbishop:An archbishop is the bishop of an archdiocese. This is usually a prestigious diocese with an important place in local church history. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title is purely honorific and carries no extra jurisdiction, though most archbishops are also metropolitan bishops, as above. In most provinces of the Anglican Communion, however, an archbishop has metropolitical and primatial power. William Temple.]] ;Suffragan bishop: A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a Metropolitan. In the Roman Catholic Church this term is applied to all non-metropolitan bishops (that is, diocesan bishops of dioceses within a metropolitan's province, and auxiliary bishops). In the Anglican Communion, the term applies to a bishop who is a full-time assistant to a diocesan bishop: the Bishop of Warwick is suffragan to the Bishop of Coventry (the diocesan), though both live in Coventry. Some Anglican suffragans are given the responsibility for a geographical area within the diocese (for example, the Bishop of Stepney is an area bishop within the Diocese of London). ;Titular bishop:A titular bishop is a bishop without a diocese. Rather, the bishop is head of a titular see, which is usually an ancient city that used to have a bishop, but, for some reason or other, does not have one now. Titular bishops often serve as auxiliary bishops. In the Ecumenical Patriarchate, bishops of modern dioceses are often given a titular see alongside their modern one (for example, the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain). ;Auxiliary bishop:An auxiliary bishop is a full-time assistant to a diocesan bishop (the Orthodox and Catholic equivalent of an Anglican suffragan bishop). An auxiliary bishop is a titular bishop, and he is to be appointed as a vicar general or at least as an episcopal vicar of the diocese in which he serves. ;Coadjutor bishop:A coadjutor bishop is an auxiliary bishop who is given almost equal authority in a diocese with the diocesan bishop, and the automatic right to succeed the incumbent diocesan bishop. The appointment of coadjutors is often seen as a means of providing for continuity of church leadership. ;Honorary Assistant bishop or Bishop Emeritus: The little is usually applied to retired bishops who are given a general licence to minister as episcopal pastors under a diocesan's oversight. The title, in this meaning, is not used by the Catholic Church. ;Chorbishop:A chorbishop is an official of a diocese in some Eastern Christian churches. Chorbishops are not generally ordained bishops – they are not given the sacrament of Holy Orders in that degree – but function as assistants to the diocesan bishop with certain honorary privileges. ;Cardinal:A cardinal is a member of the clergy appointed by the pope to serve in the College of Cardinals, the body empowered to elect the pope; however, on turning 80 a cardinal loses this right of election. Cardinals also serve as advisors to the pope and hold positions of authority within the structure of the Catholic Church. Under modern canon law, a man who is appointed a cardinal must accept ordination as a bishop, unless he already is one, or seek special permission from the pope to decline such ordination. Most cardinals are already bishops at the time of their appointment, the majority being archbishops of important archdioceses or patriarchs, and a substantial portion of the rest already titular archbishops serving in the Vatican. Recent popes have appointed a few priests, most of them influential theologians, to the College of Cardinals without requiring them to be ordained as bishops; invariably, these men are over the age of 80, which means they are not permitted to take part in a conclave. The purpose of these appointments is to recognise their tremendous contribution to the life of the Church.

Duties

, The Seven Sacraments, 15th century.In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church the administration of Confirmation is normally reserved to the local bishop.]]

In Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism, only a bishop can ordain other bishops, priests, and deacons.

In the Eastern liturgical tradition, a priest can celebrate the Divine Liturgy only with the blessing of a bishop. In Byzantine usage, an antimension signed by the bishop is kept on the altar partly as a reminder of whose altar it is and under whose omophorion the priest at a local parish is serving. In Syriac Church usage, a consecrated wooden block called a thabilitho is kept for the same reasons.

The pope, in addition to being the Bishop of Rome and spiritual head of the Catholic Church, is also the Patriarch of the Latin Rite. Each bishop within the Latin Rite is answerable directly to the Pope and not any other bishop except to metropolitans in certain oversight instances. The pope previously used the title Patriarch of the West, but this title was dropped from use in 2006 a move which caused some concern within the Orthodox Communion as, to them, it implied wider papal jurisdiction.

In Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Anglican cathedrals there is a special chair set aside for the exclusive use of the bishop. This is the bishop's cathedra and is often called the throne. In some Christian denominations e.g. the Anglican Communion, parish churches may maintain a chair for the use of the bishop when he visits; this is to signify the parish's union with the bishop.

The bishop is also the proper minister of the sacrament of confirmation, and in the Anglican Communion and Liberal Catholic communion only a bishop may administer this sacrament. However, in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches chrismation is always done at the same time as baptism, and thus the priest is the one who confirms. Within Catholicism, it is invariably the bishop who confirms those being received as adults into the Church. Also, a Catholic bishop may delegate a priest to administer the sacrament in his place; these men are called episcopal vicars and are usually responsible for a particular area of the diocese.

Ordination of Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican bishops

and prayer.]]

Bishops in all of these communions are ordained by other bishops through the laying on of hands. While traditional teaching maintains that any bishop with Apostolic succession can validly perform the ordination of another bishop, some churches require two or three bishops participate, either to insure sacramental validity or to conform with church law. Roman Catholic doctrine holds that one bishop can validly ordain another male (priest) as a bishop. Though a minimum of three bishops participating is desirable (there are usually several more) in order to demonstrate collegiality, canonically only one bishop is necessary. The practice of only one bishop ordaining was normal in countries where the Church was persecuted under Communist rule.

Apart from the ordination, which is always done by other bishops, there are different methods as to the actual selection of a candidate for ordination as bishop. In the Catholic Church the Congregation for Bishops oversees the selection of new bishops with the approval of the pope. The papal nuncio usually solicits names from the bishops of a country, and then selects three to be forwarded to the Holy See. Most Eastern Orthodox churches allow varying amounts of formalised laity and/or lower clergy influence on the choice of bishops. This also applies in those Eastern churches which are in union with the pope, though he is required to give assent.

Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Liberal Catholic and some Lutheran bishops (e.g. Sweden) claim to be part of the continuous sequence of ordained bishops since the days of the apostles referred to as Apostolic succession. Since Pope Leo XIII issued the bull Apostolicae Curae in 1896, the Catholic Church has insisted that Anglican orders are invalid because of changes in the Anglican ordination rites of the 16th century and divergence in understanding of the theology of priesthood, episcopacy and Eucharist. However, since the 1930s, Utrecht Old Catholic bishops (recognised by the Holy See as validily ordained) have sometimes taken part in the ordination of Anglican bishops. According to the writer Timothy Dufort, by 1969, all Church of England bishops had acquired Old Catholic lines of apostolic succession recognised by the Holy See. This development has muddied the waters somewhat as it could be argued that the strain of Apostolic Succession has been re-introduced into Anglicanism, at least within the Church of England.

The Catholic Church does recognise as valid (though illicit) ordinations done by breakaway Catholic, Old Catholic or Oriental bishops, and groups descended from them; it also regards as both valid and licit those ordinations done by bishops of the Eastern churches, so long as those receiving the ordination conform to other canonical requirements (e.g. is an adult male) and an orthodox rite of episcopal ordination, expressing the proper functions and sacramental status of a bishop, is used; this has given rise to the phenomenon of episcopi vagantes (e.g. clergy of the Independent Catholic groups which claim Apostolic Succession, though this claim is rejected by both Orthodoxy and Catholicism).

The Orthodox Churches would not accept the validity of any ordinations performed by the Independent Catholic groups, as Orthodoxy considers to be spurious any consecration outside of the Church as a whole. Orthodoxy considers Apostolic succession to exist only within the Universal Church, and not through any authority held by individual bishops; thus, if a bishop ordains someone to serve outside of the (Orthodox) Church, the ceremony is ineffectual, and no ordination has taken place regardless of the ritual used or the ordaining prelate's position within the Orthodox Churches. . Photo of pre-Vatican II ceremony]] The position of Roman Catholicism is slightly different. Whilst it does recognise the validity of the orders of certain groups which separated from communion with Holy See. The Holy See accepts as valid the ordinations of the Old Catholics in communion with Utrecht, as well as the Polish National Catholic Church (which received its orders directly from Utrecht, and was—until recently—part of that communion); but Roman Catholicism does not recognise the orders of any group whose teaching is at variance with core tenets of Christianity e.g. The Liberal Catholic Church which has a strong theosophist tendency and permits belief in reincarnation; this is the case even though the clergy of the Independent Catholic groups may use the proper ordination ritual. There are other reasons why the Holy See does not recognise the validity of the orders of the Independent clergy:

The continuing practice among many Independent clergy of one person receiving multiple ordinations in order to secure apostolic succession, betrays an incorrect and mechanistic theology of ordination as far as the Holy See is concerned.

The practice within Independent groups of ordaining women demonstrates an understanding of Priesthood which is totally unacceptable to the Catholic and Orthodox churches as they believe that the Universal Church does not possess such authority; thus, any ceremonies performed by these women are considered to be sacramentally invalid.

The theology of male clergy within the Independent movement is also suspect according to the Roman Catholics as they presumably approve of the ordination of females, and may have even undergone an (invalid) ordination ceremony conducted by a woman.

, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States).]] Whilst members of the Independent Catholic movement take seriously the issue of valid orders, it is highly significant that the relevant Vatican Congregations tend not to respond to petitions from Independent Catholic bishops and clergy who seek to be received into communion with the Holy See, hoping to continue in some sacramental role. In those instances where the pope does grant reconciliation, those deemed to be clerics within the Independent Old Catholic movement are invariably admitted as laity and not priests or bishops.

There is a mutual recognition of the validity of orders amongst Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Nestorian churches.

Some provinces of the Anglican Communion have begun ordaining women as bishops in recent decades e.g. the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Cuba. The first woman bishop within Anglicanism was Barbara Clementine Harris, who was ordained in the United States in 1989. In 2006, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Episcopal Bishop of Nevada, became the first woman to become the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Lutheranism

In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), the largest Lutheran Church bodies in North America and roughly based on the Nordic Lutheran state churches (similar to that of the Church of England), bishops are elected by Synod Assemblies, consisting of both lay members and clergy, for a term of 6 years, which can be renewed, depending upon the local synod's "constitution" (which is mirrored on either the ELCA or ELCIC's national constitution). Since the implementation of concordats between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church of the United States and the ELCIC and the Anglican Church of Canada, all bishops, including the Presiding Bishop (ELCA) or the National Bishop (ELCIC), has been consecrated using the historic succession, with at least one Anglican bishop serving as co-consecrator.

Since going into ecumenical communion with their respective Anglican body, bishops in the ELCA or the ELCIC not only approve the "rostering" of all ordained pastors, diaconal ministers, and associates in ministry, but they serve as the principal celebrant of all pastoral ordination and installation ceremonies, diaconal consecration ceremonies, as well as serving as the "chief pastor" of the local synod, upholding the teachings of Martin Luther as well as the documentations of the Ninety-Five Theses and the Augsburg Confession. Unlike their counterparts in the United Methodist Church, ELCA and ELCIC synod bishops do not appoint pastors to local congregations (pastors, like their counterparts in the Episcopal Church, are called by local congregations). The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and the National Bishop of the ELCIC, the national bishops of their respective bodies, is elected for a single 6-year term and may be elected to an additional term.

Although ELCA agreed with the Episcopal Church to limit ordination to the bishop "ordinarily", ELCA pastor-ordinators are given permission to perform the rites in "extraordinary" circumstance. In practice, "extraordinary" circumstance have included disagreeing with Episcopalian views of the episcopate, and as a result, ELCA pastors ordained by other pastors are not permitted to be deployed to Episcopal Churches (they can, however, serve in Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, Reformed Church in America, and Moravian Church congregations, as the ELCA is in full communion with these denominations). The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the second and third largest Lutheran bodies in the United States and the two largest Confessional Lutheran bodies in North America, do not have a bishop as the head of the church or middle jurisdiction, practicing a form of congregationalism similar to the United Church of Christ. It should also be noted that the second largest of the three predecessor bodies of the ELCA, the American Lutheran Church, was a congregationalist body, with national and synod presidents before they were re-titled as bishops (borrowing from the Lutheran churches in Germany) in the 1980s.

