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Women Bishops
I read that Anglicans were not happy with this but I thought women vicars had been accepted. Why the uproar about women bishops?
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The 77-million strong worldwide Anglican Communion has its roots in the Church of England. Anglican churches in New Zealand, Canada and the United States have women bishops. In addition, 11 other national churches have authorized women bishops.
In the UK, since the church's first female priests were ordained in 1994, reformists have argued it is illogical and unfair to bar them from the higher role.
Opponents in the church's growing ranks of conservatives and evangelicals believe there is no biblical precedent for women bishops, since Christ's apostles all were male, and that it is wrong for women to have authority over men in a religious capacity.
In the UK, since the church's first female priests were ordained in 1994, reformists have argued it is illogical and unfair to bar them from the higher role.
Opponents in the church's growing ranks of conservatives and evangelicals believe there is no biblical precedent for women bishops, since Christ's apostles all were male, and that it is wrong for women to have authority over men in a religious capacity.
The anti-female clergy brigade are using the misogynistic history of Judaism (which was a reaction against the fertility cults e.g. Baal that were around at the time of its inception), and also a couple of texts from St Paul (who although a Christian, remained a Jew and continued to uphold all the Jewish laws and ideals).
"I give no permission for a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. A woman ought to be quiet because Adam was formed first and Eve afterwards and it was not Adam who was led astray but the woman who was led astray and fell into sin. Nevertheless she will be saved by childbearing, provided she lives a sensible life and is constant in faith and love and holiness." (1 Timothy 2 12-15)
�Women are to remain quiet in assemblies, since they have no permission to speak: theirs is a subordinate part, as the Law itself says. If there is anything they want to know, they should ask their husbands at home. It is shameful for a woman to speak in the assembly.� (1 Cor 14 34-35).
Part 2
However, St Paul also says... "In Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave nor master � you are all one in Christ Jesus". (Galatians 3 v 28)
Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus told of his rising from the dead and he commanded her to go tell the others. (John 20 v 18)
There is also proof that original gospel texts were tampered with to remove reference to women.
In the early church there were no distinctions made between man and woman. All were given the gift of prophesy. Church meetings were held in peoples� homes. It was not until the Romans took over the running of the church that the misogyny reappeared, and has remained ever since.
There was a TV programme yesterday evening about this subject, where people from the Anglican church were talking about tracing the church back to St Peter, and they were talking about tradition and saying that only men can run the church. What those vicars and bishops neglected to mention was that it is that was the Catholic Church that can be traced directly back to St Peter. The Anglican Church was formed by Henry VIII in a fit of pique after the Pope refused him an annulment. How that has anything to do with �tradition�? It is far more to do with a wilful king wanting his own way.
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