 |
| The Church in Wales' Bench of Bishops. (Facebook/ The Church in Wales) Source: Pink News |
The Church in Wales meets tomorrow (1st September) to elect/appoint the 10th bishop of Swansea and Brecon following the retirement of archbishop John Davies pictured above in the gold chasuble and mitre.
The chances of electing a spiritual man of God who bears witness to true biblical teaching appears unlikely given the current trajectory of the bench.
Obsessed with the promotion of same sex relationships it is likely that the bench will seek again to further strengthen their hand in readiness for the forthcoming vote on same-sex blessings at Governing Body.
Now that women have achieved parity on the bench they will have to think of another reason for appointing a fourth woman. Based on experience so far the church in Wales cannot afford to make another mistake.
The bishop of St Davids has managed to offend many in her diocese while occupying much of her time campaigning as if she were still a Labour candidate having previously failed badly to get elected with just 5% of the vote in 2015.
The bishop of Llandaff has resolutely 'done it her way' here, here and here, to mention a few examples. Like the bishop of St Davids she is a strong LGBT+ campaigner who has condemned others as guilty of prejudice and hatred for not agreeing with her liberal views.
The bishop of Monmouth celebrated and preached on Saturday (28th August) at a Pride Cymru Eucharist held at St John's in the centre of Cardiff where the vicar is transgender. The Gospel reading was taken from Mark 12, The Greatest Commandment which presented the bishop with the opportunity to justify her same-sex civil partnership. *
The divorced and re-married bishop of Bangor claims to have found Biblical support for church gay marriages. If past practice is followed he will be the next archbishop of Wales.
The Electoral College and Governing Body need to reject self serving interpretations of the Bible and take a stand against bishops who reject traditional beliefs as a means of pushing their queer theology in the Church in Wales.
Postscripts
[01.09.2021]
* Bound together in love. Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth, reflects on 'Love' in her address at the Pride Cymru Eucharist.
[02.09.2021]
Doers of the Word? - Definitely not.
The sorry state of the Church in Wales and its 'woke' leadership is summed up in under 5 mins on Anglican Unscripted 683 starting around 13.30 mins.
[03.09.2021]
https://twitter.com/ChurchinWales/status/1433755108874072066
The senior bishop, Andy John, explains
https://twitter.com/ChurchinWales/status/1433762233218129932
Based on their previous performance the Church in Wales is spiritually dead.
i expect what's left of the congregations are mostly women; 4/6 on the bench would not be unthinkable to them.
ReplyDeleteCan't easily identify which of the six people in the photo 'identify' as women
This might well be the beginning of the death throes unless a godly, orthodox, true father in God is elected. The stakes could not be higher for CiW.
ReplyDeleteI appeal to any electors reading this, don't be bullied!
Whamab
PP. May be on odd question. How do the candidate for a see get selected for the college? Are they pre-selected? If so do they give consent to be in the selection cohort for the college, or, is it simply that the college attendees, put names forward on the day? The constitution does really go into this process for any member of the laity to fully understand, or have I missed something in the constitution?
ReplyDeleteThe other interesting matter is the Bishop of St David's is on sick leave and so I would think this would make her unable to be present. So who acts in her stead? Does the president get 2 votes per ballot or, is St David's bishop represented by another senior diocesan cleric?
The process is certainly not transparent and I'm sure for some of the wider church membership, it's very secretive, more a conclave, unlike the CofE, Ireland and Scottish process.
As for St David's could the absence be another reason to move See, without being seen to be involved in the college's decision?
My questions are just curiosity, as to be honest, it's confusing !
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/clergy-and-members/constitution/chapter-v-regulations-relating-archbishop-and-diocesan-bishops/
Delete"As for St David's could the absence be another reason to move See, without being seen to be involved in the college's decision?"
DeleteSome of the clergy in S&B think this is the very reason she remains on sick leave, and are fearful of the outcome of the EC. I do hope the electors are wise to these shenanigans. She needs to resign, not move diocese. Besides which, the greater part of S&B (i.e. Brecon and Radnor) often return a Tory MP or AMs - they are a group of people, as she has tweeted, that she has no respect for.
