That was the Church that was, it's over, let it go?

A new order? The bishop of Monmouth at Sacred Synod in 2020 with her civil partner                                            Source:Twitter

 Older readers may recall the 1960s BBC TV satirical programme That Was the Week That Was which opened with Millicent Martin singing "That was the week that was, It's over, let it go ..."

Similar feelings have been expressed for the Church in Wales. It's over, let it go. But it is hard to do so while watching self-serving groups use the Church to advance their own particular agendas at the expense of loyal Anglicans who have been shut out.

Revd Stella Bailey, the new Archdeacon of the Gwent
Valleys and Director of Mission.          Source: C in W

Monmouth news has a message from the newly appointed Archdeacon of the Gwent Valleys and Diocesan Director of Mission, the Revd Stella Bailey: "I am passionate about shaping the church to enable it to preach the gospel afresh for this generation...I keep up to date with emerging social needs and seek ways that I can creatively respond. Sometimes this involves giving a voice to those who are voiceless, acting as an advocate or using my platform to highlight the issue and help bring about change. I teach about the issues of injustice, prejudice and unconscious bias so that the church can be more Christ like in its appearance."

Stella will be moving to the diocese of Monmouth from England with her partner Karen and their two dogs, Lyra and Stewie.

It cannot be a coincidence that the new archdeacon's bishop is also a lesbian living in a civil partnership with her same sex partner. The bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, is Patron of the campaigning Open Table Network (OTN). Along with her sister bishops in Llandaff and St Davids, they preach the gospel 'afresh' to promote secular causes.

An unpublished comment put it this way: "Not sure I fully agree with this, the incoming archdeacon of the valleys has no prior knowledge of the area, the people, the problems let alone the machinations of CiW. But she has one common factor with +newport they both have female partners. A case of like picks like rather than the best suited person. With such people running the church it deserves to be terminated." 

There is nothing 'Christ like' about complaining of alleged "injustice, prejudice and unconscious bias" to advance the LGBTQIA+ cause at the expense of other Anglicans who follow traditional Christian teaching in common with the vast majority of Anglicans and other Christians.

Sadly such tactics are not only accepted but are championed by the bench of bishops who are pushing forward their same sex relationship policies whether pew sitters agree or not.

According to a recent Church Times article Ten years on, Harries review has changed the Church in Wales, the Review found "warm, friendly and welcoming communities", not the injustice, prejudice and unconscious bias alleged. But it also found that the Church in Wales was in crisis which led to replacing the universally recognised parish system with unpopular ministry areas. 

That policy has been pursued by Church in Wales bishops with gusto while ignoring the recommended reduction in the number of diocesan bishops and restructuring of diocesan administrative areas. 

Instead senior staff levels have increased with an un-elected assistant bishop who will, reportedly, join the diocesan bishops on the bench, some of whom are also unelected to this self perpetuating coterie. 

It is over but hard to let go.

[Commentators are reminded that anonymous comments submitted for publication must include a pseudonym.]

Feminizing St Davids diocese clergy

Farmer priest relaxes on the silage                                                                 Source: Farmers Weekly

From a St Davids Cathedral tweet: "Congratulations to Canon Eileen Davies, Archdeacon designate of Cardigan in succession to The Ven Dr Will Strange who retires in May. Canon Davies will be installed and collated here in June."

Diocesan Rural Life Adviser and 'farmer priest', Eileen Davies was interviewed for BBC News in 2013 as the Church in Wales prepared to vote on women bishops.

If God calls a woman to be a bishop she said, "therefore the Church in Wales should not actually put a stumbling block there and say sorry you cannot because of the various reasons that the Representative Body of the Church in Wales  might put forward" !

It is not clear whether she thought Barry Morgan was God or his agent when he shoehorned Joanna Penberthy into St Davids to be the first woman bishop in the Church in Wales. 

Claiming to have heard God's calling herself, Canon Davies said it was important that the Church in Wales was prepared to look forward.

"We have many new ideas upon our agenda now. As a Church in Wales we have various new strategies that are now being proposed to move the Church forward. And to be able to move the church forward also we should lead the way as a Church in Wales to offer the opportunity for women to become bishops."

Women bishops have  proved to be an utter disaster. 'Moving the church forward' proved to be driving forward the LGBT agenda towards same sex marriage in church. New ideas have included misandry, deception and profligacy with a fixation on gender parity. 

Being unable to distinguish between forwards and backwards are obvious assets in the eyes of 'the best person to be a bishop'. With such callings perhaps we are to assume that God has a sense of humour.

Today is 1st April but this is no joke.