This week - a retrospective (and a plea)

What an amazing week this has been- we've seen people who don't care a hoot about Christ, the Gospel or Church all bundling in to have their say about how the church should operate, most especially in the area of bishops and even more specifically, women bishops.

I have been so very frustrated by the people who have engaged me and berated me for stuff that they don't even have a clue about (and don't care about either if we are honest - they just ride on the bandwagon regardless). There was the idiot MP who said that it was bizarre that, since the CofE had a woman at the very top, there should be any problem with having women bishops! Now I don't know how he copes with national politics but hopefully he fares a little better with that and should therefore keep to the job he was elected to do. Of course, as the honourable gentleman made his points he also felt it necessary to clarify the position, when asked, by saying that of course ('of course', why 'of course') wasn't a Christian and had little real interest in the whole affair!

I had to endure the witterings of some (undoubtedly lovely yet woeful) bloke who asked how he was going to tell his newly minted daughter that she couldn't be 'a fully accepted and functioning woman in the Church'! If I was him I'd have been cuddling her and singing songs because, to be quite frank, the poor mite wouldn't have had a clue what he was going on about anyway. And of course . . .  Once she reached 18 she could legally attend a BAP (the selection thing for clergy) and if accepted could go to college and then be ordained, priested and serve in the church for a few years and then, perhaps, find herself selected for 'advancement' (what being called to be a bishop is) and this would mean that she'd be in her early forties - so the bloke has a bit of time yet.

Another person told me that there were many women whose ministries would have been enhanced and made 'effective' by being made bishop and now this had been lost to them. Now, odd as it seems perhaps, I would like people whose ministries were already effective to be given the wonderfully enhancing job of bishop and if it was moving up that made them effective I doubt I'd be interested anyway (hope that makes sense).

I have had (far too many) people explain how stupid, uncaring and disobedient the laity were to have voted as they did and they have explained how we should listen only to the bishops in future and withdraw the vote from the laity (now that sounds egalitarian, doesn't it?). Other have said that the diocesan lay reps should have voted with their respective diocesan synods rather than take it on themselves to exercise conscience, stupidity or disobedience. This leads me to think that what we need is to get rid of the General Synod and merely take the votes from the diocesan bodies and then, adding the votes from each of the houses into three final sums, take the decision from there.

This is surely a much more cost-effective solution to church management in the future and makes life in the future much more simple and effective (and perhaps we'd get diocesan synod rep's who were really engaged and effective in return?

Others have told me that the decision should be overturned and that we should do 'whatever it takes to bring it back' and overturn the decision. Actually I have to disagree with that thought for we engaged in a democratic process and we got a decision. Now it wasn't what I expected and wasn't what many wanted either but the reality is that we have it. To engage in scheming and cunning plans to get what we want to happen when it hasn't (by democratic and established means) is to look shallow and somewhat tawdry I fear!

So here's my summation of what has happened (and it will be my last word on it for some time I hope):

There are three groups of people - those who want women bishops, those who don't want women bishops and those who don't care (and there are a great many of them) as long as they can be left in peace to preach the Gospel, reach the lost, pastor the broken and love the unloveable. What I would like to see is a solution that  respects the position of those who have difficulty with the consecration of women without weakening the position of the women and one that doesn't get in the way of the real ministry of the Church - which has nothing to do with making bishops (women or men) but winning souls.

If, as it should be (and probably would be if it weren't such a 'must have' issue for some), this issue does not return until a new General Synod is convened (which means five years before we get to the same place again) the I for one will not be that troubled. Now this isn't anything 'anti-women' (for I have never been 'anti-women'') but is merely a plea for some rational and balanced response. It were any other issue, or better still something unpopular, and the cry to speed things up or make things happen to make this cause happen then people would be up in arms. Let us transfer into it something that we don't agree with and see whether we'd applaud cutting corners, clever measures or whatever. (I'm guessing not!).

Wanting to have the good opinion of the world and to endlessly go on about equality and living up to the standards of the world in which we find ourself is a totally confused state of mind (and reality). The reason for these words is the fact that just the world that we are called to serve has few standards and to work (tirelessly in some places) to make ourselves look, feel and act like it is to dismiss the calling we have to be Church and to render the Church weak, ineffective and impotent!

If we want to be popular then that's great. If we think that 'being popular' means that we cease to be different and put off the Gospel message for something that merely endorses the world and its values, standards and behaviour then what we really want is a different sort of Church altogether - it's call APOSTATE Church!

I wonder if God has not been gracious in the decision this week (as painful as it is for some) as it provides time for us to work out ways in which we might all coexist as one body and also give us the time to set aside all the distraction from the Gospel calling we have (and it is a distraction) to actually preach the Gospel and serve those whom we are called to serve.

And whilst I sympathise with those who were broken by Tuesday's decision (was it really only that short a while since it happened?) I also feel for those who are opposed to the consecration (and ordination too perhaps) of women who now find themselves hiding lest they be asked which side they support. As one told me, "I'm just keeping out of the way because anything else is an invitation to being abused!" Are we really that shallow?

So - we have dissipated so much time on this subject. Time which General Synod, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Theological Student, Laity and others (are there any others) could have perhaps used to build the kingdom rather than berate, abuse and present Church as a divided, divisive and spiteful place.

I leave this subject with something Jesus would like us all to know (John 17: 21):

"I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one- as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me."

No one can take joy from this week's goings on in General Synod - especially not the God we serve, three in one; Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Pax