Vote lost in the laity.
Breaking News: Church of England votes no on Women Bishops. Vote is no in the laity. "Walked it," in clergy and bishops. The vote may have been as close as six votes in the laity.
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Earlier: Following #Synod on #Twitter as the Church of England Synod prepares to vote on women bishops. You can follow the conversation on Twitter here at the cafe over in the right column. Stay tuned for updates!
Statement from the Church of England:
The General Synod of the Church of England has voted to reject the draft legislation to allow women to become bishops.
Under the requirements of the Synod the legislation required a two-thirds majority in each of the three voting houses for final draft approval. Whilst more than two thirds voted for the legislation in both the House of Bishops (44-03) and the House of Clergy (148-45), the vote in favour of the legislation in the House of Laity was less than two-thirds (132-74). The vote in the House of Laity fell short of approval by six votes.
In total 324 members of the General Synod voted to approve the legislation and 122 voted to reject it.
The consequence of the "no" vote of terminating any further consideration of the draft legislation means that it will not be possible to introduce draft legislation in the same terms until a new General Synod comes into being in 2015, unless the 'Group of Six' (the Archbishops, the Prolocutors and the Chair and Vice Chair of the House of Laity) give permission and report to the Synod why they have done so.
Speaking after the vote the Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said: "A clear majority of the General Synod today voted in favour of the legislation to consecrate women as Bishops. But the bar of approval is set very high in this Synod. Two-thirds of each house has to approve the legislation for it to pass. This ensures the majority is overwhelming. The majority in the house of laity was not quite enough. This leaves us with a problem. 42 out of 44 dioceses approved the legislation and more than three quarters of members of diocesan synods voted in favour. There will be many who wonder why the General Synod expressed its mind so differently.
"The House of Bishops recognises that the Church of England has expressed its mind that women should be consecrated as bishops. There is now an urgent task to find a fresh way forward to which so many of those who were opposed have pledged themselves."
The House of Bishops of the Church of England will meet at 08.30am on Wednesday morning in emergency session to consider the consequences of the vote.
Exact voting figures will be found here
What I am hearing is that there is indeed consensus in the Church of England to affirm women as bishops, but it is still not clear (or clear enough) on the procedures for "roll-out," as it were. What will be the pastoral care provisions for traditionalists? It is not clear if the provisions were communicated well (or well enough) to the local vestries and lay leadership (called Parochial Church Councils in England) prior to Synod.
One could see why those provisions might be kept on the quiet side. Provisions for traditionalists have a way of inflaming those who see this issue as a basic human right rather than a sound biblical theological position. How can the church make provision for those who oppose equality, they might ask and the discourse can become hostile quickly. The traditionalist minority on the other hand need assurances that their historic view of the episcopate is respected and that perhaps was not affirmed.
That tension (affirming women in the episcopate while affirming provision for the traditionalist minority) has not bode well in The Episcopal Church and that witness has chilled many in the Church of England. It might be wise for us all on this side of the Big Pond to pray earnestly - that this is not an issue of politics, of the church now following culture, but one based on sound biblical theology that includes a commitment to compassionate pastoral care for those that dissent.
8 comments:
Will Sewanee's sick embrace of TEC's sexual innovations take a pause now that donors are impacted by South Carolina?
An Open Letter to Sewanee Vice Chancellor McCardell Concerning Status of Diocese of South Carolina
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=16838
4. If you do expect Bishop von Rosenberg to replace Bishop Lawrence, or if such a change is probable, why have you not yet notified your alumni and donors in South Carolina of this pending material change in University governance, especially now when many families are considering year end gifts to Sewanee's annual fund?
This is further dismantling of the Protestant faith; specifically the The Church of England, on behalf of the whole Anglican Communion. I ask you to consider that every innovation the past Counterculture conceived -- must be rejected. If The Church in a Western context is to survive.
Mr. Mcgranor,
How can the rejection of female bishops be seen as a further dismantling of the Protestant faith? I only hope that it isn't reversed by political machinations.
I meant the want for women clergy... As well as other issues.
The problem for the tradionalist becomes: very soon, every priest will need to present a "family tree" as it were to show apostolic succession. If the tradionalist does not believe elevating a woman to the episcopate is valid, then any priest she ordains is not validly ordained. There is no good way to keep both views in the same church.
As one who had a hard time accepting the idea of woman priests (and never did), and never received communion when a woman was the celebrant, I can understand the concerns of the tradionalist that so many are poo-poohing as just being old fashioned.
Anam Cara your subversion and dismantling is a success then. I think by faith, one is justified when receiving sacraments by such a wretch. Since Christ is at work and not the priest. As for Apostolic succession... Is there a 'traditionalist' priest out there, that may be able to ponder the remedy of this in accordance with cannon law?
Mr. Mcgranor, I did not leave the Episcopal Church. It left me. I have clung to the teachings of my youth while the Episcopal (and now Anglicans) have decided to make it up as they go along. I became Orthodox where the teachings have remained the same for 2000 years.
As for ordination of woman (and Christ at work, not the priest) may I refer you to a blog post by an Orthodox friend here:
http://anastasias-corner.blogspot.com/2012/11/so-why-dont-you-orthodox-ordain-women.html
Perhaps that will better explain.
So many are leaving Protestantism in the former Protestant West; only after our faith was secularized. I ask you why abandon the faith? Rather then keep it?
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