Women's ministry: laughing all the way to the top

The newly announced Archdeacon of Bangor will be among the story-tellers
at an event in St Asaph Cathedral to celebrate 21 years of women priests
 in the Church in Wales.    Source: CinW Press release

There is to be another celebration of women using the church for 21 years to further their careers at the expense of others when they meet in St Asaph Cathedral to recount stories of "uncertainty, inspiration and creativity".

The occasion is being organised by MAECymru, a self-promoting group of people who claim to have a vision of the Church in Wales as "a community of God’s people where, regardless of gender, justice and equality prevail". It is a vision of a church which misrepresents any opposition with spurious claims of prejudice, misogyny and inequality.

No wonder they are offering a 50% discount to entice new members to their gang.

"Welcome !  to  MAECymru"                                                                                  Source: MAECymru 

The newly announced Archdeacon of Bangor will be among the story-tellers. Her contribution to the debate on women bishops in the Church in Wales can be found in an essay following her trip to the US where she saw a woman celebrant wearing a pointy hat. That convinced her that she was right about women's ministry and the vast majority of Christians were wrong in their belief that the ordination of women to the priesthood was contrary to scripture and tradition.

The new Archdeacon has much to say about "women's ministry" but she completely misses the point. Women's ministry has become a process for the self-advancement for women in the church. Not ordinary women who worship quietly as they keep the church running but the minority of women who shout the loudest and are content to use the church for political gain at the expense of others.

Compare what she  has to say about ministry with this extract from A Noble Task by Bishop David Thomas who was asked to reflect on his experience of ministry as Provincial Assistant Bishop and how it might change if the episcopate in Wales  were opened to women:

 "Another  dangerous misconception concerns the nature of the objection to the ordination  of women as priests. People sometimes assume that the real problem has to do  with the ministry of women in the Church. This is not the case. The assumption  arises from a failure to differentiate clearly between ministry in general and  ordained ministry in particular. Perhaps I can illustrate the point from my  liturgical responsibilities. Sometimes, for instance when a document is being  prepared for Governing Body, I have to spend hours poring over the minutiae of  a revised liturgical text. This was how I spotted that, in the ‘gold book’  Eucharist, the heading of Preface 23 (for use at ordinations, institutions,  etc.) was ‘Ministry’. The heading has been corrected in the 2004 equivalent  (no. 30) to ‘Ordained Ministry’. This contemporary, very common, tendency  unconsciously to allow ordained ministry to get submerged in the much wider  concept of ministry, leads to all sorts of mistaken perceptions. All I can say  by way of comment is that the wisest (and toughest!) spiritual adviser I’ve  ever had so far was a woman; I benefited enormously from working in my last  parish alongside a woman deacon; I made it my business to increase the number  of female eucharistic assistants in my last parish, and I worked very happily  there with a quite outstanding woman churchwarden – added to which, I am well  aware that there are some situations, perhaps many, where a woman will be  better qualified to give pastoral care than any man. I have very good reasons  for accepting, affirming, valuing and rejoicing in the ministry of women in the  Church. The difficulty for me, as for others including many women, has to do  with that distinctive aspect of presbyteral ministry which we call eucharistic  presidency."

Bishop David Thomas was the first Provincial Assistant Bishop (PAB) appointed to provide acceptable sacramental and pastoral ministry to those who, in conscience, were unable to receive the ministry of women priests. He also proved to be the last PAB after Abp Barry Morgan and his bench sitters reneged on the agreement which eased the path to women's ordination in the Church in Wales.

The bench had achieved their objective and that was that despite the overwhelming desire expressed at Diocesan meetings for similar pastoral and sacramental provision to be restored.

MAECymru shares the duplicity of the bench of bishops. They have a vision for a Church in Wales in which justice and equality prevail but it is a cloak under which secularisation has taken hold, advancing minority causes.

They couldn't care less for the countless women and men who find their church has left them.

Justice and equality for those left with no church will be quietly forgotten as the story-tellers relate their sob stories.

Self inflicted pain

The UK’s first LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy has been officially launched by the Bishop of St Asaph.                                                      Source: Church in Wales

Almost one third of the Church of England's General Synod members has signed a letter urging the Church to make an "unequivocal declaration" in support of congregation members who identify as LGBT:

"We are keen that the College of Bishops is unequivocal in its acknowledgement that all, including those who identify as LGBTI, are essential to the health and future of our church and mission to the wider world." Synod member and LGBT activist Jayne Ozanne said: "I think our bishops are aware of the strength of feeling on the need to be seen as a church for all. I do believe they know they can't fudge this any longer. It's time for them to give a clear and unequivocal embrace to a community that is hurting [my emphasis - Ed.]." - From Christian Concern. Text of the letter and signatories here.

