John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States.

[1][2] Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Cape Town, said Hines' movement to divest church-held assets in that nation played an important role in the demise of apartheid.

Hines then accepted a call to become rector of Christ Church in Houston, Texas from 1941 to 1945, which was later raised to the status of cathedral.

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. by calling for social justice and self-determination, and launched the controversial General Convention Special Program.