Methodism

United Methodist Church

In the United Methodist Church (the largest branch of Methodism in the United States) bishops serve as administrative and pastoral superintendents of the church. They are elected for life from among the ordained elders (presbyters) by vote of the delegates in regional (called jurisdictional) conferences, and are consecrated by the other bishops present at the conference through the laying on of hands. In the United Methodist Church bishops remain members of the "Order of Elders" while being consecrated to the "Office of the Episcopacy". Within the United Methodist Church only bishops are empowered to consecrate bishops and ordain clergy. Among their most critical duties is the ordination and appointment of clergy to serve local churches as pastor, presiding at sessions of the Annual, Jurisdictional, and General Conferences, providing pastoral ministry for the clergy under their charge, and safeguarding the doctrine and discipline of the Church. Furthermore, individual bishops, or the Council of Bishops as a whole, often serve a prophetic role, making statements on important social issues and setting forth a vision for the denomination, though they have no legislative authority of their own. In all of these areas, bishops of the United Methodist Church function very much in the historic meaning of the term. According to the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, a bishop's responsibilities are

In each Annual Conference, United Methodist bishops serve for four year terms, and may serve up to three terms before either retirement or appointment to a new Conference. United Methodist bishops may be male or female, with the Rev. Marjorie Matthews being the first woman to be consecrated a bishop in 1980.

The collegial expression of episcopal leadership in the United Methodist Church is known as the Council of Bishops. The Council of Bishops speaks to the Church and through the Church into the world and gives leadership in the quest for Christian unity and interreligious relationships. The Conference of Methodist Bishops includes the United Methodist Council of Bishops plus bishops from affiliated autonomous Methodist or United Churches.

's consecration as bishop in 1784.]] John Wesley consecrated Thomas Coke a "General Superintendent," and directed that Francis Asbury also be consecrated for the United States of America in 1784, where the Methodist Episcopal Church first became a separate denomination apart from the Church of England. Coke soon returned to England, but Asbury was the primary builder of the new church. At first he did not call himself bishop, but eventually submitted to the usage by the denomination.

Notable bishops in United Methodist history include Coke, Asbury, Richard Whatcoat, Philip William Otterbein, Martin Boehm, Jacob Albright, John Seybert, Matthew Simpson, John S. Stamm, William Ragsdale Cannon, Marjorie Matthews, Leontine T. Kelly , William B. Oden, Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda, Joseph Sprague, William Henry Willimon, and Thomas Bickerton.

Methodists in the United Kingdom acquired their own bishops early in the 19th century, after the Methodist movement in Britain formally parted company with the Church of England. The position no longer exists in British Methodism.

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

In the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, bishops are administrative superintendents of the church; they are elected by "delegate" votes for as many years deemed until the age of 74, then he/she must retire. Among their duties, are responsibility for appointing clergy to serve local churches as pastor, for performing ordinations, and for safeguarding the doctrine and discipline of the Church. The General Conference, a meeting every four years, has an equal number of clergy and lay delegates. In each Annual Conference, CME bishops serve for four year terms. CME Church bishops may be male or female.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Bishop is the leader of a local congregation, called a ward. As with most Mormon priesthood, the bishop is a part-time lay minister and earns a living through other employment; in all cases, he is a married man. As such, it is his duty to preside at services, call local leaders, and judge the worthiness of members for service. The bishop does not deliver sermons at every service (generally asking members to do so), but is expected to be a spiritual guide for his congregation. It is therefore believed that he has both the right and ability to receive divine inspiration (through the Holy Spirit) for the ward under his direction. Because it is a part-time position, all able members are expected to assist in the management of the ward by holding delegated lay positions (e.g. women's' and youth leaders, teachers) referred to as callings. Although members are asked to confess serious sins to him, unlike the Roman Catholic Church, he is not the instrument of divine forgiveness, merely a guide through the repentance process (and a judge in case transgressions warrant excommunication or other official discipline). The bishop is also responsible for the physical welfare of the ward, and thus collects tithing and fast offerings and distributes financial assistance where needed.

A bishop is the president of the Aaronic priesthood in his ward (and is thus a form of Mormon Kohen; in fact, the church's Doctrine and Covenants states that any "descendant of Aaron" who converts to Mormonism has no need to be ordained to the office of bishop as they descend from that lineage directly). A bishop is also a High priest in the Melchizedek priesthood. Each bishop is selected from resident members of the ward by the stake presidency with approval of the First Presidency, and chooses two counselors to form a bishopric. In special circumstances (such as a ward consisting entirely of young university students), a bishop may be chosen from outside the ward. A bishop is typically released after about five years and a new bishop is called to the position. Although the former bishop is released from his duties, he continues to hold the priesthood office of bishop, and is usually still referred to by the title "Bishop" as a term of respect.

Latter Day Saint bishops do not wear any special clothing or insignia the way clergy in many other churches do, but are expected to dress and groom themselves neatly and conservatively per their local culture, especially when performing official duties. Bishops (as well as other members of the priesthood) can trace their line of authority back to Joseph Smith, Jr., who, according to church doctrine, was ordained to lead the Church in modern times by the ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, who were ordained to lead the Church by Jesus Christ.

The Presiding Bishop oversees the temporal affairs (buildings, properties, commercial corporations, etc.) of the worldwide Church, including the Church's massive global humanitarian aid and social welfare programs. The Presiding Bishop has two counselors; the three together form the Presiding Bishopric.

New Apostolic Church

The New Apostolic Church (NAC) knows 3 classes of ministries: Deacons, Priests and Apostles. The Apostles, who are all included in the apostolate with the Chief Apostle as head, are the highest ministries.

Of the several kinds of priest....ministries, the bishop is the highest. Nearly all bishops are set in line directly from the chief apostle. They support and help their superior apostle.

Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)

In the polity of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), the international leader is the Presiding Bishop, and the members of the Executive Committee are Executive Bishops. Collectively, they supervise and appoint national and state leaders across the world. Leaders of individual states and regions are Administrative Bishops, who have jurisdiction over local churches in their respective states and are vested with appointment authority for local pastorates. All ministers are credentialed at one of three levels of licensure, the most senior of which is the rank of Ordained Bishop. To be eligible to serve in state, national, or international positions of authority, a minister must hold the rank of Ordained Bishop.

