Updated Friday
In the Church of England Newspaper there is an article listing Roger Beckwith, Wallace Benn, Gerald Bray and Mike Ovey as contributors, which sets out Why evangelicals are unhappy with the Guildford proposals.
And another article in the CEN reports on the Forward in Faith rally last Saturday: Church is treating us like children says bishop and Bishop Lindsay Urwin wrote in his local newspaper that Women bishops – compromise ‘won’t solve problem’.
Detailed reports from the FiF rally are to be found here, and here.
Update The Church Times has an extensive report by Glyn Paflin on the FiF event: Catholics will take TEA if it’s ‘fairtrade’.
Concerning the CEN article on the Guildford Report, has the adjective ‘conservative’ mistakenly been deleted in the headline before the word ‘evangelical’? It does not make sense without it…
I find it ironic that FiF believes that the “Church is treating us like children”.
Isn’t that exactly how they treat Anglican women? “No, no, sweetie: you only *imagine* that God is calling you to the priesthood. Be a good girl now, and go back to the altar guild!” ;-/
Not all “Anglican women” support the innovation. I was unable to attend the meeting on Saturday, but just listened to Emma Forward’s speech. It adds to my glee that the youngest member of General Synod is a FiF supporter and a woman. This must have seriously brassed off the establishment. (How kind of the Germans to lend us that useful word Schadenfreude!) The problem in a nutshell is precisely that the Guildford commission couldn’t be bothered to talk to opponents. I suspect that the powers-that-be have rather lazily put up the unfortunate Bishop of Guildford to placate the spikes in… Read more »
CEN article sounds like banal humour followed by so much beaurocracy and so little scope for God.
Alan Harrison, “glee” seems a very strange response to what you describe as a grave situation.
And I would no more feel sorry for a bishop sitting quietly in the congregation while other bishops and clergy officated than I would feel sorry for Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.
It isn’t all about power or status. It’s about love.
“It adds to my glee that the youngest member of General Synod is a FiF supporter” Not surprising in the least, Alan. After James Fowler (“Stages of Faith”), we all come into this world as little fundamentalists (w/ “God” usually being a projected combination of the Great Teat and, regrettably, the Great Swat). Hopefully, we grow out of this stage, and into something more mature (something more New Testament! :-D). That the “youngest member” appears not to have done so (to the level of an adult faith), isn’t as sad as that quite a few of her *elders* seem similarly… Read more »
From the ChurchTimes “TEA” piece: “In the 1980s and ’90s people paraded their pain in front of us, at not being able to fulfil, as they saw it, their vocation. Well, I want them to hear about my pain in being regarded as a ‘thing’ on the edge of the Church. I am fed up with being regarded as a nonsense.” A nonsense? No. Persons, beloved by God, aren’t nonsense. But to equate the *the denial of orders, merely on the basis of gender* to the inability to *maintain male-supremacist hegemony* is NONSENSICAL. [Love the “as they saw it, their… Read more »
JCF wrote: “we all come into this world as little fundamentalists……….. Hopefully, we grow out of this stage, and into something more mature (something more New Testament! :-D)” AND “*maintain male-supremacist hegemony*” Dear JCF, Either you don’t understand the position of conservatives very well at all, or you are indulging in trite condescension – which is hardly “New Testament” behaviour! Most conservatives I know believe in equality but not sameness of the sexes. Men aren’t superior if only they are called to certain roles, and women to others.. just different ! Or are you saying that Christ was “maintaining male-supremacist… Read more »
Dave, Patriarchal ideologies/religions routinely exaggerate the differences between the sexes in EVERY area . . . but no more so when they determine that only one gender, males, has the “calling” to *define* what those differences (supposedly) are! (Thank God that Christianity is not, intrinsically, such a belief-system! :-D) “Or are you saying that Christ was “maintaining male-supremacist hegemony” when He chose only men as Apostles ?” That’s way too complicated a topic to be responded to propersly in a comment thread. Suffice to say that *today* the Church, in its wisdom, is coming to understand God-in-Christ calling both men… Read more »
Dear JCF, My, my, you’re certainly vocal. I was in the debate when Emma Forward spoke against the assumed (and widely sprouted) position that all young people and all women wanted the ordination of women. She, like many other women, stood to say that from their reading of the scriptures, women had equal but different roles from men. This is not about how society perceives us, nor about the rights or otherwise of women, but about a mature and reasoned approach to the scriptures. As for your comment that the only reason she holds her beliefs are that “Hopefully, we… Read more »
Iam a committed Anglican, who believes in the truths of the Gospel.If there is to be a new Heaven and a new Earth, love, compassion and justice must prevail. I understand that my Church is in a turmoil over the question of the ordination of female bishops. What on Earth is all the fuss about? Let them be so ordained if they feel that particular calling. Some, I’m sure would make splendid bishops, with something special to offer than no man could give. Right through the centuries women have been oppressed and held back by a misogynistic,male- dominated Church hierarchy.… Read more »