Thinking Anglicans

More press coverage and comment

Major Update on Wednesday evening
Updated Thursday morning

Guardian Patrick Wintour Female bishops controversy: government says it will not step in
Andrew Brown Why the church’s house of laity is vulnerable to capture by interest groups
Alan Wilson What next for the Church of England?

Telegraph PMQs: David Cameron said the Church needs a ‘sharp prod’ over women bishops

Independent Jerome Taylor Church of England in crisis: Archbishop of Canterbury attacks members for voting against women bishops

Channel 4 News Archbishop: Church less credible after women bishop vote

Huffington Post Female Bishops Deal Will Happen, Says Justin Welby, Archbishop Of Canterbury

Mail Online Steve Doughty and Matt Chorley ‘Very grim day’: Next Archbishop of Canterbury tweets his verdict after Church of England Synod rejected women bishops

BBC Women bishops: PM ‘very sad’ at Church of England rejection

Update

Church Times Women-bishops legislation falls

Guardian Lizzy Davies Female bishops and the Church of England: what happens next?
Lizzy Davies Church of England bishops plot response to vote to exclude women
Patrick Wintour and Lizzy Davies and agencies David Cameron: Church of England should ‘get on with it’ on female bishops
Patrick Wintour and Lizzy Davies Cameron warns priests of turbulence after church votes no to female bishops
Lizzy Davies Female bishops supporter: ‘Although I’m gutted, it’s not the end of the road’
Giles Fraser After the bishops vote, I’m ashamed to be a part of the Church of England
Simon Hoggart Prime minister issues prod for God after vote against women bishops
Suzanne Moore The Church of England can no longer continue as an arm of the state

BBC Women bishops: A century-long struggle for recognition

Mail Online George Pitcher It’s not really about women bishops, it’s a fight for the Church of England’s soul
Steve Doughty The troubles that brought the Synod vote have been building up for decades

Telegraph Allison Pearson Swaziland has a woman bishop – why not Suffolk?
Rowena Mason and Tim Ross David Cameron: Church needs to ‘get with the programme’ after rejecting women bishops
Martyn Percy Women bishops: a failure of leadership
Tim Stanley In its search for ‘relevance’, the Anglican Church is losing relevance

Independent Susie Leafe Why I voted no to women bishops
Jerome Taylor Strong-arm tactics vs misplaced niceties: how the legislation was sunk

Huffington Post Susan Russell A Seriously Sad Day for the Church of England

Ekklesia Symon Hill “Too good for a girlie”? Sexism and women bishops
Fran Porter The Church of England and women: a rare moment of clarity?

Changing Attitude Colin Coward Reform and Forward in Faith achieve unexpected success

Miranda Threlfall-Holmes My reaction? Incredulity, hurt – and anger

Archbishop of Canterbury Archbishop tells women “this is still your Church”

Thursday update

Rachel Weir Time to reform General Synod

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Randal Oulton
Randal Oulton
11 years ago

Susan Leafe says she voted no because she believes in equality and in an inclusive church.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/why-i-voted-no-to-women-bishops-8340833.html

Rosemary Hannah
Rosemary Hannah
11 years ago

While Welby is ‘listening to all the other bishops’ perhaps he would like to remember that not one of them is a woman. Just maybe he ought to listen to a few women as well.

David Shepherd
11 years ago

Whatever side of this issue that you take, the wider issue is the political perception of the church as a credible partner with the State in shaping national policy.

There will be significant debates next year regarding the future of marriage. I would suspect that any attempts of the church to influence those debates or uphold the importance of religious exemptions will be viewed as an unwarranted intrusion upon civil matters.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it’s time to: ‘Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give back to God the things that are God’s.’

Pam Smith
11 years ago

But what does Susie Leafe’s husband think?

