(Photo Credit: The Telegraph)
Posted on 11/20/2012 12:32:56 PM PST by NYer
(Photo Credit: The Telegraph)
Today, the General Synod for the Church of England rejectedthe ordination of women bishops by a mere handful of votes. So ends for now a nearly 12 year legislative process to upend standards for episcopal office. Much of the controversy surrounded the provision of stand-in bishops for parishes opposed to women’s ordination.
Passage of the ordination innovations required a 2/3 majority in all houses. The votes were 44 for and two against in the house of bishops, 148 for and 45 against in the house of clergy, and 132 for and 74 against in the house of laity. The vote in the house of laity, at 64%, was just short of the required majority.
Some British Anglicans hoped the passage of this motion would be another step of enlightened progress. They also worry about the cultural image this will grant the Church in modern British society with its failure. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams himself voiced outspoken support. A minority breathes a sigh of relief. This group–primarily made up of Anglo-Catholics and other High Churchmen–was concerned about the ecumenical ramifications that may portend from ordinal novelties, the validity of female apostleship, a rupture with traditional interpretation, and a trespass against scriptural obedience.
Wow, that’s a shocker. I thought this was a done deal. 44/2 for the bishops - so stick a fork in the Anglican church, they are done.
Don’t they already have homo bishops? So what is the difference if they let women play pretend to? In for a penny, in for a pound.
Shocking that the laity was more sensible. The bishops have obviously all become revisionists, although some of them are “Evangelical” but I’m not sure what they means in the C of E. The probably believe in the resurrection of Christ and the Trinity, etc., but not in tradition, I’m guessing.
Is that a bad pun? BTW, her name is not Penny.
Last night our parish hosted the local ‘ecumenical service’ so my wife and I attended. The local Baptist church was represented by a Reverend Doctor and a Pastor, both of whom looked and sounded like they belonged on the lady wrestling circuit. Or the men’s. From the 1950s.
My wife is more conciliatory than I am. For me, never again. I have no wish to listen to female ‘ministers’ speaking from the pulpit in a Catholic church. Would that the hippie generation pass from our midst and plague us no more.
Bishops in the Church of England are not required to believe in God. Their appointment (by the Prime Minister of England in recommendation to the Queen, as she is is head of the Anglic Church) is a social or political appointment and not a religious one.
you’re right. The passing of this is inevitable sooner or later. The CoE is dead on its feet
I fully appreciate the experience. A neighbor family consists of a female ordained Episcopal minister whose husband teaches at a local catholic college. When their daughter graduated in June from Berkleigh College, mom helped her find a summer internship with the ACLU!!!
I’m told there were 3 abstentions among the bishops. So the bishops voted 44 to 5 to support women bishops.
That is why they are doomed. I’m clipping things and sending them to my former Mennonite church which just recently accepted women pastors. And showing them that in another 10 years, they will have women elders too.
That is inevitable if you admit women pastors...
Well, I had a talk with the head pastor, a man that I used to greatly respect and he made up some gobbledigook about how it was just ‘pastors’ not ‘elders’. Which, is really sad to see.
I’d like to give myself credit for being prescient, but mostly I was just sad for all the souls that are going to be lead astray.
You can’t go home again - and it looks like your stuck with me! :) My boats are burned.
You can't have women as pastors but not up. that wouldn't work. It's 0 or 1.
Sadly, he wasn’t honest enough with himself. I told him - look. Why I left is because I felt the same structural weaknesses in your church were the same as those felt by the Anglicans. Even though when I left you were still faithful bible-believing Christians.
I actually was reading a very dry and boring book before I came over that made this exact argument. Look at the structure, and talked about how the doctrine of a church is affected by the peculiar structure. It was actually written by a Lutheran or something. I found the book provocative because I realized that this was exactly the problem and that nobody really understood it at the time.
So I left, and now I’m thankful that I did. It was good to leave when I had the time to ponder and think things through as to why I should swim the Tiber. Before the Ordinariate too, so I’m just plain ol’ Novus Ordo. :)
“”doctrine of a church is affected by the peculiar structure” can you point me to this book?
I’m afraid I’ve forgotten. I remember the content, but not the title or author.
It was a very dry book, but that was the thesis.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.