Our (oik's) Father, or mother

Stephen Cottrell in 2014                    Source: Wikipedia

According to the Guardian, the 'Oik 'from Essex. Stephen Cottrell, archbishop of York has suggested that the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer,  may be “problematic” because of their "patriarchal association" despite being recited by Christians worldwide for 2,000 years.

The archbishop's views will come at little surprise to those Anglicans who strive to keep the faith rather than adapt it to their own desires

Cottrell is a member of the Society of Catholic Priests (SCP), a religious society of Anglican clergy who consider themselves a part of the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition, a liberal substitute for the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) so that they can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The make believe society believes that the churches of the Anglican Communion are part of the one holy and catholic and apostolic church despite distancing themselves from it by their unilateral actions.

Cottrell is also a member of Affirming Catholicism (AffCath), a liberal movement formed to suggest that the ordination of women is compatible with Anglo-Catholicism and supports ordination into the threefold ministry (bishops, priests, deacons) regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The archbishop  has been president since January 2015. 

The ordination of women to the priesthood has brought with it a host of ridiculous disputes over gender and sexual orientation where facts are replaced by assertions. These are likely to grow with the increasing numbers of female clergy. 

In the Church in Wales where half the bishops are female, thirty-one of the forty-seven recent Petertide ordinands were women, seventeen deacons and fourteen priests.  

The Church Times article, Petertide ordinations 2023, shows how numerous are Anglican women deacons, priests and bishops.

 This is where it can lead. The sparkle 'creed':

Essex "Oik" to be Confirmed as Archbishop of York.

BLM supporter Cottrell is also a vocal supporter of same‑sex relationships          Source: The Times

The self proclaimed “Oik from Essex” is to be confirmed as the 98th Archbishop of York at 11am on Thursday 9 July, 2020, in a service broadcast entirely via video conference due to the Coronavirus restrictions.

An apt description for a bishop in favour of same-sex relationships who has come out as a Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporter claiming that Jesus was a black man rather than a Jew.

It is reported in The Press that the new archbishop also claimed "the country's leaders had 'let us down' saying he despaired of a political culture that could not see beyond the five-year term of the next election."

That's rich coming from one of the Church of England bishops who have made the Church of England largely irrelevant in its attempt to become more relevant to society, jettisoning faithful Anglicans in the process with disastrous results as indicated by ever decreasing attendance.

Cottrell also warned of the "dangers of extremism rising up" but he backs the BLM movement, a movement that is about revolution.

According to The Spectator BLM want to ‘dismantle capitalism’, abolish prisons, get rid of borders and the police. They claim climate change is 'racist', unemployment is 'violence', that Churchill was 'staunchly racist' and that the government appointment of a Pakistani heritage woman is 'racist'. They 'condemn stop and search' and the suffragettes while describing big charities as 'colonisers'.

Writing about qualities required of Church leaders Christian Today commented that a Sunday Times interview with the new Archbishop of York was startling, puzzling – offensive?:

"The New Testament is pretty clear that those in leadership should be able to control their tongues better than most.

"It is surprising to read in the Sunday Times  that Cottrell 'peppers his talks to his clergy with phrases such as "what the bloody hell" and "who gives a toss?".'...Why use these words when there are more than 170,000 other ones in English to choose from? Cottrell needs to read Ephesians 4 v29. This is no trivial thing.

"Another quality the Bible tells us to expect from a church leader is that they 'must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine'.  Not for nothing does the Church of England consecration service for Bishops state that they must be 'guardians of the faith of the apostles'.

"But how can Cottrell do that in relation to issues of sexual morality? Far from teaching the doctrine of Christ in this area as the Church of England believes it, and handing it on in its entirety, he only 'understands it and respects it' according to the interview. Indeed, as is well known, he wants to change it."

Asked if there was any room for New Testament teaching on leadership? "On that, Bishop Cottrell, in this interview at least, remains silent."

He has however apologised for not properly reporting allegations of domestic abuse made against a parish priest a decade ago.

There were allegations that Cottrell's predecessor Archbishop John Sentamu failed to respond properly to a report of clerical child abuse to protect bishops from allegations of misconduct but any evidence was, allegedly, washed away in the Yorkshire floods.

In the last century four archbishops were translated from York to Canterbury.

One can but speculate on the qualities that will be required for the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

As Cottrell replaces a black man as Archbishop of York he has called for greater equality for black and minority ethnic (BAME) clergy in the upper echelons of the church, and said bishops “must take responsibility” for a lack of diversity.

The bishop of Dover has made similar calls.

You couldn't make it up.

Postscript [09.07.2020]

During Archbishop Welby's confirmation of Stephen Cottrell as Archbishop of York he referred to "the care, government and administration of the spirituals of the Archbigot of York" before hastily correcting himself . [After position 34 in the video.]

