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| Parliamentlive.tvStephen Cottrell is a member of the House of Lords in his current role as Bishop of Chelmsford. Source@ Christian Today |
It is rumoured that the next Bishop of London, the third most senior post in the Church of England after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York is to be the current bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell.
Christian Today reports that if the appointment of Bishop Cottrell goes ahead it could cause major tensions in the diverse diocese with a number of powerful conservative parishes opposed to both women's ordination and gay relationships:
"Cottrell called for thanksgiving services for gay couples earlier this year, warning the church was seen an 'immoral' because of its opposition to gay marriage. Some conservative parishes in his diocese called for him to 'repent' in protest and later declared 'no confidence' in both him and the Archbishop of Canterbury over the issue."
Bishop Cottrell's entry in Wikipedia shows that he is a member of the Society of Catholic Priests (SCP), and a member of Affirming Catholicism. In December 2014, he was selected as president of the movement, taking up the appointment at the start of 2015.
Affirming Catholicism it is not. It is a self affirming organisation "noted for holding that Anglo-Catholic belief and practice is compatible with the ordination of women. It also generally supports ordination into the threefold ministry (bishops, priests, deacons) regardless of gender or sexual orientation".
It had ties with Inclusive Church , "a Christian organisation with the aim of advocating for the full inclusion of all people in the Christian churches (especially the Church of England), including in the threefold order of bishops, priests and deacons, regardless of ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. More broadly, it seeks 'to raise awareness about the ways that people feel excluded by the church'.
"In 2013, Inclusive Church started hosting an annual lecture related to the organisation's goals. The inaugural lecture was given by Martyn Percy, then principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and later Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and was entitled 'Beyond Inclusion: Whose Church is it anyway?'"
Percy is married to the Chair of Women and the Church (WATCH), another self-fulfilling organisation which ranks feminism above faith. In an article headlined Our Mother who art in heaven: Group of Church women want to refer to God as a 'She' to combat sexism in 2015, the Mail Online reported: "One of the supporters of the idea, the Rev Emma Percy, chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford, said the dominance of male language makes women feel that they are less holy. The chaplain, who is also a member of Watch (Women and the Church), the pressure group that helped win the argument for female bishops in the Church of England, said using the word ‘She’ for God would be more inclusive."
Faith matters little today as the Anglican Church in Great Britain treads the same path to ruin followed by the US Episcopal church. Ideology matters. Feminism, gender issues dressed up as equality with demands for 'equal' marriage. The "mass hysteria" transgenderism banner is the latest to be waved in the name of equality.
Faith built on compromise is not faith it is an ideology as many ex-members of the Church in Wales can testify.
Postscript [18.12.2017]
Wrong again!
After the feting of Mo debacle at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards when the favourite to win came fourth, the Bookies again backed the wrong horse when they declared the bishop of Chelmsford 2/1 favourite to be appointed the next bishop of London.
Instead Downing Street has announced an ex-NHS Chief Nursing Officer, Dame Sarah Mullally, the bishop of Crediton, has been appointed the 133rd bishop of London in a move that "will delight campaigners for gender equality but dismay conservatives in the church" according to a Guardian report.
Another ideological triumph for the feminist movement and trendy progressives in the Church of England in their race to the bottom.
Bogus bishops you say?
ReplyDeleteHow about Bishop May:
She was faced with the facts
Regarding the acts
Of her very own Dean
Who vented his spleen
Against his own flock,
Allegations to block.
It got into the press
Made an almighty mess!
The Dean he cried foul
And loudly did howl,
And begged Bishop May
To step into the fray;
So she took his side
Leadership to provide
By pointing the finger
At those she considered
Had planted the story
For spite and vainglory…
But she was mistaken
And wholly forsaken
Of ethics and tact;
Launching such an attack
The week before Christmas –
Appallingly crass!
Befitting old Scrooge
Or a blundering stooge
Of Satan himself -
Not the jolly old elf!
And so Christmas cheer
Will be lacking this year
Around the Cathedral
Where all godly people
Will pray for the day
That the Dean goes away.
Actions inopportune
Proved May quite jejune,
Her judgment confused
By her zeal to accuse.
In light of June's reported disgraceful behaviour towards elderly members of her new flock, the remarks referring to her as a thoughtful and caring priest ring totally hollow:-
Deletehttp://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/cgi-bin/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=7546
This is such good news. It is a crying shame that the Church of England has not recognised her talents more. This is a class act indeed: a big personality who can fill a big space,a confident and competent administrator who would be distinguished in any walk of life, an energetic and visionary leader, but most of all a thoughtful and caring priest. She is a real grown up, and you don't meet many of those!