One of the signatories is the Revd Dr Rowan Williams, not the Rt Rev and Rt Hon the Lord Williams of Oystermouth but one of the Chaplains in the Diocese of York. While the Church in Wales has become accustomed to chaplains waving the rainbow flag, refreshingly there is no reference on the York Chaplaincy page to the LGBT community, presumably taking the line that if we are all the same there is no need for positive discrimination.

The position is reversed in Wales. The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, a former Chaplain to Archbishop Rowan Williams, has officially launched the UK’s first LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy which is to be led by the Revd Sarah Hildreth-Osborn.

According to the St Asaph web site, the Chaplaincy exists because "the Christian faith has something to offer everyone including LGBTQIA+ people". True but it goes on to allege that because the Church has "caused such hurt" [my emphasis - Ed.] to the LGBTQIA+ Community over many years "we now need to create safe, sacred space, welcome them among us and allow LGBTQIA+people to be who they are, wonderfully created in the image of God and loved just as much as anyone else!"

The promotional material states the objectives of the LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy which are to:

• Create safe, sacred space where LGBTQIA+ people can worship and share their stories
• Engender a sense of welcome and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people across the Diocese
• Offer support to parishes who want to explore the creation of ministry specifically to the LGBTQIA+ Community
• Provide support to Clergy and a listening ear in matters which involve LGBTQIA+ people
• Initiate retreats and quiet days for members of the LGBTQIA+ Community and allies
• Raise awareness among secular groups and organisations e.g Young Peoples LGBTQIA+ Groups and Social Services of the existence of the Chaplaincy
• Work with existing Chaplaincies e.g. Coleg Cambrian Chaplaincy
• Liaise with Changing Attitude Cymru
• Become a continued presence within the Diocese and to be supportive in all that the Diocese is seeking to do in bringing the Gospel to all of God’s people
• The Chaplain to undertake training and networking with others involved in this ministry

Against such a list one wonders how Ms Hildreth-Osborn landed the job (I use the word advisedly) of Vicar of Llanrwst but the truth is that there is no impediment.

We are led to believe that gays and lesbians in the Church in Wales are an oppressed minority despite their representation in the clergy from bottom to top. The LGBT community are not only very well represented, some would say disproportionately, but they are becoming increasingly vocal in their demands. Any pain they feel is self inflicted. Many of us campaigned for civil partnerships only to see ourselves branded as bigots and homophobes simply because we defend the sanctity of marriage.

Compare the Church in Wales bishops' promotion of the LGBT agenda and their support for 'women in the church' with their oppression of traditional Christians who simply want to worship God according to scripture and tradition following the example of Jesus Christ.

MAECymru – supporting women in the Church in Wales - is also promoted on the St Asaph web site. The application form requires applicants to assert "I support diversity and equality in the Church in Wales". Pray that the bishops of the Church in Wales also support diversity and equality as the Archbishop and Bishop Gregory prepare to attend the Conference to preserve the breadth of Anglicanism in Wales.

Postscript [14.09.2016]

Archbishop of Wales uses final Governing Body address to focus on same-sex relationships.

Archbishop Barry Morgan has used his final address to the Church in Wales’ governing body to argue that Christians can change their stance on homosexuality without abandoning their commitment to the Bible. See reports here and here, and here  and here for a more critical appraisals. He forcefully denied that the Church’s bishops had "ignored the Bible and were swayed by the liberal culture of our age".

As the Archdeacon of Cardigan William Strange put it, "I am sorry that the Archbishop has chosen as the subject of his final address a topic he has spoken on many times before, and on which his views are already well known. I would have welcomed something new on a less well-worn theme".

Women priests, women bishops, homosexuals and same sex marriage in a collapsing church. And ++Barry believes we have been waiting 2,000 years to have the Bible clarified by him. A sad end to a sad episcopacy.

Postscript [15.09.2016]

@PeterOuld - Looks like Barry Morgan made an excellent argument yesterday for the @ChurchinWales to bless polygamy and incest.

https://twitter.com/PeterOuld

There's more on Twitter:
Christians who have supported slavery did so *against* the clear teaching in the NT against it. Barry Morgan's speech today bad theology.

Postscript [16.09.2016]

A Response to the Archbishop of Wales’ Defense of Same-Sex Relationships from 'Bible and Mission' (H/T Anglican Mainstream):

"The Archbishop’s logic might suggest that, because Scripture offers different perspectives on certain other issues, it therefore must have different perspectives on adultery, or bestiality, or incest.  As it happens, Scripture uniformly condemns all these as well as homosexual acts." In full here.