Seymour
If you wish to be considered for the post of a Bishop in Wales PP, secret email recommendations are de rigeur.
DeleteContact Canon Philip Mason for details.
@ Laughing Gas:
DeleteIn my distant days as an Anglican in Wales - long before e-mails, of course - something not fundamentally different from what you describe did seem to me to take place. You'd suddenly find yourself being asked 'Have you heard that X is being talked about as the next bishop of Y?'
By the time I'd been asked that identical question four or five times, and on each occasion by a different person, I started to nurture a morose suspicion that an ambitious aspirant had called in family and friends to 'put the word about' in the hope that that the appointment might gently and gradually assume the nature of a foregone conclusion.
Thanks for the link AB. I listened to the sermon. There was no attempt to exegete the Biblical text. It was mostly about herself. "Love is love" - well ok, but what do you mean by love and where does repentance fit in?
ReplyDeleteWe perhaps should see from Afghanistan that Western liberalism has no vision and is declining, best exemplified by the Anglican Church in the UK and gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteLW
Meanwhile, in the real world...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58420270
Religious groups in UK failing children over sex abuse, report says
This is a companion to the earlier IICSA reports on the CofE/CinW and Roman Catholic Church. Well put together and makes some excellent points. Some organisations who took part come out much better than others.
DeleteNo result in S&B election. +Andy couldn't be bothered to stay for the whole of the third day.
ReplyDeleteMene Mene
Maybe translate an African Bishop to teach them how things should be done!
ReplyDeleteThe Electoral College, and I can't help thinking lay members especially, have failed tbe Church in Wales abominably. There are priests out in the parishes who are never considered. So, presumably, it's a matter of more of the same, or worse!
ReplyDeleteRob
I think this was the plan all along, no decision, so let the bishops decide. We really must have more openness in the procedure, it's archaic. I'm just wondering what the hotel bill is for this bunch ? I'm also told that minus Bangor was on his way home at around one pm. Why?
ReplyDeletePP. Looks like the bench will translate the obvious. It's up to the Diocese to put their collective food down.
ReplyDeleteAccording to "The National", Andy John has said, "We will be consulting together, both with the diocese and amongst ourselves, in the hope we can provide for the diocese someone who can take it forward".
ReplyDeleteSo once more the Holy Ghost doesn't get a say?
DeleteWhy anyone at all still bothers with the Church in Wales defies all logic and certainly my comprehension.
Perhaps +Andy should cosult Bro Richard, and then both can decide who can take the Church in Wales' money?
DeleteWhat is the case for keeping the proceedings secret, not to be divulged afterwards? Why can't the names of those considered be released?
ReplyDeleteRob
I hope the CiW is going to bless people who marry trees next..........70 women in Bristol wore wedding dresses to marry trees yesterday.....Suzan Hackett, campaigner, told the BBC: “To get married to a tree is an absolute privilege. It’s not just a sentimental gesture, it is highly significant and symbolic.
ReplyDelete“Trees are pure examples of unconditional love, which fits in so beautifully with the whole idea of marriage. Marriage is for life, breathing is for life. Bristol needs mature trees more than it does luxury private housing.”
The women said they were inspired by the Chipko women in India in the 1970s, who clung to trees in the Himalayas to protect forests from being chopped down for fuel.
Well, you can't make it up; it could almost (not quite) be true.
DeleteDom
I read of a man who married his motor bike . . .
DeleteDid the motor bike Divorce him for abusive behaviour? I understand he slapped the handle-bars
DeleteIn answer to A.B.'s post there is only one man who couls possibly follow Bishop John as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. That is the current Archdeacon of Monmouth. I'm tempted, but it won't happen +Jonathan
ReplyDeleteThe current AD of Monmouth has only been in post for a few months!!!! Llechryd
DeletePP. Could we see the first trans bishop or, Jo translate? Anything is possible now!
ReplyDelete