LONDON: Church of England on Brink of Letting Women Serve as Bishops
One major hurdle stands in the way to changing centuries of church practice
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
May 29, 2014
The Church of England’s governing body - General Synod - voted in February to send draft legislation allowing female bishops in its 44 dioceses. This past Friday the church voted all in favor with Manchester, the last to do so, deciding Thursday.
The Church of England has grappled for years with whether to admit women to the episcopacy. The legislation will now go back to the Synod in July for a final vote.
The issue of the ordination of women to the episcopacy has long divided the Anglican Communion with significant numbers of Anglican provinces in the Global South not ordaining women to the episcopacy let alone the priesthood. The Province of Nigeria, the largest province in the Anglican Communion with 20 million adherents does not ordain women to the priesthood. The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian denomination in the world with some 77 million adherents.
Anglican provinces in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States already have women serving as bishops. The U.S. has an avowed lesbian in its ranks.
The following attached story highlights the dangers of women being ordained to the ministry. In the 20 years women have been priests in the UK, there is no record of more conversions or any church growth. No U.S. bishop is on record as faithful to Scripture in the area of human sexuality. The former Suffragan Bishop of New York Catherine Roskam was an attendee and regular supporter of Gay Pride Parade days.
Church of England Dioceses Go For Gold!
LONE STAR PARSON
http://lonestarparson.blogspot.com
May 28, 2014
Church of England traditionalists were routed last week, with all of the shrinking denomination's dioceses voting in favor of legislation to make women bishops. The Women Bishops Measure will now go to the member-short Church's General Synod for final approval in July. Maybe, then, 2000 years of patriarchal oppression will be broken and England will experience a new dawn of faith as the people of the Sceptered Isle flock back to church to see women bishops. That's the way it's been in America.
The next generation of women priests in the Church of England several of whom will be bishops.
The Episcopal Church has had Jane Dixon of Washington!
Bishop Tom Shaw with Bishop Barbara Harris of Massachusetts
Lesbian Bishop Mary Glasspool of Los Angeles
The big enchilada – Katharine Jefferts Schori who famously said that personal conversion is a Western heresy.
The Episcopal Church, which bravely pioneered women bishops, is losing an average of 50,000 members a year.
Good luck, CofE.
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