Joe
Joe
11 years ago

Conversation with teenage daughter last night Daughter: So does the Church not believe women are equal? Dad: Some people in the Church do, others think they’re not equal, that women have to submit to men, that women can’t have authority over men, others think that they’re equal but different – complementary. Daughter: Complementary? Dad: Yes, some people believe there are some things that men just can’t do (like having babies) and some things that women just can’t do (like be priests or bishops)…. Daughter: And having authority is one of those, the way bishops have authority? Dad: Well, yes. Daughter:… Read more »

Rod Gillis
Rod Gillis
11 years ago

From the article by Susie Leafe “the Church of England wanted women bishops but within the framework of an inclusive church … voting no was a vote for unity in the church and we are now in a strong position to work towards better legislation that will enable women to become bishops and all traditions in the Church to flourish.” Ms. Leafe articulates perfectly the misguided premise that grounds the debate about gender equality in the churches. Like many who hold her position she confuses inclusion with the nurturing of two parallel universes, one in which men and women are… Read more »

John
John
11 years ago

Interesting comment, David. I agree with your tentative implication (not for me, of course, ‘tentative’). The boundaries between church and state are disputable, especially with the C of E as ‘established’, but church leaders constantly behave and argue as if they don’t exist at all, which is a serious error, alike intellectual, political, religious and (I would say) moral.

Pam Smith
11 years ago

Perhaps one positive thing the Bishops could do is to address the idea that complementarianism is somehow ‘Biblical’.

They might also like to have a go at the argument that Jesus is subordinate to the Father within the Trinity while they’re at it.

David Shepherd
11 years ago

John;
Seen the headlines on gay marriage fast-track and Sir Tony Baldry’s comments. Like I said, ‘I would suspect that any attempts of the church to influence those debates or uphold the importance of religious exemptions will be viewed as an unwarranted intrusion upon civil matters.’

The State is seeking a divorce from the Church, citing unreasonable behaviour. It has no truck with those it now sees as political pygmies.

Savi Hensman
Savi Hensman
11 years ago

Can anyone remember who it was who argued, during the debate, that Jesus is subordinate to the Father, hence women’s subordination is acceptable? Surely equality between the Son and the Father is affirmed in the Athanasian Creed?

Simon Sarmiento
11 years ago

Angus MacLeay

Bill Dilworth
Bill Dilworth
11 years ago

“And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other: none is greater, or less than another;
But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together: and co-equal.”

Erasmus
Erasmus
11 years ago

I think the whole point of the argument is that Jesus is both functionally subordinate to the Father and equal with Him – you may not agree with the position, but there’s nothing gained by misrepresenting it.

Feria
Feria
11 years ago

Dear Savi,

I recently read Tom Wright’s _How God Became King_. Excellent for the most part, but I couldn’t help noticing the juxtaposition of the fact that, in a couple of places, Prof. Wright asserts the subordination of the Son to the Father, with the fact that he talks a lot about there being _two_ great creeds – the Apostles’ and the Nicene, leaving out the Athanasian.

Erika Baker
Erika Baker
11 years ago

Feria, and yet, the same Tom Wright writes a few posts further up in the TA thread: “All Christian ministry begins with the announcement that Jesus has been raised from the dead. And Jesus entrusted that task, first of all, not to Peter, James, or John, but to Mary Magdalene. Part of the point of the new creation launched at Easter was the transformation of roles and vocations: from Jews-only to worldwide, from monoglot to multilingual (think of Pentecost), and from male-only leadership to male and female together. Within a few decades, Paul was sending greetings to friends including an… Read more »

David Shepherd
11 years ago

I found the former Cardinal Ratzinger’s (Pope Benedict) ‘Concerning the notion of person in theology’ to be one of most cogent explanations of the Trinity in modern times. He starts with Tertullian’s Adversus Praxean’, the idea of God revealed as ever dialogical in being (‘Let us make man’, ‘the Lord said unto my Lord’) and that ‘person’ must be understood as relation. In Deo nihil secundum accidens dicitur, sed secundum substantiam aut secundum relationem’ said Augustine: ‘In God, there is nothing accidental, but only substance and relation’. The former cardinal wrote, ‘Relation, being related, is not something superadded to the… Read more »

serena
serena
11 years ago

Joe, your daughter is spot on. What a shame that women of her calibre are being turned off from church by outdated sexism disguised as theology. It is the Church’s loss in the end.

Perry Butler
Perry Butler
11 years ago

Angus MacLeay’s view of the Trinity stems I suspect from the view held by the authorities in the diocese of Sydney. For this see the book on Sydney Anglicans by Muriel Porter…and for a more sophisticated theological discussion “Reflections in Glass” by the former Primate Abp Peter Carnley.
Sarah Coakley is surely right to feel that the Bishops have been remiss in not pushing the case with critical theological rigour.

Feria
Feria
11 years ago

Dear Erika,

For the avoidance of doubt, I agree with you, both on the importance of women in leadership roles in the early Church and on the structure of the Trinity.

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