Freudian slip?

Stephen Cottrell: A bit of an oik from Essex?

The Archbishop of Canterbury with Archbishop of York Designate Stephen Cottrell,  Source: CofE

A bit of an 'oik from Essex' has been nominated as the new Archbishop of York in succession to Dr John Sentamu. Not my description but Stephen Cottrell's description of himself in a Sheffield Diocesan Development Day lecture in 2011.

A gifted communicator, his appointment is understandable given the liberal direction of the Church of England. He had been widely tipped to succeed Richard Chartres as Bishop of London but lost out to former head nurse Dame Sarah Mullally.

A critic of the church for its 'shortcomings' in promoting BAME clergy into senior positions and a supporter of the ordination of women who looks forward to seeing a female archbishop of Canterbury, he can count himself lucky that he has not found himself sidelined like other men, a victim of his own political correctness.

Asked by the Guardian about the issue of same-sex relationships which has "divided the church for more than 20 years", he said there was “absolutely no place for homophobia in our church, and absolutely everyone, regardless of their sexuality, is welcome in our church”.

Christian Concern tweeted differently: "@CottrellStephen has previously shown he has no respect for Biblical truth on human sexuality and marriage."

Cottrell's appointment has caused some controversy, so much so that a spokesperson for the Church of England has issued a Statement on the Archbishop of York designate, the Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell denying accusations made against him by "a pressure group". He was said to have told clergy that 'if they disagree with the approach the Diocese is taking on matters of human sexuality' they should follow their consciences and leave.

The implication in the statement is that 30 clergy are lying or mistaken.

In June 2019 gafcon uk issued a statement by representatives of conservative evangelical clergy from the Diocese of Chelmsford confirming that “we are used to being told that we don’t belong”.

Christian Today reports the same issues with claims and counter claims in an article "Stephen Cottrell's appointment as Archbishop of York exposes divisions in the Church of England":  One thing is sure Stephen Cottrell's liberal views offend many orthodox Anglicans who have been left out in the cold by a self-styled inclusive church.

 Liberal Bishop Becomes Archbishop of York, No. 2 in Church of England was the headline in the New York Times: "Cottrell has been outspoken in his support for women clergy and has said everyone is welcome in the Church regardless of their sexuality."

Commenting on Bishop Stephen Cottrell's Presidential Address to Diocesan Synod on Saturday 11 March 2017, Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream wrote that Cotterell has given "one of the clearest indications yet of the next stage of major change in the Church of England’s approach to sexual ethics" after he called for “prayers of thanksgiving” for same sex relationships.

Ironically Stephen Cottrell replaced the openly gay priest Jeffrey John as bishop of Reading in 2004 after John was pressured to step down by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

One can only speculate on the trajectory of Cottrell's career had Jeffrey John not been persuaded to step down as bishop of Reading but Jeffrey John must have been feeling particularly sick on reading of Cottrell's elevation. More able than many Dr John has played by the rules while lesser clergy have flaunted them. Had he defended the Church's traditional teaching on marriage he would have gained wider support.

By teaming a new, liberal Archbishop of York with an ineffectual Archbishop of Canterbury the Church of England looks destined to stray even further from biblical truth with a further exodus of disaffected Anglicans.

In conclusion, a quote from The Spectator in an article The slow, strange race to be the next Bishop of London by Ysenda Maxtone Graham, author of The Church Hesitant:

"But my money (and other people’s, too) would be on Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford. He was state-educated in Leigh-on-Sea, so can be ‘a bit cor-blimey’, as some have said to me. It’s true that his recent talk in the cathedral to his clergy included the phrases ‘Who gives a toss?’, ‘Flush down the toilet’ and ‘What the bloody hell?’ But he grows on you. He’s a scintillating public communicator, straddles both the Evangelical and the Anglo-Catholic traditions, is self-deprecating, funny, articulate and imaginative. If he’s chosen, we’ll just have to blot out the Chartres voice from our memory: no point in comparing them."

Also mentioned in Ysenda's article is 'the once-tipped June Osborne' who seemed to have been 'shunted into sidings as cathedral dean and may well go no further'.

She did. Swept up by the Church in Wales, again at Jeffrey John's expense.

At least, in Cottrell terms, Dr John is "welcome in our church" which is more than many Anglicans can say.

Postscript [23.12.2019]

From Church Times:

"Bishop Cottrell had 'spoken out — when many others have been silent — about the need for the Church to respect and honour the LGBT+ community'." - Jayne Ozanne, a member of the General Synod and a prominent LGBT campaigner.

"He’s a great teacher and communicator of the faith, he’s rooted in Catholic spirituality, he speaks his mind, and he’s a voice for LGBT inclusion." - Revd Dr Johanna Kershaw, Associate Priest of Outwood, Stanley, and Wrenthorpe, in Wakefield.