Deception in the church

Ali Bari and his Band

In a previous blog entry I referred to the recent suggestion made by a woman vicar in the Church in Wales that those opposed to the ordination of women should no longer be accepted for ordination. More information has come to light including a copy of the Credo Cymru (Forward in Faith) 2011 Autumn Newsletter from which I quote:

“We were also made aware that Prospective GB candidates were now being asked to state their position on some major topics that might be coming up for debate. Within the last GB debate some participants were arguing that the church should no longer be ordaining men who cannot fully embrace the priestly ministry of women. It may be worth noting that this part of the debate did not get reported in Highlights and the viewpoint was strongly challenged by some of the speakers.” [My emphasis - Ed]

Selective reporting suggests further evidence of duplicity by the Church in Wales ruling elite, a view strengthened by other reports of an insidious campaign to marginalise those who refuse to abandon the traditional faith by favouring those who have fallen under the spell of the liberal establishment. 

In an earlier development, Fr Michael Gollop in his LNYD blog had expanded the theme tracing it back to a 2009 blog entry which referred to a report of the Standing Committee Working Group on Representation of Women in the Church in Wales. Among the Report’s gender politics was this quote: 'The authors also (section 6.5 on page 18) make the following observation: “The Working Group found it difficult to understand why the ordination of those opposed to the ordination of women continues in a Church committed to the ordination of women.”' Fr Gollop went on to expose the deception used by the Church in Wales in their failure to honour promises made to those who did not accept the ordination of women as explained in his link.

The following day the Rev John P Richardson wrote in his ‘The Ugley Vicar’ Blog exposing similar duplicity in the Church of England. He wrote that he "was responding to the claims by a leading member of the Group for Rescinding the Act of Synod [GRAS - Ed] that ‘no promises have been broken’ regarding the ordination of women."

Fr Gollop would not have been the only witness to promises made by the Church in Wales any more than people in the Church of England could have forgotten the basis on which earlier decisions were made. There may be no written contract but an oral contract with witnesses has equal force so why claim that promises have not been broken? But this is not a matter of contractual obligation, it is simply a matter of trust between Christians which has descended into a game of denial and deceit in order to marginalise anyone whose only wish is to keep their traditional faith in the absence of an acceptable alternative. Now the lies have been nailed in Wales and in England where, as The Ugley Vicar puts it, “the proposed legislation [for the ordination of women bishops] will introduce two classes of Anglican — the central and the legally marginalized.” Following the experience of those in the Church in Wales that will mean marginalization followed by the easing out of loyal members of the Church of England. This must not be allowed happen.

While the liberal majority talks of equality they see no contradiction in denying a significant minority of fellow Christians the opportunity to worship according to conscience, something fundamental to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This feminist inspired form of New Anglicanism makes much capital about women being ‘called by God’ yet they can dismiss God’s call in favour of “gender equality” when it suits them. Perhaps too much inter-faith dialogue has encouraged a culture of Taqiyya in the church but which ever way one looks at it, in Wales Ali Bari and his band are out to rob traditionalists of their heritage. The same deception is being used by GRAS in England. The feminist cause is robbing us of our right to the promised honoured place in the Anglican Church. That is stealing, contrary to God's law.