Pentecostal Church of God

In 2002, the general convention of the Pentecostal Church of God came to a consensus to change the title of their overseer from General Superintendent to Bishop. The change was brought on because internationally, the term Bishop is more commonly related to religious leaders than the previous title.

The title Bishop is used for both the General (International leader) and the district (state) leaders. The title is sometimes used in conjunction with the previous thus becoming General (District) Superintendent/Bishop.

Others

Some Baptists have begun taking on the title of Bishop.

In some smaller Protestant denominations and independent churches the term bishop is used in the same way as pastor, to refer to the leader of the local congregation, and may be male or female. This usage is especially common in African American churches in the USA. In the Church of Scotland, which has a Presbyterian church structure, the word "bishop" refers to an ordained person, usually a normal parish minister, who has temporary oversight of a trainee minister. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the term bishop is an expressive name for a Minister of Word and Sacrament who serves a congregation and exercises "the oversight of the flock of Christ." The term is traceable to the 1789 Form of Government of the PC(U.S.A.) and the Presbyterian understanding of the pastoral office.

While not considered orthodox Christian, the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica uses roles and titles derived from Christianity for its clerical hierarchy, including bishops who have much the same authority and responsibilities as in Roman Catholicism.

The Salvation Army does not have bishops but have appointed leaders of geographical areas known as Divisional Commanders. Larger geographical areas, called Territories, are led by a Territorial Commander, who is the highest ranking officer in that Territory.

Dress and insignia

bishops celebrating Divine Liturgy in their proper pontifical vestments.]]

Traditionally, a number of items are associated with the office of a bishop, most notably the mitre, crosier, and ecclesiastical ring. Other vestments and insignia vary between Eastern and Western Christianity.

In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the choir dress of a bishop includes the purple cassock with amaranth trim, rochet, purple zucchetto (skull cap), purple biretta, and pectoral cross. The cappa magna may be worn, but only within the bishop's own diocese and on especially solemn occasions. The mitre, zuchetto, and stole are generally worn by bishops when presiding over liturgical functions. For liturgical functions other than the Mass the bishop typically wears the cope. Within his own diocese and when celebrating solemnly elsewhere with the consent of the local ordinary, he also uses the crosier. When celebrating Mass, a bishop, like a priest, wears the chasuble. The Caeremoniale Episcoporum recommends, but does not impose, that in solemn celebrations a bishop should also wear a dalmatic, which can always be white, beneath the chasuble, especially when administering the sacrament of holy orders, blessing an abbot or abbess, and dedicating a church or an altar. The Caeremoniale Episcoporum no longer makes mention of episcopal gloves, episcopal sandals, liturgical stockings (also known as buskins), or the accoutrements that it once prescribed for the bishop's horse. The coat of arms of a Latin Rite Catholic bishop usually displays a galero with a cross and crosier behind the escutcheon; the specifics differ by location and ecclesiastical rank (see Ecclesiastical heraldry).

Anglican bishops generally make use of the mitre, crosier, ecclesiastical ring, purple cassock, purple zucchetto, and pectoral cross. However, the traditional choir dress of Anglican bishops is quite different from that of their Catholic counterparts; it consists of a long rochet which is worn with a chimere.

In the Eastern Churches (Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic) a bishop will wear the mandyas, panagia (and perhaps an enkolpion), sakkos, omophorion and an Eastern-style mitre. Eastern bishops do not normally wear an episcopal ring; the faithful kiss the bishop's hand. To seal official documents, he will usually use an inked stamp. An Eastern bishop's coat of arms will normally display an Eastern-style mitre, cross, eastern style crosier and a red and white (or red and gold) mantle. The arms of Oriental Orthodox bishops will display the episcopal insignia (mitre or turban) specific to their own liturgical traditions. Variations occur based upon jurisdiction and national customs.

See also

Bishops in the Church of Scotland

Church of England

Ecclesiastical polity (church governance)

* Congregationalist polity

* Episcopal polity

* Presbyterian polity

Gay bishops

Lord Bishop

Prince-Bishop

Shepherd#In religion

Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow

Notes

References

Ignatius of Antioch, Epistles of to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallesians, and Smyrnans, Lightfoot, trans., Harmer, ed. (Kessinger, 1891/2003). ISBN 0-7661-6498-5

Mathews, James, Set Apart To Serve: The Role of the Episcopacy in the Wesleyan Tradition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1985).

Moede, Gerald, The Office of Bishop in Methodism: Its History and Development (Nashville: Abingdon, 1965).

External links

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NRSV)

Methodist/Anglican Thoughts On Apostolic Succession by Gregory Neal

Methodist Episcopacy: In Search of Holy Orders by Gregory Neal

The Ecumenical Catholic Communion* The United Methodist Church: Council of Bishops

Titus 1:7-9 (NRSV)

Vatican Website with Canon Law of Roman Catholic Church

What a bishop wears (Office of Worship of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Category:Anglican ecclesiastical offices Category:Eastern Christian ecclesiastical offices Category:Christian group structuring Category:Ecclesiastical titles Category:Episcopacy in Anglicanism Category:Methodism Category:Religious leadership roles Category:Religious occupations Category:Christian terms

Name	Bishop Lamont
Background	solo_singer
Alias	Bishop
Born	October 31, 1978
Birth name	Philip Martin
Origin	South Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2003–present
Label	Aftermath/Interscope(2004-2010)Unsigned(2010-present)
Associated acts	Dr. Dre, Hayes, Slim da Mobster, Ras Kass, Xzibit
Url	www.bishoplamont.com

Philip Martin (born October 31, 1978 in Inglewood, California), better known as Bishop Lamont is an American rapper from Carson, Los Angeles, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label.

Biography

Martin started rapping at age thirteen. Dr. Dre met Martin while on set filming The Game's music video for "Dreams". After giving him praises on an L.A. radio station, Dr. Dre signed Martin in 2005. Martin was featured in The Source's Unsigned Hype section, but he was already signed to Aftermath by the time the issue hit stands.

According to Martin, Dr. Dre said that along with Eminem, Martin is the only other rapper that made him uncomfortable. Dr. Dre said that this is due to his protégé's controversial and political lyrics.

