CoE Traditionalist Bishops Hold Fast

[GKC]

Ah, indeed!

Anglicans. Go figure.

GKC

 

[GKC]

I was at the service yesterday. I could not help but think that the whole thing was hopelessly compromised.

We who are Reformed have much less of a focus, it seems, on the “magic words” and actions than Bishop North and many of his Anglo-Catholic colleagues, and instead emphasize male headship and sexual complementarity.

When we have, as we had yesterday, a female deacon reading the Gospel lesson, and the female Dean of the Cathedral reading the Epistle lesson, and a few other liturgical functions being performed by women in offices to which we do not believe they belong, what are we doing? When we have a woman deacon ministering at the Lord’s Table alongside the celebrating Bishop, what are we doing? When we have Libby Lane, a woman bishop, knelt in prayer, wearing episcopal convocation robes identical to those of the male bishops surrounding her, whilst Bishop North is consecrated, what are we doing?

If we truly believe in the principles that lie behind our opposition to the ordination of women, then we should not be making these kinds of concessions. If we truly believe the ordination of women to be wrong, then not only should we not be ordaining women, we should also not be giving the impression that the alternative view is of equal legitimacy, nor should we be allowing women to exercise (even minor) liturgical responsibilities whilst wearing the badges of office to which we do not believe they are entitled.

Indeed.

GKC

 

[Picky_Picky]

I was at the service yesterday. I could not help but think that the whole thing was hopelessly compromised.

We who are Reformed have much less of a focus, it seems, on the “magic words” and actions than Bishop North and many of his Anglo-Catholic colleagues, and instead emphasize male headship and sexual complementarity.

When we have, as we had yesterday, a female deacon reading the Gospel lesson, and the female Dean of the Cathedral reading the Epistle lesson, and a few other liturgical functions being performed by women in offices to which we do not believe they belong, what are we doing? When we have a woman deacon ministering at the Lord’s Table alongside the celebrating Bishop, what are we doing? When we have Libby Lane, a woman bishop, knelt in prayer, wearing episcopal convocation robes identical to those of the male bishops surrounding her, whilst Bishop North is consecrated, what are we doing?

If we truly believe in the principles that lie behind our opposition to the ordination of women, then we should not be making these kinds of concessions. If we truly believe the ordination of women to be wrong, then not only should we not be ordaining women, we should also not be giving the impression that the alternative view is of equal legitimacy, nor should we be allowing women to exercise (even minor) liturgical responsibilities whilst wearing the badges of office to which we do not believe they are entitled.

Many thanks for your response, Indifferently. That seems to me a coherent point of view well stated.

 

[GKC]

Many thanks for your response, Indifferently. That seems to me a coherent point of view well stated.

Yep.

GKC

 

[seanman611]

When we have, as we had yesterday, a female deacon reading the Gospel lesson, and the female Dean of the Cathedral reading the Epistle lesson, and a few other liturgical functions being performed by women in offices to which we do not believe they belong, what are we doing? When we have a woman deacon ministering at the Lord’s Table alongside the celebrating Bishop, what are we doing? When we have Libby Lane, a woman bishop, knelt in prayer, wearing episcopal convocation robes identical to those of the male bishops surrounding her, whilst Bishop North is consecrated, what are we doing?

If we truly believe in the principles that lie behind our opposition to the ordination of women, then we should not be making these kinds of concessions. If we truly believe the ordination of women to be wrong, then not only should we not be ordaining women, we should also not be giving the impression that the alternative view is of equal legitimacy, nor should we be allowing women to exercise (even minor) liturgical responsibilities whilst wearing the badges of office to which we do not believe they are entitled.

You touch on the million dollar question: At what point is enough really enough? It’s a question that all traditionalists, who remain in “official” Anglican provinces, must ask ourselves.