TEA anybody?
Thanks to Maggi Dawn for reminding me that the debates begin today. Ruth Gledhill has more details of the Transferred Episcoal Arrangements (TEA).
So people.... what do we think about this whole issue?
Well I'll start the ball rolling and will probably not surprise ANYBODY.
I believe that the vocation to the priesthood is God-driven and that the fact that God has called women to priesthood, as discerned by them and by others for many years now, says that the priesthood of women is equal to the priesthood of men. As such I see no reason why a woman priest should not, as any man priest, be consecrated as a bishop.
I understand the implications for those who do not share my belief; in only a few years it will be impossible to distinguish between those who accept women in the priesthood and the episcopate and those who reject it, as a priest ordained by a woman bishop will look no different from a priest ordained by a man bishop. For me that presentsts no problem at all but, of course, for some people that would be difficult.
Should we, as a church DECIDE what is acceptable and insist that people "sign up and shut up or shift"? Or should we make provision for them?
I am still torn as I feel that to be an INCLUSIVE church we must accept everyone, even those who don't accept others. Yet that is a challenge. My instinct says we shouldn't set up an alternative episcopal province but I don't know what alternatives we could consider.
2 Comments:
Two issues here I suppose, firstly women in ministry, I don’t see that there should be any difference between what a woman or a man can do in the church, if you are called by God into a certain ministry then you should be able to do it, it is down to a group of people to help each of us discern our calling, and we have to trust them to be good godly people who will listen to the almighty as opposed to personal prejudice.
The second issue is that of how do we work with those who’s views greatly differ from the rest of the church, like those who don’t believe women should be in ministry, it’s very easy for us to support an idea we agree with, but much harder to know how to react with things we don’t agree with, to say sign up and shut up or shift is difficult, we who agree with women in ministry could say that to those that disagree, but how do we feel when someone says that to us when the next issue comes up and we disagree.
Agree with Mark, if another province then where does it end?
Post a Comment
<< Home