Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Navel gazing v. the real plight of women


Boko Haram 'has abducted, raped and enslaved 2,000 women in reign of terror'


One year ago today over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram. Dreadful as that event was, there has been much less publicity on the plight of around 800,000 children who have been forced to flee their homes. According to reports from UNICEF "more than 1.5 million people have fled their homes due to the violence." Muslim women often bear the brunt of this inhumanity along with non-Muslims.

Meanwhile at the Church in Wales' meeting of the Barry Morgan Appreciation Society Governing Body this week a large chunk of the Agenda will be taken up by the representation (plight!) of women in the Church in Wales resulting in the Motion - 

"That the Governing Body:
receive and welcome the Report of the Working Group on Representation of Women in the Church in Wales dated April 2015 and endorse the recommendations therein;
accept that the Church in Wales has not achieved in the last seven years the expected cultural change, the appointment of more women into senior posts and the greater involvement of women in Church decision making;
recognise that the equality agenda is the responsibility of the whole Church;
commend the Report to the Province, dioceses, deaneries and parishes for study and appropriate action;
request the Standing Committee to allocate the recommendations in the Report to the appropriate bodies for action;
request the Standing Committee to report back on progress in implementing the recommendations within 3 years."

The navel gazing is so intense that the Church in Wales is blind to the fact that Provinces which have adopted the feminist agenda are going downhill fast. Highlighted in the Report is this gem: "the Church was best placed to fulfil its mission when all of its members are enabled to fully acknowledge their gifts and duties and to exercise their unique talents and vocations as individuals", ie, jobs for the girls. It certainly does not apply to members who are out of favour because they seek to fulfil the mission of the universal Church rather than a self-indulgent separatist minority which claims membership of the Holy Catholic Church as they tear her apart. If they genuinely wished to "recognise that the equality agenda is the responsibility of the whole Church" [my emphasis], they would take the universal view.

Agendum 12 introduces "Evangelism - Witnessing to Good News in Wales and 2020":
"The essential vision behind the Church in Wales review of 2012 was that Church can be the bearer of good news to the world". Do they realise that there is a world beyond Offa's Dyke?

3 comments:

  1. Please read the 'Affirmation of Faith' proposed by The Liturgical Panel of the Commission of Covenanter Churches at www.cytun.org.uk/the gathering/Holycomnunion.
    Here you will note that there is no mention of the One Holy Catholic Church.
    So before long ++ Barry will formally declare that the Church in Wales is an independent Protestant Church,and the insularity will be affirmed.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Simple soul. The link didn't work when I tried it so here is another which readers may like to try http://www.cydgynulliad.org.uk/ then click on "The Order for the Holy Communion" in the left hand column. Alternatively, read it here:
      An Affirmation of Faith
      Let us proclaim our faith:
      We believe and trust in God the Father,
      who created all that is.
      We believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ,
      who redeemed the world.
      We believe and trust in his Holy Spirit,
      who gives life to the people of God.
      We believe and trust in one God,
      Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
      Amen.

      Delete
  2. Apologies Ancient Briton :< www.cytun.org.uk/the gathering/documents/Gathering2-HolyCommunion>
    This hopefully will work ,and others may wish to see the planned form of service.

    ReplyDelete