Posted by John Pitt-brooke at Thursday, 27 April 2017 at 5:10pm BST
Might Mr Pitt-brooke wish to reconsider?
Gavin Ashenden on Anglicans Unscripted says he thinks that Rose Hudson Wilkins was on the short list for London (see previous posts on this blog). And then people ask me why I left the Church of England! And don't get me going about the Bishop Bell case......
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in his diocese of Chelmsford I never heard a dud sermon from Bishop Stephen. He's the best that London can hope for.
ReplyDeleteIt's a woman!
ReplyDeleteaye aye
DeleteBe grateful for small mercies, at least it's not a 'Trans'.
DeleteSo the gloves are off and the Sarum wench has decided to employ bully boy --Bazza's MO of throwing around a load of accusations and putting about a bit of episcopal stick?
ReplyDeleteRather than behave as Christ she has taken upon herself the role of Caiaphas.
One hopes there was a dictaphone present or t least some witness.
Despite the claims of her taking no prisoners and being a new broom, it hasn't taken very long for the Llandaff swamp to entice her in and overwhelm her with it's poison.
Indeed. It was all over llandaff yesterday. she apparently accused two elderly regulars of leaking the story about the dodgy organ accounts, and the lies in the glove puppet’s leaked nasty letter about the same, to Martin Shipton. Did it in a manner unbecoming of a decent human being let alone a bishop. Her chaplain was also involved as some sort of chaperone, perhaps on the basis June can’t trust herself to have a civilized conversation, but why a stop wasn’t put to the shouting tirade only the chaplain can answer. Around llandaff the most common reaction is (a) disgust that June was so foul mouthed to two elderly members of her own flock and (b) why on earth she has fallen for the constant steam of lies emanating from the glove puppet’s mouth
ReplyDeleteIf she spent more time choosing auditors to investigate the organ appeal and less time playing “hunt the mole” and protecting her discredited subordinate (by screaming hysterically at elderly parishioners), perhaps she would get a bit further along. As it is, she has completely turned a congregation who were broadly quite supportive of her to one which is horrified at her unpriestly behaviour
If only half of what I heard being said around The Green on Sunday is true then June is every bit as vile as Barry was.
DeleteLlandaff is forsaken and the parishioners despair.
@Episkopos
DeleteThe ears in the walls confirm there were actually 2witnesses to +Caiaphas Osborne's ill-advised and intemperate outbursts, one of which was her own newly appointment Chaplain the Rev Dr Sarah Rogers who was present as note-taker and minutes-scribe.
I sense the dead hand of Darth --Insidious stirring this cauldron of witches brewery.
What was exactly said? How are we defining 'foul mouthed'?
DeleteIf +Caiaphas Osborne is following the Bazza and Gerwhine MO she'll be dishing out the poison pen letters next!
DeleteIn orthodox theology June is neither a priest or a bishop Snowman - What else do you expect?
DeleteIf the presence of Caiaphas Osborne's Chaplain was indeed due to adoption of the dark --Lord's Modus Operandi, any requests for copies of minutes/notes made by Rogers will be denied with the response "they are confidential and only for the personal use of the Bishop."
DeleteBishops and cardinals have been experts in cover-ups for years.
DeleteThey hate the disinfection provided by a 'Spotlight' on their activities.
Here's another example.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42421423
Cardinal Bernard Law: Disgraced US cardinal dies in Rome
Well - we got that one wrong - didn't we?
ReplyDelete"There ain't nothing like a Dame!"
I would comment; but it needs more space, I fancy; so might I please commend my blog on the new appointment http://mgredwins.blogspot.co.uk/ ? Thanks. And have a good Christmass.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Jeffrey John get the London job then?
ReplyDeleteWas he passed by and overlooked once more?
What are the odds at BetFred or William Hill that he's filling out another Freedon of Information application this very night?
Pondering Pastor: o the joy of Christmas's present in the Anglican Church, I sense a spirit of bar humbug on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteAs for appointing a women to London, that was probably a foregone hierarchy decision sometime ago.
As for the "Green Saga" it is sounding very dodgy indeed, a bishop doesn't rant like a fish wife, I just hope it's not a taste of the future. Even the worst of elderly parishioners (and I've met a few) need to be gently handled after all shepherds don't clobber sheep with there crook. If this is to be believed then it's beyond and unbecoming in a pastor. I'm sure the elderly are fleeing the green for other parishes. I just hope the story is not as serious as I fear it is.