Hard to explain
This week the General Synod of the Church of England voted (by the narrowest of margins) not to go ahead with the consecration of women bishops. That prompted several bishops to comment that the decision would be hard to explain to outsiders. Actually, there are two things that are hard – though not impossible – to explain.
The first is: Why would anyone think that women bishops are a bad idea? When asked to answer that question on Radio WM last Wednesday morning, this is what I tried to say: Christians are meant to take everything they believe and do from the Bible. The Bible itself focuses on Jesus, what he did for us and what he said. Jesus told his followers that we can expect to be different from the world around us, and this is one of those areas of difference. According to the Bible, God has given to men the responsibility of leading both the human family and the church family. So, it is not appropriate for a woman to lead a local church – or to be a bishop, and lead the leaders of local churches.
The second is this: Why were people against the proposed legislation? Many felt the provision for those unable to accept women bishops was inadequate. Among other things, the proposed Code of Practice was yet to be written, so agreeing to it felt rather like signing a blank cheque. And, once written, it could be altered easily by a simple majority in General Synod. It was difficult to feel secure in those circumstances.