24 July 2015

The Ordination of Women Priests and Diocesan Bishops in the Church of England

http://issuesetc.org/2015/07/23/3-the-impact-of-female-bishops-in-the-church-of-england-bishop-keith-ackerman-72315/

This audio segment is instructive because it demonstrates the mindset and epistemological posturing of Churches that have rejected Sola Scriptura and yet are trying to maintain historic traditions.

It doesn't work.

What he's left with is a weak appeal to 'root metaphors' and the fact that ordained women destroy the liturgical picture of celebrant as priest and congregation as bride.

That's not the real issue. If that's the foundation of the argument then the battle is already lost.

He's right to lament the sociological influence on Anglican ecclesiology and theology as a whole, but that's all but guaranteed under a Sacralist Establishmentarian arrangement. Trying to hold on to the past when the Church has wedded itself to a state... a state in the 16th century at that, and then to hope to remain static is not just naive, it's insane.

The Disestablishment of the Church of England will be a good thing. The liberal congregations will wither and die and those committed to the theology of the 39 Articles will be liberated to reconsider the teaching of Scripture. Sadly the dedication to the erroneous concept of institutional Apostolic Succession will hinder this process, but to be honest the whole Anglican narrative is dubious to begin with. It certainly was (and I suppose is) perhaps the oddest chapter/offspring of the Magisterial Reformation.

If you listen to the segment, keep Authority in mind and try and note the problems of resting on tradition. I would extend this observation to all denominational traditions but it is particularly poignant in this instance when the initial foundation was already weak and deficient.