Consecration of Women To The English Episcopacy.

The Church of England will decide in the not too distant futrue on whether its

ordained women clergy can next be consecrated as bishops of the church. It is

a rather contentious and divisive issue between the many faithful conservative

or traditional and liberal or radical Anglicans. Next to the never-ending

debate and issue of homosexuality among the clergy (as best illustrated by

the American consecration of the openly gay clergyman Gene Robinson

to the New Hampshire bishopic), the role of women in the protestant
church has created yet another time-bomb for church leaders to resolve as

best they can. No matter what decisions are finally made by them, someone,

somewhere, somehow, will disapprove or reject of whatever the final outcome

is regarding women and gays in the church.

Across the pond in America, the 2.5 million member Episcopal Church, USA,

has not only consecrated women to the American Episcopacy since African-

American Barbara Harris was first elected to be a bishop in early 1989, it now

has its first woman -- Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori -- as the presiding bishop

of the what is considered by many to be the richest endowed church in the US,

too. Next they'll want a female or an openly gay Archbishop of Canterbury to

head the worldwide 75 million member Anglican Communion!! And such,

will undoubtedly occur, sooner or later, if the present liberal trends

in the church continue unabated.

In hostile reaction to the liberal feminization, affirming homosexuality and
same sex marriages or blessings that are so permitted by some radical bishops
and gay dioceses in the Anglican Communion, many conservative or traditional
Anglicans and their parishes have flocked to join ultraconservative dioceses in
Africa and Asia. So once women are consecrated to the English Episcpacy,
the traditionalists will bolt from the Church of England even in greater numbers
than seen before. Also, the present silent issue of the Africanization of the laity
in the Church of England will eventually come to head in the future. Many of
the Anglican parishes in London and Birmingham now have majority black
parishioners that out number the white ones by 4 to 1 in some instances.

Ruth Gledhill, writing in The Times, stated that "(English Church) opponents

of women bishops could be given the 'conscientious objector' status within

the church. Such would allow the "time-honoured way of reconciling those

who are unable to go along with a change which is taking place (in the

church)." I am not sure if such a proposal borders on covert recognition

by the campaigners for consecrating women to the Anglican espiscopate

as being confronted with a war footing by their opponents. Certainly,

some traditional Anglicans and their conservative parishes are at war with

the church and bishops, especially in the US and Canada over the issues

of ordination of women and gay clergy. I have little doubt that the liberal/

conservative divide will continue to deepen the rift among faithful Angli-

cans no matter if somekind of 'conscientious objector' status is approved

by the General Synod.

In America, the rise of the so-called "Continuing Church" has been

around since the early 1970's based on such disputes as the modern

revision of the ECUSA 1928 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the

ordination of women, the intergration of black Episcopal worshipers,

the consecration of female bishops, and opposition to gay clergy.

The problem with the "Continuing Church" is that it has no episcopal

standing or church legitimacy since many of its so-called archbishops,

bishops, vicar generals, monsignors and deacons are self-appointed

and oftentimes little more than crackpots and in extreme cases even

convicted criminals waltzing around in clergy attire that they have no

moral right to claim or to wear. Few, if any, are accepted or

tolerated or recognised by either Canterbury or Rome.

Thus, I call them "bogus pulpiteers."

On the question of who is likely to become the first English fe-

male bishop, Ruth Gledhill also wrote the following:: "Among the

women high-flyers in the Church of England who could be in the

frame for a mitre are Canon Christine Hardman, Archdeacon of

Lewisham; the Very Rev'd Vivienna Faull, Dean of Leicester and

acknowleged as the Church's most senior woman, and the Very

Rev'd June Osborne, Dean of Salisbury." No matter what, it is

unlikely that any one of those mentioned would be considered for

consecration as bishop until 2010 at the earliest. In the meantime,

the next Lambeth Conference is set for 2oo8 and will be held

at the Canterbury campus of the University of Kent. No doubt

His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Douglas

Williams, will have his plate full just trying to keep the Anglican

Communion from splitting, not just in half, but into various

fractions that will do irrepairible damage to the true body

of Anglicanism.

Anonymous states...
The sooner the C of E purports to consecrate a woman to the episcopate the better. It will clear the air and show the impossibility of having different religions in the same state framework and calling it a church.
11/22/2007 07:53:00 AM
4My caption photo, seen above, is that of Rev'd Liz Russell of London's famed St. Martin-in-the-Fields. She again officiated at this year's Commemoration Service of the Homeless Dead, like she did so ably last year at where I then photographed her.