Here are some reflections and comments on what happened at General Synod.
Nick Baines (Bishop of Bradford) Mixed feelings
Andrew Carey The ghastly Indabas return
Colin Coward A health report on the C of E following the York Synod
Steven Croft (Bishop of Sheffield) Three processes in one: today’s Synod debate on Bishops
Jeremy Fletcher General Synod July 2013 – Jeremy’s Report
Giles Fraser General Synod brings out the worst in the Church of England – and in me
Jody Stowell Women bishops: Building bridges to avoid repeating history
Chris Sugden Update to AAC from Canon Chris Sugden
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Starting again on women bishops
Lichfield Diocese’s reps reflect on General Synod
Church Times leader Has the Synod shifted at all?
There are also a few more press reports.
Today’s Church Times has revised versions of two reports published immediately after the Synod debates:
Ed Thornton, Madeleine Davies, Gavin Drake and Glyn Paflin Synod makes a new start on women bishops in York
Madeleine Davies and Gavin Drake Synod approves new West Yorkshire dioceseThe Living Church Synod Slogs through in York
Amaris Cole in The Church of England Newspaper Women bishops back on track
Andrew Carey refers to Saturday’s groups as a form of Indaba. I believe this is incorrect, as Indaba is something quite different from Mediation which is what I believe these groups were.
‘they merely substitute process for truth-telling’ ….
Andrew Carey shows little understanding of either approaches to meeting on this evidence – which is why they are so needed.
The problem with “truth telling” is that it is talking *at* people. Indaba and mediation are processes of conversing *with* people.
Interesting that these reflections and comments make no mention of the speech of the ABC and his remarks about the present ‘revolution’. As an aside, I was amused to read in Andrew Brown’s review of the press in the current Church Times ‘that the Archbishop had been pointing out merely the bleeding obvious’. What followed was priceless:- ‘…the women-bishops debate was opened on Monday with a point of order from Andrea Williams, of Christian Concern, who wanted the whole thing put off for a day, so that the bishops could travel back up to London and object to gay marriage… Read more »
Ms Williams has also written a letter to the Archbishop, copied to all the Lords Spiritual castigating them for not doing more on both Monday and Wednesday. The tone of letter could perhaps be described as “hectoring”. And as already noticed elsewhere on this site, Christian Concern has called off its prayer meeting outside Parliament on Monday.
Alas not only Carey senior has a go at Archbishop Rowan but Carey junior has now joined in the fray.