We are delighted that General Synod after many hours of debate, voted to proceed to the consecration of women as bishops with arrangements for those who will not accept their ministry simply in a Code of Practice. This was the stance proposed by the House of Bishops and supported by WATCH, and in the final voting there were clear majorities in each House in favour of taking this step. The voting figures were:
Bishops: 28 for, 12 against, 1 abs
Clergy: 124 for, 44 against, 4 abs
Laity: 111 for, 68 against, 2 abs
The Legislative Drafting Group will now prepare the relevant legislation, along with a Code of Practice, to be brought to the next meeting of General Synod in February next year.
Happy now, ladies? Good! Enjoy it while you can! And say goodbye to the Anglican Communion while you’re about it.
Not going with the joint press release from WATCH/Affirming Catholicism/Inclusive Church, then?
http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/07/08/watch-women-and-the-church-the-shape-of-things-to-come/
TACit,
Thank you for that very scary clip you linked. I have posted it over on my blog. Never until now have I seen such a group of narcissists so consumed with themselves that they were willing to shatter their own church if necessary to advance their own agendas.
Yours in ICXC
[url=http://ad-orientem.blogspot.com/]John[/url]
Ah, yes, #2, thanks for the link. “Sexist” language for God is the next thing to go. Of course the fact that this is the language God has chosen to use for Himself means nothing, since these women are busy remaking God in their own images.
This must pass Synod in February by 2/3 margins in all three orders. This vote is 70% bishops, 74% clergy, but only 62% laity. There is still a faint hope.
The link at the lower left of article in #2 URL (Joint Press Release) is also informative.
1970 – 1 in 30 of the country were in the Church of England on a Sunday
1986 – 1 in 40 of the country were in the CoE on a Sunday
2006 – 1 in 60 of the country were in the CoE on a Sunday
2031 – 1 in 120 of the country will be in the CoE on a Sunday (if current trends don’t sharply accelerate)
The CoE is in crisis, so let us drive away one of the bulwarks of the church, the Anglo-Catholics. And the Evangelicals will be next. And the liberals can really draw them in, don’t ya’ know. Singing those gender neutral hymns:
[blockquote]”O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King-Queen,
The triumphs of His-Her grace!”[/blockquote]
The cathedrals will be packed, I am sure.
It is so sad to see Affirming Catholicism, which from its foundation has been famously and purposefully liberal catholic, deliberately play their party in marginalizing folks who both they and everyone else in the church calls Anglo Catholics.
So very, very sad.
Why are their so few bishops at Synod? There MUST be more bishops than this? Is there a strict eligibility requirement?