Forward in Faith notes with interest the publication of the Report of the Revision Committee on Women in the Episcopate.
It is of course disappointing – though not surprising – that, after nearly two years’ work, the Committee has so singularly failed to take proper account of the needs of all those loyal members of the Church of England who are unable in conscience to receive the innovation of women bishops (and this despite the best efforts of those members of the Revision Committee who are committed to proper provision for traditionalists).
The inevitable result of this corporate failure will be that, in July, this draft legislation will need to be submitted to the most critical examination and, we trust, substantial amendment. We are confident that the senior leadership of the Church of England will recognise that the legislation will not be able to proceed in its present form without excluding a substantial body of loyal Anglicans from the Church of England of the future.
alas those voting seem to care very little for Forward in Faith, its theology nor any of its members.
Plainly speaking, the committee is excommunicating loyal Anglicans. How else should we understand the fruit that they bear?
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Pray for Forward in Faith and every other orthodox group (and indeed, individual christians) that their witness against the legislation will be fearless, and that their message will be heard.
The fate of this measure rests mainly in the hands of the House of Laity in General Synod. That is a large and very diverse group, and many of them are new, i.e. they were not part of the House during previous votes. The liberals will employ soothing words and outright lies in order to convince these members of Synod that this is not an important measure and they should simply pass it without thinking.
It will take great effort by the orthodox to get the message out to Synod members that they cannot sit on the fence on this one. Fortunately, the battle ultimately is not ours to fight.
Pray also for unity among the orthodox in opposing this measure. It often seems (to an outsider) that orthodox anglo-catholics, orthodox traditionalists and orthodox evangelicals in CofE want to run their own separate campaigns against liberalism. It won’t work.