Michael White in The Guardian Fratricidal tensions at the Church of England Synod
Riazat Butt in The Guardian Church of England reaches compromise on women bishops
Avril Ormsby for Reuters Church of England takes step towards allowing women bishops
Christian Today Church of England nears consensus on women bishops
Nelson Jones in the New Statesman When is a bishop not a bishop?
Torey Lightcap for The Lead Another step in female-bishop process in Church of England
[The last part of this appears to be copied from my article here on Thinking Anglicans.]
And two that I missed earlier.
Christian Today Archbishop seeks greater provision for opponents of women bishops
Christian Today India Church of England’s legislation on women bishops ‘needs more work’
Thanks yes – sorry the link got left off. Episcopal Café. Fixed now.
I remain baffled by the ABC’s speech and by the decision taken today by General Synod. The archbishop argues for maintaining “ecclesial integrity” for those who cannot accept women priests or bishops. I understand “ecclesial integrity” to mean the unity and coherence of the CofE, or other Anglican Churches. I can see how differences of opinion on how to apply scripture, tradition, and reason to the issues of the day can and should be accomodated by a Church that values inclusiveness. The history of the Church and its sacred tradition show that the Church has revised moral teachings many times… Read more »
Does the question of women’s ordination really “go to the heart of Communion within the Church”? I certainly would like to see women bishops in the C of E as soon as possible, and I think the theological arguments against women’s ministry are shaky at best. But I don’t think for a moment that this is a matter of absolutely first-rate importance when it comes to the unity of the Church. Those who oppose women’s ordination are far less of a threat to “ecclesial integrity,” I think, than supporters of pernicious innovations like lay presidency. Perhaps this is just English… Read more »
With Karen macqueen+, I see the conflict between pro and anti-factions in the Church of England as a puzzling paradigm for unification. And yet, here we have anti-women Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics unified on this most destructive of causes – the rejection of the equal place of women in Church leadership. If this dismissal of the place of women in the Church is a foundation for notional Unity, then what chance does the Church have of pointing to the need for justice in the wider world? How can anti-women protesters pretend their call for koinonia, when they refuse to join the… Read more »
Overall, perhaps not too bad an outcome from the deliberations of General Synod. However, the stolid determination of the archbishops to side-line the authority of a woman bishop seems uncharitable.
Whatever threats are being made by the small conservative bloc that might leave the Church if Women Bishops have equal jurisdiction to Male Bishops; that would be small beer compared to the number of women who would feel unwelcome at the further extension of the patriarchal culture of the Church of England.
I’m with rjb, except, of course, that pragmatism doesn’t have to be English.
No one is “small beer” in the eyes of God.
R Butt’s column:
A spokesman for the traditionalist group Forward in Faith told the Guardian: “It’s up to the bishops now. They can sort this out, but do they have the balls to?”
There we have it. The Signifying Testicles.
David Swyer,
That’s a good comment. From a very ‘liberal’ perspective, I entirely agree.
“No one is “small beer” in the eyes of God.”
Stop being so hysterical – the numbers are small beer, not the people. Good Lord! You really all do think you’re the only important ones in God’s Eyes, despite the pathetic appeal to Sunday-school platitudes, don’t you?
There’s an old Southern expression – get off the cross, please . . . we need the wood for building.
My small beer comment applies to everyone. Although a “traditionalist” I am just as appalled at rude and demeaning remarks from my own “side”. I am sorry if I have wound some people up.
“My small beer comment applies to everyone”
. . and is still inaccurate in relation to what you are quoting.