A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

Womenpriests and women bishops

I am strongly in favor of women’s ordination and full participation at every level of the church’s ministry, but I have to say I don’t really understand this. Secret ordinations, skirting bishops’ jurisdictions and so forth ironically seem to assume a far more “mechanical” concept of ordination than even those of their antagonists. Plus, it seems like these ladies are simultaneously saying that they are and are not under Rome’s authority. Otherwise, why continue to claim that they’re Roman Catholic? All in all it’s a very Protestant sort of way to go about things.

On a related note, readers might find this of interest. It is a response to Rome on the issue of women bishops co-written by Anglican Bishops Tom (N.T.) Wright and David Stancliffe.

7 responses to “Womenpriests and women bishops”

  1. The young fogey

    I wrote about this here.

    Reply
  2. Joshie

    Isn’t

    Reply
  3. Joshie

    d’oh

    Isn’t Sinead O’Connor involved with a group like that?

    Reply
  4. Lee

    I think the outfit she’s associated with is a breakaway church – something called the “Latin Tridentine church” according to this BBC story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/328709.stm

    (Funny, the name makes it sound like some sort of ultra-traditionalist organization.)

    What’s weird about these ladies, at least to me, is that, rather than starting a new church, they’re claiming to be ordained in a church which doesn’t recognize their ordination, which is a difficult position to maintain, to say the least.

    Reply
  5. Joshie

    My lovely bride often expresses similar sentiments about catholics who constantly complain about how they disagree with this or that doctrine or policy.

    I think we protestants (even Anglicans and Lutherans) underestimate the extent to which “being catholic” is such a part of the identity of catholics. Maybe it has to do with ethnic identity or the teaching that the RCC is THE true church, but being catholic, for many people, seems to be bigger than assent to what the catholic church teaches and does. Just some thoughts.

    Reply
  6. Lee

    I think you might be onto something there. I’ve even known lapsed Catholics who self-identify as atheists but still regard the RCC as The Church and all others as pale imitations.

    Reply
  7. Chip Frontz

    Couple ways to look at the two posts above:

    1) You are part of a family. You disagree with what the family does. You’re still part of the family.

    2) Roman Catholicism is by far the most numerous, pervasive, Christian body in the world. By its claim they are THE body. Atheists who look for a bogeyman certainly are not looking at the PCUSA.

    Reply

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