Martin is credited for his numerous soundtrack contributions. He has appeared in the soundtrack for the video game . He can also be heard on three EA Sports video games. The tracks "The Best" and "We Got Next" are included in Madden 2007 and NBA Live 2006, respectively. Also, the track "I'm a Soldier" was included in NFL Street 2. In addition, Martin has the title track "Welcome to Havoc", featured in Havoc, a film starring Anne Hathaway.

Together with his War Doggz crew, Martin owns a record label called Diocese Records.

Martin is widely believed to be one of the more prominent rappers to be featured on Dr. Dre's highly anticipated album, Detox much like the role of Snoop Dogg on The Chronic and lablemate Hittman on Chronic 2001. The Carson, California-based rapper is also working on his debut album, tentatively titled The Reformation which is due out in the third or fourth quarter of 2009. Martin's mixtape/album N*gger Noize was released on March 2, 2007. It was mixed by DJ Skee and consists of all original content. On Skee TV, Martin and DJ Skee described N*gger Noize as being a "street album". Martin stated in an interview with WestCoastRydaz.com that after The Reformation and Detox, he will be working on The Impossible Possible which will be entirely produced by Dr. Dre and Scott Storch. The album will be released in 2011.

It has also been reported that Martin is in the studio working for The Reformation with Chris Martin from Coldplay. Planned sessions with Eminem and 50 Cent are in order. Production credits will include Battlecat, DJ Premier, Scott Storch, The RZA, Damizza, Pete Rock, and others. In a December 2006 interview with Dubcnn, Martin said that The Reformation is 60% completed. He also stated that his album is to be released before Detox.

In 2008, Martin appeared in Busta Rhymes' music video for "We Made It", and Kardinal Offishall's music video for "Set It Off".

In November 2008, Bishop Interviewed with HoodHype.com and discussed his beef with The Game which seems to have started as far back as Game's track "100 Bars (The Funeral)"

In January 2010 Bishop confirmed his amicable split from Aftermath/Interscope after five years on the label. Lamont, who allegedly walks away with over 700 songs he recorded there, said he still has a relationship with Dr. Dre, "Dre is still my big bro, but after five years of just sitting there, it is kind of unfair to the fans and my family and myself that the release date has changed when all these people are waiting."

Discography

;Studio Albums TBA: Working Title

;Street Albums

The Shawshank Redemption/Angola 3 (2010)

;Mixtapes

Who I Gotta Kill to Get a Record Deal, Vol. 1 (2001)

Welcome 2 L.A. (2005)

On My Way to Own tha Biz (2005)

Nigger Noize (2007)

Pope Mobile (2007)

Caltroit (with Black Milk) (2008)

The Confessional (2008)

Team America Fuck Yeah: Special Forces (With Indef) (2009)

Mecha God - Spilla! (2010)

References

[ Bishop Lamont Breaks Down Everything - RimeMag.com Video ]

External links

Official website

Dr. Dre’s New Medicine: Bishop Lamont Interview with TheKoalition.com

Category:African American rappers Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:Musicians from California Category:Living people Category:People from Inglewood, California Category:1978 births

Name	Tim Bishop
Date of birth	June 01, 1950
Place of birth	Southampton, New York
Occupation	college administrator
Residence	Southampton, New York
State	New York
District	1st
Term start	January 3, 2003
Preceded	Felix Grucci
Alma mater	College of the Holy Cross, Long Island University
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Kathy Bishop
Children	Molly BishopMeghan Bishop
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop

Timothy H. "Tim" Bishop (born June 1, 1950) is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

The district includes most of Central and Eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, as well as the entirety of the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island. The district encompasses wealthy enclaves such as the Hamptons, middle class suburban towns such as Selden, Centereach and Lake Grove, working class neighborhoods such as Mastic and Riverhead and rural farming communities such as Mattituck and Jamesport on the North Fork.

Early life, education and career

Bishop was born on June 1, 1950 in Southampton, New York and graduated with a bachelor's degree from The College of the Holy Cross and a master's degree from Long Island University. Bishop is an initiate of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Bishop is among the 12th generation of Bishops to live in Southampton. He served as the long-time Provost of Southampton College. Bishop began working at Southampton College in 1973 as an admissions counselor and rose rapidly through the ranks. During his 29 years at the College, he served in administrative positions touching almost every aspect of college life, from institutional research and planning, to financial aid and enrollment services, student activities, personnel, community relations and fundraising.

Political career

Committee assignments

Committee on the Budget

Committee on Education and Labor

*Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness

*Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

*Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

*Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

*Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment

Bishop received an "A" on the Drum Major Institute's 2008 Congressional Scorecard on Middle Class Values on middle-class issues.

Bishop gave leadership to the bipartisan coalition of elected officials and community advocates that saved the 106th Air Rescue Wing located at Gabreski Airport from being shut down by the Pentagon’s base closure commission. He also successfully led the opposition to a plan that would have dumped more than twenty million cubic yards of contaminated dredge waste in the Long Island Sound. He has pushed forward the Democratic Party's efforts to increase college affordability.

Political campaigns

2002

In his first political race, Bishop ran as a Democrat against Republican Congressman Felix J. Grucci, Jr.. During the campaign, Grucci ran radio ads accusing Bishop of falsifying rape statistics at the college, but his claims were based on articles from a college newspaper that contained numerous inaccuracies. Grucci refused to repudiate the ads, and Bishop won the election by less than 3,000 votes. Bishop's victory was one of only two that year which had a non-incumbent Democrat beating an incumbent Republican.

2008

Bishop was challenged by the officially-endorsed Republican candidate Lee Zeldin, but was re-elected. He endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party nomination for President.

2010

Bishop was challenged by Republican Randy Altschuler, a local businessman. Bishop was initially declared the winner, but after a recheck of the votes, Atschuler appeared to be ahead. After the absentee votes were counted (24 November) Bishop led by 235 votes. Altschuler conceded the election on December 8, 2010 with Bishop leading by 263 votes out of 194,000 cast. It was the country's last undecided Congressional race in the 2010 election.

Personal life

Bishop is married to Kathryn, founder and director of The Children's School Early Childhood program at Southampton College, and has two daughters, Molly and Meghan.

