Women in the English Episcopate, May 2014

I see that Church of England dioceses have voted 43 - 0 in favour of the latest proposals, which now return to General Synod in July.

Full voting figures are here:

http://peterowen.org.uk/articles/wb-voting2014.html

 

I understand that Archbishop Welby is very much in favour of this development, which brings the CofE into line with its sister churches in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, USA, NZ and Australia. The "word on the (CofE) street" is that there is one suffragan bishopric, currently vacant, to which a woman might be appointed.

I think that Parliament will have to approve the women bishops agreement but this should not be a problem.

 

It's sad, the rest of us are trying to flee from it, while the few of you are running toward it.

 

The last I heard, the pledge for the first appointment was to be in December of this year, and as soon as the wolves got the sheep by the neck, of course the push is for one right now. What do the radicals, leftists and progressives in London care for rules and honesty, or that quaint little thing called christianity. Trying to hijack a church, nothing more.

As God is not on their side their attempt will be just that, futile. The church has been burying her enemies for thousands of years. She has buried Diocletian and Nero. Who are modern piddle peddlers calling themselves our 'leaders' in comparison with Emperors like that? She has buried a titan like Arius. Who are modern penny heretics compared to that? Count your days of glory while you still can.

 

As I've said, the great majority of the CofE will be joining the Anglican churches in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, USA, NZ, Aus. in this respect.
Come now, not that few!

 

Your language is decidedly intemperate, and I'm sure that if I were to write like that I'd get a warning and possibly a banning. Now, cool down. Look at the figures. All but three bishops are in favour of the measure. And the vast majority of clergy and laity. To call us the names you use is implying that even the Abp of Canterbury is a thief , a brigand, a penny heretic, and a piddle peddler. And that God is not on his side, nor that of our friends in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, etc. If you really think that, I'm sorry for you.

 

You can keep counting the vast churches of Wales or Northern Ireland to your heart's content

Even in England there are more Englishmen not faithful CofE members than those who are faithful. You've only retained liberals and progressives and therefore your counting is meaningless. You aren't counting those like @highchurchman, Englishmen, who've already left the mainstream CoE. So whatever it is you use to keep your self-esteem artificially high, I'd say its working.

And as for the US, it's membership is 2 million out of the country's 300 million, that is already > 1%. They are statistically losing a diocese of members every single year, lol. We are here trying to rebuild the trainwreck of apostolic Christianity left in the wake of your Episcopal friends who won't even exist as a church anymore in a few years.

Post-Episcopal dioceses like Fort-Worth and ours will be all that's left. CANA and ACNA will be all that's left. Gafcon and worldwide Anglicanism will eventually cut ties with you, and your church will be left to die a slow irrelevant death, like the church of France or Sweden, no life of the Holy Ghost or supernatural life within it. Atheists eventually die, they have no everlasting life, whether they play dress up in clerical garb or not.

 

Dear me! What a deeply unpleasant post. The laughs are particularly nasty.

 

Just get it over with and consecrate a woman as bishop, they've been dancing around the issue for twenty years.

 

Well, you know I'm sure that the delay has not been that the CofE has been unable to make up its mind. It has been the search for a way to preserve unity with those who are unable to accept women's ministry. It may now have been found. The proposals will still need a two-thirds majority in all three houses of General Synod (because the Church of England doesn't wish to retain only liberals and progressives as one poster seems to think) and then the approval of Parliament, because the Church does care for rules and honesty.

 

In the ACNA there are no women bishops and the issue of women's ordination is under review. For the moment it is up to each diocese whether or not they will have women priests or deacons. I hope to see this division resolved soon, but who knows?

 

Technically, your heading is wrong. There is no such thing as the "UK Episcopate" (nor, indeed the British Episcopate. Or British Law).

 

Thank you for this helpful reply. Yes, the CofE is broad church and wished to continue to include people of differing views, rather than exclude them.

 

So if they reject women's ordination, what happens to the women priests? Defrocked and dismissed? I don't know what employment legislation is like in the USA, but in England that would give rise to some very interesting court cases.

 

There is no church of Northern Ireland. There is the Church of Ireland, which covers the whole of Ireland, north and south. And its numbers are increasing (at least they are in the Republic)..

There is no church of Wales. It is the Church in Wales.

 

My understand is if the College of Bishops decides to put an end to women's ordination, those who are already ordained would remain until they retire but no more would be ordained. At least that is what I have heard. They may decide to just leave things as the are now.

 

Yup that is the plan. I am rather involved with ACNA these days and the "word on the street" is to make the (present) Moratorium on women-ordinations be permanent, transition women into non-priestly roles, and have them retire. Several women-priests became so angry at the Liberal-Anglican offences to Christianity, that they threw off their collars on their own, not wanting to be counted among that crowd!

 

Indeed it is. And, do you know, I don't think "UK" was in the heading as I wrote it. I could be wrong, of course, my brain being increasingly apt to produce nonsense, but I suspect "UK" may have been added. Anyway, no matter. You are quite right, of course.

 

And now I come to think of it, the heading has certainly been edited, because I didn't put "May 2014" in it, either.