John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, which he held until 1974.

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

, Archbishop of Cape Town, said Hines' movement to divest church-held assets in that nation played an important role in the demise of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

Early life

Hines was born in Seneca, South Carolina. He graduated from the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an off ...

in 1930 and

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

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in 1933.

Ministry

His ministry began at parishes in

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

in the

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, where he became acquainted with the

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movement through bishop William Scarlett of Missouri. At age 26, Hines became rector of Saint Paul's Church, Augusta, Georgia, and began attacking racism in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, continuing his lifelong defense of those who lacked political, social, economic and educational opportunities. Hines then accepted a call to become rector of Christ Church in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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from 1941 to 1945, which was later raised to the status of cathedral. Hines was consecrated as

bishop coadjutor A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas on October 18, 1945, and in 1955 became diocesan bishop. While his social activism was criticized in some quarters, the number of churches grew under his stewardship. He became known as a theological conservative and social liberal, and was elected Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1965. Hines responded to the riots following the assassination of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

by calling for social justice and self-determination, and launched the controversial General Convention Special Program. In 1966, he expressed "vigorous support" for programs of population control, and noted that the Episcopal Church sponsored 15 birth control clinics in the U.S. and abroad.

Death and legacy

During nearly two decades of retirement in North Carolina, Hines preached most summers at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, North Carolina, where he was ultimately buried next to his wife, Helen Orwig, who died a year before he did. They had four sons and a daughter, who survived their parents. Hines died at Heartland Medical Center in

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, John E. 1910 births 1997 deaths People from Seneca, South Carolina Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Texas 20th-century American clergy

Early life

Ministry

Death and legacy

See also

References