He has spoken. Not the Lord but the one who thinks he knows better than Him as he guides the Church in Wales away from the faith of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church into his idea of equality for all in the priesthood. His positive discrimination policy is fast turning his church into a haven for older career women as young people, particularly men, become ever more disillusioned with a church in which faith has given way to politics.
The 'democratic' procedures on the question of 'Women Bishops' are clearly designed to produce the desired result, supposedly in the name of the Holy Spirit, the central issue having been already determined: "While the bishops wish to see some sort of provision for those with conscientious objections, they do not feel able to support any scheme for the re-introduction of alternative episcopal oversight, such as the appointment of a Provincial Assistant Bishop. So 'some sort of provision' is no more than a set of loaded questions designed to give Barry and his bench sitters the options the Archbishop demands. If the Bench were genuinely concerned they would offer the Governing Body the opportunity to vote on the appointment of a bishop to provide acceptable sacramental and pastoral care for those who believe the ordination of women to be in error.
In his Presidential address opening the current meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales at Llandudno Dr Morgan again shows his passion for fair treatment and pastoral care of minorities; this time lesbian and gay people and the fraught question of same sex marriage. He said he was concerned about the welfare of gay people whom he feared could feel uncomfortable and unwelcome in churches over the coming months. So why the hardness of heart towards traditionalists, apparently the only minority group now thought unworthy of acceptable pastoral care. Does it not matter that they feel uncomfortable and unwelcome in a church that says one thing but does another?
Well said.
ReplyDeleteThe Church in our part of Wales was once a vibrant place full of families. Now they are dying with one vicar "doing" 5 or 6 parishes while most young Christians attend the growing large Evangelical Churches (Not Church of Wales) in the towns.
My family will also now leave our village church as well and drive the 20 miles each week to Towy Church in Carmarthen.
This will leave our local Church with no families and no children. But as a father, concerned for the good of his children, what else can I do.
The alternative is to support and worship in a Church tha I no longer believe in
A very interesting Presidential Address by the Archbishop of Wales. No mention of Easter, no mention of the Resurrection, no mention of the problems facing Wales such as a failing NHS, a failing education system, high unemployment, the plight of small businesses. Out of a total of 16 paragraphs there were 16 paragraphs completely devoted to gay issues. I think Barry is over-egging the pudding here. Most Anglicans have long been accommodating to gay and lesbian folk. For years it’s been now that Father ???, the Rev J***y, Canon ???, Archdeacon ???, Bishop ???, Wilf and Huw, and Mandy and Sandy are in same sex relationships. Not just in recent years, but for decades they have been integrated into the day to day life of parishes. This Presidential address smacks of yet another publicity grabbing headline from a warn out, underachieving and ineffectual archbishop.
ReplyDeleteMyrddin Llewellyn