Postscript [17.09.2016]

"We ‘have evolved’ from the Bible’s teaching on divorce, why not gay ‘marriage’?" - Archbishop of Wales speaking at the Governing Body in April 2014:

"Holy Scripture itself is far more nuanced, subtle and complex than we often realize...We cannot just quote Biblical texts on different subject matters and think that that settles an issue [my emphasis - Ed.]. It is easy to opt for prohibitions in Scripture and regard them as the word of the Lord and forget that the Bible contains stories which also convey God’s word to us. Jesus, he added, 'had nothing to say about gay marriage' as the archbishop counseled homosexuals to be patient with regard to the Anglican Church’s attitude towards homosexuality".

The speech was taken as 'encouragement' by homosexual activists. Average weekly attendance dropped 5% between 2014 and 2015.

Postscript [04.10.2016]

CAIRO: Egyptian Anglican Archbishop Says Anglican Communion must stay Faithful despite False Teachings
Same-Sex Marriage repudiated as fundamental departure from the faith.
We are not homophobic when we reject unbiblical views on human sexuality, says Archbishop

Full text here (H/T Anglican mainstream)

Postscript [08.10.2016]

THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE BIBLE – A RESPONSE TO ARCHBISHOP BARRY MORGAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS - REFLECTIONS OF AN ANGLICAN THEOLOGIAN

Church in Wales Christmas farce

Photo: CinW

You could be forgiven for thinking this is a lineup of hopefuls demanding a part in a Church pantomime farce. In many ways it is.

Not to be outdone by their sister group, Women and the Church (WATCH), now more popularly known as Women in the Church (WITCH) having achieved their goal of feminizing the Church of England, this group is determined to do for the Church in Wales what WATCH has done in England but with nothing in return in the form of alternative Episcopal oversight as enjoyed in England. Indeed bishops of The Anglican Mission in England are not welcome in Wales. Bizarrely, homosexuality, same sex marriage and dialogue with Imams are all more acceptable to the liberal minded Church in Wales (CinW) episcopate.

Having achieved their aim, WATCH tried to unpick the agreement which enabled women priests to become bishops. Under that agreement everyone in the Church of England was to be given the opportunity to flourish. WATCH then tried to dictate the terms of the agreement until the ombudsman stepped in and sent them packing.

In the CinW pantomime the wicked WITCH, eagerly aided by the Archbishop of Wales, scuppered the chances of everyone being given the opportunity to flourish as soon as the goal of women bishops was achieved. Contrary to the wishes of the majority of CinW members, no provision was made for members who did not support the non-Biblical innovation of women bishops.

The pantomime plot is to convince everyone that "there is a long way to go before women – lay and ordained – achieve equality in the church", a prejudiced attitude that has no evidence to support it but with the Archgenie waiting in the wings to work his magic it is a claim that will no doubt gain support among the nodding majority. The aim is based on a process of positive discrimination so that even the most abysmal female candidate is preferred over outstanding male candidates, especially men who continue to follow the Apostolic teaching of the Holy Catholic Church.

The irony in the plot is that there is discrimination in the Church in Wales but it is not against women. They are the cause of the discrimination which is against cradle Anglicans whose faith has been sidelined to accommodate entrists using Anglicanism to promote their brand of feminism.

Note the comments of the Venerable Christine Hardman who "played an important role in getting the legislation to allow women to be Bishops passed by the Church of England". Her inauguration as the new Bishop of Newcastle took place on Saturday. From a report of the event:

Growing up on a London council estate, a young Christine Hardman admits she had nothing to do with religion. Church was so far removed from her life growing up, it was guarded behind a huge fence. “Church didn’t touch our lives on that council estate,” she said. “We weren’t a church going family and the only church on the estate had a big fence so I had nothing to do with it.”

"It was devastating, I felt so sad that the picture the outside world have of the Church of England was that message, that women can’t be Bishops I didn’t want people to see the church like that,” she said. Rev Hardman worried that the church would never be able to attract young people to worship and was alienating people with an idea which many found offensive".

Perhaps she had not noticed that the outside world could not care less about the Church except when applying their secular standards to a faith that has no interest for them until a convenient opportunity for advancement is spotted by some.

Similarly the Venerable Peggy Jackson had no religion before her husband deserted her. She said, "I was at a low in my life, I thought I would give the Church a go and I found the most wonderful welcome. I was feeling desperate and it was a lifeline at a very black time." Her thanksgiving is to punish cradle Anglicans who do not accept her interpretation of the Christian faith by seeking to exclude them.

So having "given the Church a go" the women of  WITCH, WATCH, MAECymru or whatever and their sidekicks remain as determined as ever to force their agenda at any cost, even the demise of Anglicanism in Great Britain.

What a farce!