References

External links

U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop official U.S. House site

Bishop for Congress official campaign site

Profile at SourceWatch

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Suffolk County, New York politicians Category:New York Democrats Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York Category:College of the Holy Cross people Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni Category:Long Island University alumni Category:American Roman Catholic politicians

Noel Andrew Stephen Jones (December 22, 1940 – November 21, 1995) was an Indian-born British diplomat, British ambassador to Kazakhstan from 1993 to 1995. He was the first British ambassador to have come from an ethnic minority.

His father, Ernest Walter Jones, was a domiciled European who worked in the Telegraph Department in India; his mother, Merlyn Edith Jones (née Jones), was an Anglo-Indian woman, daughter of a Postmaster of Madras.

Noel Jones came to live in England, where he married Jean Rosemary Cheval.

He entered the diplomatic service, and was appointed British ambassador to Kazakhstan in 1993. His career was cut short by his death in 1995, at the age of 54. He was survived by his widow, Jean, and his children Mark and Alison.

References

Who Was Who (1991 - 1995)

Birth record held at the British Library (OIOC)

Marriage certificate

Death certificate

Category:1940 births Category:1995 deaths Category:British diplomats Category:British ambassadors to Kazakhstan

Name	Michael McIntyre
Caption	McIntyre at the British Academy Television Awards 2009
Birth name	Michael Hazen James McIntyre
Birth date	February 21, 1976
Birth place	Merton, London
Medium	Stand-up, television
Nationality	British
Active	1999 — present
Genre	Social satire, observational comedy
Website	http://www.michaelmcintyre.co.uk/
Spouse	Kitty McIntyre (2003 - present)

Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is a British stand-up comedian. He is well-known for appearing at many British stand-up comedy events and for several roles on television stand-up programmes such as Live at the Apollo and his own show, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. McIntyre has also appeared on television panel shows including Mock The Week, 8 out of 10 Cats and Have I Got News For You, and has made radio appearances.

McIntyre has released two stand-up DVDs. Live and Laughing was released in 2008 and featured material from his first nationwide tour, and Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley was released in November 2009 and featured his routine at Wembley Arena. Live and Laughing was the fastest selling debut stand-up DVD ever and Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley became the fastest selling stand-up DVD ever selling over a million copies and reaching Number 1 in the DVD charts for Christmas 2009. In 2009 McIntyre performed live to half a million people and won Best Stand-up at The British Comedy Awards.

In 2010, McIntyre became the youngest-ever host of the Royal Variety Performance, at the London Palladium on 9 December. It was also announced that McIntyre will be a judge on Britain's Got Talent

Early life

McIntyre was born in Merton and raised in Hampstead. McIntyre's parents were both involved in showbusiness: his Canadian father, Ray Cameron, was one of the writers of The Kenny Everett Television Show and his Hungarian mother, Kati, was a dancer. McIntyre later attended Edinburgh University for a year before dropping out. He has said that he cannot remember whether it was Biology or Chemistry that he studied while there. He was nominated at the 2008 British Comedy Awards for Best Live Stand-up and nominated at the 2009 The South Bank Show Awards for Best Comedy. In 2008 he was the fastest selling comedian at the Edinburgh Festival . and sold out five nights at London's 3600 capacity Hammersmith Apollo. In 2009 he won Best Stand-up at the British Comedy Awards and performed for 500,000 people on his UK tour that included a record breaking six nights at Wembley Arena and four at The O2 Arena. His second DVD, Hello Wembley, was another hit.

He has confirmed in a recent interview that he will return with another arena tour in 2012.

Television and stage

Michael McIntyre has appeared three times on BBC One's Live at the Apollo and also on the Royal Variety Performance, in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

His routine on We Are Most Amused, staged at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 12 November 2008 in aid of the Prince's Trust, was also televised. This comedy gala celebrated the 60th Birthday of Prince Charles, and was performed in the presence of The Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Among McIntyre's many comedy panel show appearances are Chris Moyles' Quiz Night, Mock the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Would I Lie To You?, and . On 13 February 2009, he was a guest on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on BBC One.

On 21 February 2009, McIntyre appeared live as a guest judge alongside head judge Anton du Beke and fellow guest Emma Bunton in the first round of Let's Dance for Comic Relief. He appeared on the show again in the final on 14 March 2009.

Beginning on 6 June 2009, McIntyre began hosting a BBC show on Saturday nights entitled Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow.

On 5 July 2009, McIntyre appeared on the BBC show Top Gear as the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car and achieved a respectable time of 1 minute 48.7 seconds. During his lap he almost rolled the car while going around Gambon corner, named after Sir Michael Gambon who, in only the eighth episode, did the same thing in the previous Reasonably Priced Car.

In December 2009, Michael cancelled a stand up show 30 minutes before he was due on stage after discovering that he would be performing to a room full of debt collectors. Michael had revealed only weeks earlier how he'd struggled with substantial debt only a few years before breaking through in to the mainstream. McIntyre stated that he would have gone against his principles by performing the show.

In 2010, McIntyre took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March.

In 2010, McIntyre joined CBeebies reading the story at The Bedtime Hour. He also appeared on the 2010 edition of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, partnered with Alan Carr.

On 14th December 2010, it was announced that McIntyre would join the Britain's Got Talent judges panel in 2011, alongside David Hasselhoff and Amanda Holden.

Radio

Does The Team Think... - BBC Radio 2

Heresy, 4 Stands Up, Happy Mondays, The Unbelievable Truth - all for BBC Radio 4

"The Jon Richardson Show" BBC 6 Music

"The Jonathan Ross Show" BBC Radio 2

"The Chris Moyles Show" BBC Radio 1

Personal life

McIntyre lives in Muswell Hill, London with his aromatherapist wife, Kitty, and their two sons, Lucas (born 2005) and Oscar (born 2008).

McIntyre is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur.

Whilst performing on stage in Wolverhampton in 2008, as he was walking back onto stage for his encore, McIntyre slipped, fell over and dislocated his shoulder. Many of the audience believed this to be part of his act and started to laugh; only after his manager came on stage to assist did they realise it was real.

