25.6.10

debacle i tell you

okay okay, i probably should say a little bit more about the whole women bishops/archbishops debacle. alright, i suppose it's not a 'debacle' per se. no-one really thinks 'wow, what a debacle', but it's a good word, so i'll say it again - debacle - there.

anyway, so you may have figured out that i'm not so much impressed with the ABC/ABY idea of 'co-ordinated episcope' or whatever MADE-UP terminology they've come up with for this particular brainchild. my reasoning is as follows:

1. nobody is fooled by the idea that the 'measure' is not meant to remove authority/jurisdiction from the diocesan, it clearly does.

2. the current situation for ordained women in the church does not bear out that this kind of discrimination works for anyone 'practically' or 'theologically' (like there can be a division!) - this is a confirmation that *all* women's ordination, according to the church of england, is not fully recognised.

3. most importantly, God chooses to do God's mission through us who are made in God's image. the God of relationship chose to put us in relationship with each other as a reflection of the One True Relationship and by which, through the mediating power of the Spirit, the mission of God is done and the kingdom of God is built. if at the heart of that kingdom building, there is a relationship which is broken, corrupted and disconnected, then the systems that are built on that relationship are fundamentally dysfunctional.

it's about the mission of God! wake up and smell the chasuble people! (probably i won't use that phrase again...........)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've got to be careful with the 'discrimation' argument in (2) - after all, refusing to allow 'traditionalist' bishops statutory (undelegated) authority surely 'discrimates' against those loyal Anglicans who can't in conscience accept a woman bishop.

Jody Stowell said...

i don't see how the two are correlate 'anonymous'?

to create a single measure with a voluntary code of conduct would, in grace, provide for those who wouldn't accept the ministry of a woman.

on the other hand, NOT establishing a law, does not automatically establish the opposite law.