It's becoming a woman's world

Petertide ordinations 2019                                                                                                                                                                              Source: Church in Wales

As predicted, women are gradually taking over Western Anglicanism. At the shrine of St David men are becoming a rarity as Joanna continues her policy of feminising the church in her diocese. 

It is not just the feminisation. Solemnity has been replaced by a carnival atmosphere highlighted in many tweets following this year's Petertide ordinations. Dignity has given way to frivolity, mystery to madness. Just about anything goes.

"25 years on"                                                                                                                Source: Twitter

There have been endless celebrations to mark women priests celebrating 25 years of women’s ordination giving the impression that the Anglican Church has become little more than a vehicle for feminism in a do-as-you-please religion.

Figures reported in the Church Times show that more women than men are going forward for training for ordination for the first time in more than 15 years. The total number of female clergy has risen steadily from 5310 in 2013 to a record high of 5690 last year, the total for men declined by about 860 in this time, contributing to the overall decline in clergy in the past four years.

Meanwhile, those whose consciences prevent them from engaging in 'Churchianity' are advised to make other arrangements as best they can which generally means leaving them with no place of worship.

So much for the new, loving, friendly inclusive church.

Postscript [05.07.2019]

CoE General Synod Q&A — Who has flourished under mutual flourishing?

Since the enactment of the legislation in 2014:

• 22 women have been ordained Bishop;
• 4 women have been appointed Deans
• 23 women have been appointed Archdeacons
• 31 women have been appointed Residentiary Canons

The diversity monitoring data for those appointed to senior roles since that time indicates that:

• 1 diocesan bishop;
• 2 suffragan bishops; and
• 1 archdeacon

identify themselves as either traditional catholic or conservative evangelical. However, the labels which people use to describe their church tradition do not necessarily correlate with whether they are unable for theological reasons to recognise the priestly or episcopal ministry of women.

More of "The Class of ’94 celebrate 20 years since ordination"

Entrance: Priests ordained in 1994 processed into the cathedral through the west doors,

applauded by the congregation                  CREDIT: GRAHAM LACADO/Church Times

"There was a party atmosphere at St Paul's for the anniversary service."

So writes Madeleine Davies for the Church Times (here).  Among the usual heart-rending testimonies appear a couple of odd observations from clerics who should know better:

"Later, during intercessions, the Archdeacon of Westminster, the Ven. Dr Jane Hedges, prayed for "those who are unable to accept the ministry of women. . . Give us the desire to understand and respect difference." How very tolerant of her! Well Dr Hedges you should know that women have not been excluded from ministry, the majority just do not see the need to be ordained to carry it out. What was being celebrated was not ministry but ambition which was confirmed by this comment. "It was a very charged atmosphere," said the Revd Alison Morris, a non-stipendiary minister at St Michael and All Angels', Pelsall, who was ordained five years ago. "As they entered, they were clapping those who were clapping and affirming them. Some had tears in their eyes."

And this from Archbishop Welby. In his sermon he "paid tribute to those who had campaigned for women's ordination. The journey had required "much risk", he said, "from those women and men who long ago stepped out on a course which seemed unimaginable, their costly grind paving the way for those gathered here to step forward. In our celebrations - and let there be celebration - let us not overlook the cost, the bitterness of disappointment and rejection, the knee-jerk resistance of an institution facing change." That was bad enough but then this: I want to thank those here today whose costly loyalty, whose scars, make this celebration possible, and I want to say personally how I grieve that it cost so much, to apologise for my own part in that hurt."

The scars which made the celebration possible are not borne by the congregation but by those whose costly loyalty has seen them sidelined with any concessions constantly whittled away. But the expressions of joy continue in the Church Times. I see under "Train a Priest 2014" (TAP) Fund:  Since this year's grand total will not be announced until Pentecost, it is not too late to make a TAP thankoffering for the ordination of women, if you are so minded; or, indeed, to organise a special collection or fund-raising effort. 

I wonder if they do refunds?

Sacred cow

Feminism: the sacred cow of the modern Anglican Church

Forget the golden calf -

 "We Christians must face it: The Bible is hugely misogynistic" so stop 'reading it like 'a car manual' and 'reconcile the Bible with the present day'. So says Jemima Thackray (a chaplain in Winchester) in the Telegraph (here). 

Holy cow! How many Christians have been labouring under a misapprehension for the best part of two millennia, not to mention all those poor Jews, misguided for thousands of years before that. Although prior to Jemima's intervention there is a rather good example of how to interpret the law in Christ's seven woes which denounced the false religion of the Scribes and Pharisees as "utterly abhorrent" to God and worthy of severe condemnation (read here).

Commenting on the General Synod vote to fast-track the legislative process which would allow women to be appointed as bishops, Jemima says "the proceedings started rather awkwardly when the Bible passage, which happened to be that day’s lectionary reading, conveyed a message that was utterly at odds with the goal of elevating women to leadership roles within the church. [My emphasis - Ed.] It went something like this:

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14)".

In the suppression of that passage of scripture the message has added weight. Had a passage been to their advantage it would have been claimed as the work of the Holy Spirit but at Synod the Holy Spirit has to have the approval of the sacred cow of feminism to speak. - If it doesn't suit, just drop it. The Telegraph is running a poll with Jemima's article asking: "Do you believe religious texts should be taken literally?" At the time of writing over 54% responded "No, they need to be read in the context of their time." 

Faith it seems is becoming irrelevant but as Christians this should be the basis of our belief. If religion has to be supported the spirit of the age there is no faith so the Bible gets discreditied or ignored. Of course many biblical stories illustrate a point as in the parables but where does this stop? Did Christ die on the cross and rise again or was it merely a 'conjuring trick with bones'. Academics who spend their lives pondering minutiae should be more guarded in their condemnation of those with a simple faith. We are the body of Christ, all Christians, including those who are being marginalised for remaining faithful to the Apostolic Church

It is understandable that feminists would prefer to ignore the facts. Otherwise they would have to accept that the world was full of priestesses at the time of Christ but "the astonishing thing was actually that they were absent from the community of Jesus Christ, a fact that in turn is a point of continuity with the faith of Israel" (Light of the World).