So finally it seems women
bishops are about to become a reality. Twenty years after the Church of England General Synod (the Church’s national assembly) backed women priests, another piece of the stained glass window looks like it's about to shatter.
With the senior
backing of both the former and current Archbishops of Canterbury,
the proposed
legislation may not be perfect – but if a two thirds majority is
achieved this week, a longed-for change is on the horizon.
However, on the eve of such change, what’s remarkable is how difficult it has become for the minority of women bishop refuseniks to articulate their opposition intelligently and well.
I discussed the issue on my LBC 97.3 radio show yesterday and received a huge number of calls, emails, texts and tweets on the topic and yet, I didn’t hear or read one single compelling argument against the move.
Every single time someone opposing women bishops rang or wrote in, they cited
a very specific piece of the Bible (without any context at all) which said
that women should be silent or shared a belief that Jesus only intended for
men to lead the Church.
And yet, two minutes later, another well-versed Christian would ring in with a different quote or Biblical example to support the entirely opposite view.
And yet, two minutes later, another well-versed Christian would ring in with a different quote or Biblical example to support the entirely opposite view.
One woman, appropriately called Mary, sent in a very long email voicing her
strong hatred of all the people who are backing the change – saying (please
note this is highly edited for length and interest purposes): “These people
are ruining my life and ruining the Church I have grown up in and love so
dearly. Women bishops should not happen. This is not how it was meant to be.
It is changes like this which leaves the Church in a crisis with dwindling
numbers.”
And yet despite all of her outrage – Mary did not give one reason why women bishops should not become a reality. Hers and many others arguments against the change, basically amounted to: ‘because we don’t want it and we don’t like change’.
Many callers were thrilled by the idea of women bishops precisely because it meant the Church of England was finally catching up with the rest of the world and allowing women the ultimate headship.
If anything, increased women leadership is being seen as making the Church more appealing by most believers and atheists alike, and crucially by younger people.
The minority of refuseniks from the Anglo Catholic and Evangelical arms of the Church still condemn the measure as “not fit for purpose” and say that their position in the Church would be "several prejudiced" if the motion passes.
However, with the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, firmly on side and the majority of the people in the pews happy enough to watch women finally enter the House of Bishops – the refuseniks have run out of both steam and credible excuses.
And yet despite all of her outrage – Mary did not give one reason why women bishops should not become a reality. Hers and many others arguments against the change, basically amounted to: ‘because we don’t want it and we don’t like change’.
Many callers were thrilled by the idea of women bishops precisely because it meant the Church of England was finally catching up with the rest of the world and allowing women the ultimate headship.
If anything, increased women leadership is being seen as making the Church more appealing by most believers and atheists alike, and crucially by younger people.
The minority of refuseniks from the Anglo Catholic and Evangelical arms of the Church still condemn the measure as “not fit for purpose” and say that their position in the Church would be "several prejudiced" if the motion passes.
However, with the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, firmly on side and the majority of the people in the pews happy enough to watch women finally enter the House of Bishops – the refuseniks have run out of both steam and credible excuses.