All about 'bishops' largely: news & comment round-up

After a blog-free week ....

The Church of England House of Bishops Statement on - yes, the inevitable subject of same sex marriage - has caused consternation on all fronts. 
However, the really disturbing news is not the theological double-speak and general incoherence of the pastoral guidelines themselves (we've grown used to these exercises in trying to reconcile the irreconcilable) but the seeming readiness of some of the 'inclusivists' - in public and in private - to appeal to the secular State (on the pretext of the C of E's 'establishment) to intervene in the business of the Church. 
They may live to regret that; although the potential areas of difference between the worldview of Anglican revisionists and that of secular modernism are admittedly becoming fewer and fewer .... 
We should anticipate - and prepare for - complete chaos .....
As one would expect, both Thinking Anglicans  and Anglican Mainstream have a comprehensive and regularly updated selection of news and comment on the subject.

Back to the bishops, this time on the subject of welfare reform. Of course, the usual theologically and politically naive questions start doing the rounds - can a Christian vote Conservative etc etc ? 
For some of us the more interesting question is whether conservatives with a small 'c' (those who both value tradition and continuity and believe in the duty to look after the the least fortunate) can either vote for today's Conservative Party or feel very much at home in modern Anglicanism ....

The Church in Wales has now completed its round of consultation meetings as part of the process for determining the Bench of Bishops' Code of Practice. 
Having attended the meeting in the Monmouth Diocese, I can witness to the constructive and generous spirit of most of the comments made, and to the fairly wide consensus emerging in the Province that there is need for the restoration of episcopal provision for traditionalists - although I came away once again feeling more than a little out of place in today's Church where wearing one's heart very conspicuously on one's sleeve is de rigeur .... 
And there was one delicious moment when a female cleric stood up and told us all it was time to stop playing the victim card. Of course, she was right: it is ... but the sentiment was perhaps, as they say, a bit rich coming from that quarter ..... and at this time ... ?

Now, of course,  it's up to the bishops....


KJS in the news again as, astonishingly, institutions fall over themselves to invite her [here and here]

Some may think this unfair, despite the lady's unfortunate habit of litigating the orthodox out of existence, but I was sent this ...