Awards

Stand-up appearances

Television credits

''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow (BBC One)

The Graham Norton Show (BBC Two)

Live at the Apollo 2007/2008 (BBC One)

Royal Variety Performance 2006/2008/2010

Have I Got News For You (BBC One)

8 out of 10 Cats (Channel 4)

The Charlotte Church Show (Channel 4)

Richard & Judy (Channel 4)

The Law of the Playground (Channel 4)

Michael McIntyre Comedy Store Special (Paramount)

The Comedy Store (Paramount)

The World Stands Up (Paramount)

Big Brother's Little Brother (E4)

Big Brother's Big Mouth - Guest Presenter (E4)

Top Gear - Special Guest (BBC Two)

Series 4 Episode 11 (BBC2)

Mock the Week (BBC 2)

Would I Lie To You?

The One Show (BBC 1)

We Are Most Amused (ITV)

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (Channel 4)

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC 1)

This Morning (ITV)

''CBeebies Bedtime Story (CBeebies)

Stand-Up DVDs

Live & Laughing (17 November 2008)

Hello Wembley! (16 November 2009)

References

External links

Official Site

Agent's Website

Official Fansite

Chortle page

Michael McIntyre Royal Variety Performance 2006 on YouTube

Michael McIntyre Royal Variety Performance 2008 on YouTube

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:British people of Hungarian descent Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:British people of Canadian descent Category:Edinburgh Comedy Festival Category:British stand-up comedians Category:British comedians Category:Old Merchant Taylors Category:People from Muswell Hill

Honorific-prefix	The Right Reverend
Name	Gene Robinson
Bishop of	Bishop of New Hampshire
Province	Episcopal Church in the United States
Diocese	New Hampshire
Enthroned	2004
Ended	Incumbent
Predecessor	Douglas Edwin Theuner
Ordination	15 December 1973
Consecration	2 November 2003
Birth date	May 29, 1947
Birthplace	Lexington, Kentucky
Spouse	Isabella "Boo" McDaniel (1972–1980s)Mark Andrew (2008– )
Children	Jamee Robinson (b. 1977)Ella Robinson (b. 1981)

Vicki Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947 in Fayette County, Kentucky) is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as assistant to the retiring New Hampshire bishop.

Robinson is widely known for being the first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in a major Christian denomination believing in the historic episcopate. His sexual orientation was privately acknowledged in the 1970s, when he studied in seminary, was ordained, married, and started a family. He went public with his sexual identity and divorced in the 1980s. When delegates to the Episcopal convention were voting on the ratification of his election, it became an issue of controversy. His election was ratified 62 to 45. After his election, some theologically conservative parishes have aligned themselves with bishops outside the Episcopal Church in the United States, a process called the Anglican realignment. His story has appeared in print and film.

In 2009 he was given the Stephen F. Kolzak Media Award. He has announced his intention to retire in 2013, at 65.

Early life

Robinson's parents were poor tenant farmers who worked in the tobacco fields as sharecroppers. The family used an outhouse, drew water from a cistern, and did laundry in a cast-iron tub over an open flame. Their house did not have running water until Robinson was ten years old. For a long time, Robinson's parents believed the boy would die soon. Much later in life, Robinson's father would tell him he couldn't take any joy in the boy's development because he always thought each step was going to be the last thing. Earlier, Robinson had said, "I always wanted to be a June bride."

Robinson became Canon to the Ordinary in 1988, the executive assistant to the then bishop of New Hampshire, Douglas Theuner. Robinson remained in this job for the next seventeen years until he was elected bishop.

Election as bishop

Robinson was elected bishop by the New Hampshire diocese on June 7, 2003, at St. Paul's Church in Concord. Thirty-nine clergy votes and 83 lay votes were the threshold necessary to elect a bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire at that time. The clergy voted 58 votes for Robinson and the laity voted 96 for Robinson on the second ballot. When no such link was found on the Diocese of New Hampshire web page profiling the bishop-elect, Virtue stated that the link was on the website of an organization Robinson supported. Robinson was already known to be associated with Outright, a secular organization for the support of young LGBT people. Fred Barnes, a Fox News commentator, repeated the allegations on the website of The Weekly Standard. On the day the allegations arose, the website issued a press release stating that it had removed the offending link, that it had been unaware of the pornographic links on allthingsbi.com, and that Robinson had no involvement with that particular chapter of Outright.

The male parishioner of Manchester, Vermont (a diocese neighboring Robinson's) who had alleged the "touching," was then reported to have said, during the investigating committee's telephone call with him, that the acts in question were two separate occasions of what felt to him like intentionally seductive arm-squeezing and back-stroking, although in a public setting. The man acknowledged that others might have regarded the two incidents as "natural," yet the incidents were disturbing to him nonetheless. Robinson was showing his bullet-proof vest to Harris herself. Robinson's parents, sister, daughter and their families and his ex-wife Boo were all at the consecration. Robinson was consecrated on November 2, 2003 in the presence of Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and six co-consecrating bishops: 48 bishops in all. Retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated that he did not see what "all the fuss" was about, saying the election would not roil the Church of the Province of Southern Africa. Other senior bishops of the church, like Archbishop Peter Akinola of the Church of Nigeria and head of the Global South, have made Robinson a figurehead in their dispute with the Episcopal Church. Some disaffected Episcopalians have disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church and formed the Convocation of Anglicans in North America with the support of the Nigerian church.

After ordination

Reports from the UK describe how Robinson has received death threats, had to wear bulletproof vests, and needed protection since his election and ordination.

In February 2006, Robinson was treated at an inpatient rehabilitation facility to deal with his "increasing dependence on alcohol". He returned to work in March 2006.

Robinson was featured prominently in a documentary film entitled For the Bible Tells Me So, which screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2008, Robinson said that he had led a retreat a few years before for gay Catholic priests. He has opposed the Roman Catholic ban on homosexual seminarians, stating : "I find it so vile that they think they are going to end the child abuse scandal by throwing out homosexuals from seminaries."

Due to the controversy surrounding his consecration, Bishop Robinson was not invited to the 2008 Lambeth Conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. A group of conservative bishops (including Akinola and Duncan) who opposed Robinson's consecration gathered in Jerusalem one month prior to Lambeth 2008, at the Global Anglican Future Conference, an event which is perceived by some as schismatic.

Robinson did however visit the United Kingdom privately in July 2008, during which he participated in a film screening and question and answer session with Sir Ian McKellen at the Royal Festival Hall, and was invited to preach at St Mary's Putney, events which attracted much media attention. The sermon was interrupted by a heckler who was then escorted out of the service. Robinson asked the rest of the congregation, most of whom greeted the interruption with slow-clapping, to "pray for that man", before completing his sermon. The Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, on July 22 at a public press conference during the 2008 Lambeth Conference called for Robinson to resign, and for all those who had participated in his consecration to confess their sin to the conference.

In 2009 Robinson was selected to deliver the invocation at the kickoff event of President Barack Obama's inaugural weekend. Despite his extended involvement with Obama during the campaign, his selection was widely discussed as an effort to counterbalance the role of the choice of evangelical pastor Rick Warren. Media outlets noted Warren compared the legitimization of same-sex marriage to the legalization of "incest, polygamy or 'an older guy marrying a child'". Warren also supported California Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. However, Warren took a conciliatory tone towards Obama: "I applaud his desire to be the president of every citizen." The kickoff event was held at the Lincoln Memorial two days before Obama's swearing-in. It asked "the God of our many understandings" for seven blessings, and to help Obama, as President, in seven ways. Neither HBO's exclusive live broadcast, nor the Presidential Inauguration Committee's blog of the event included the invocation, but the prepared text was posted in full on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, and video shot informally by attendees was posted on YouTube. National Public Radio, which relied on the HBO feed that omitted it, broadcast a recording the following day with an interview of Robinson about its limited exposure; in that venue, Robinson described it as conforming to the four-fold Franciscan prayer model. According to the Washington Blade, it was the Presidential Inaugural Committee that made the decision for the prayer to be a part of the pre-show and not the show, itself, with a spokesman from that committee maintaining the prayer was dropped through an unspecified "error." Some gay activists maintain that this was a slight on the part of the Obama administration.

In April 2009, Robinson made the Out magazine Third Annual Power 50 list of the most influential gay men and women in the USA, landing at number 7. In August 2009, Gene Robinson was a key speaker at the 2009 Greenbelt Festival, held at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, England. Here he delivered three talks, each garning an attendance in the thousands, based not only on his views of Christianity and homosexuality, but also on human sexuality in general and the rights of LGBT members of society. The three talks were entitled "Homosexuality: What the Bible says & why it matters", "Keeping your cool in the eye of the storm" and "Sexuality and spirituality: keeping them together" As well as these three talks, Gene Robinson made a big impact on some gay and lesbian festival-goers by leading them collectively in prayer on the second night of the festival as part of a small group.

See also

Gay bishops

Homosexuality and Anglicanism

Homosexuality and Christianity

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Biography of Bishop Robinson at the Diocese of New Hampshire website

Messages from Bishop Robinson

CNN June 8, 2003 "Episcopalians Approve Gay Bishop, and Conflict"

CNN Nov. 2, 2003 "Gay bishop-elect: 'This is what God wants for me'"

The Guardian 10/21/03 "Profile: Gene Robinson"

Video: Interview with Gene Robinson and Daniel Kerslake (director of For The Bible Tells Me So) at Sundance 2007

Online radio interview with Gene Robinson and Donald Armstrong, March 2007

Invocation at "We Are One" Concert before Obama Inaugural, YouTube video recorded January 18, 2009.

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Name	Des Bishop
Caption	Bishop playing football during the 2008 Cat Laughs comedy festival in Kilkenny
Birth name	Desmond Ryan Bishop
Birth date	November 12, 1975
Birth place	London, England
Residence	Rialto, Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Education	BA History and English from UCC
Occupation	Stand-up comedian
Website	http://www.desbishop.com

Des Bishop (Deasún Mac an Easpaig in Irish) (born 12 November 1975) is an Irish comedian and was brought up in New York. He is now primarily based in Ireland, after moving to County Wexford in 1990 at the age of 14.

Approach to Comedy

Bishop's comedy was originally heavily based on his observation of Irish society, supported by his talent for impersonating the regional variations of the Irish accent. His website says "Des has developed a unique style of observational comedy, most critical of his adopted home in Ireland and the America he left behind.".

Bishop's comedy has since grappled with social issues, such as poverty. In 2000, Bishop was diagnosed with testicular cancer - rather than shy away from this subject, Des went on to turn his experiences into comedy material.

Life & career

Des has worked as a comic in Ireland since the late 1990s. He began hosting shows at the International Comedy Cellar - a venue set up by Irish comics such as Ardal O'Hanlon, Kevin Gildea and Barry Murphy. It was here that Bishop honed his act.

He reached a broader audience after his TV show The Des Bishop Work Experience screened on RTÉ Two in 2004. The show featured him attempting to survive for one month working a minimum wage job in various parts of Ireland. During the series, he worked at Abrakebabra, Waterford; The Aqua-dome, Tralee; Superquinn, Dundalk; and the Central Hotel, Dublin.

A more recent TV show, named Joy in the Hood, featured him travelling to impoverished areas of Ireland's major cities and mentoring local people in stand-up comedy.

Bishop and Riordan co-wrote "Shooting Gallery", their second collaboration. This had a short run in Dublin in 2005.

Personal & Family

Bishop attended St. Francis Preparatory School in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. At the age of 16, he began school at St Peter's College, Wexford in Ireland. He later re-sat his Leaving Certificate at Blackrock College, Dublin. Both are involved in running the International Comedy Club.

Irish Language

Des's TV show, In the Name of the Fada premiered in 2008. It deals with Des trying to learn Irish to a standard sufficient to perform an entire standup act through the language. He later used his Irish to sing the Gaeilge version of the song Jump Around called Léim Thart

The DVD of his live show Tongues and The DVD of the series In the Name of the Fada were released 14/11/08

DVDs

Des Bishop - Live At Vicar Street (2005)

Des Bishop - Live (2005)

Des Bishop - Fitting In (2006)

Des Bishop - Tongues (2007)

Des Bishop - Desfunctional (2009)

References

External links

Official site

New York Times interview

Category:1975 births Category:Alumni of University College Cork Category:American stand-up comedians Category:Irish comedians Category:American comedians of Irish descent Category:Irish television personalities Category:People from Queens Category:Living people Category:People from County Galway Category:People from County Wexford Category:People from London