But it would appear that The Living Church had to have Bishop Iker tell them. So TLC posted an article to that effect HERE.
TLC seems not to bear the idea that Bishop Iker is not the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, but rather of an entity of that name related to the Province of the Southern Cone. The episcopal office in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (part of TEC) is vacant.
TLC quotes Bishop Iker as follows:
“Anglo-Catholics, while grateful for this attitude, have called for a thorough theological and biblical study of the issue of the ordination of women as a top priority in the new province,” Bishop Iker said. “It must give due consideration to the reality that the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which together comprise over 80 percent of the world’s Christians, have already spoken on this issue and that unilateral actions on our part have already seriously damaged ecumenical relations for the future. Are we willing to submit to the mind of the whole church? Are we really committed to abiding by common consent as determined by general councils?”
I am curious just how Bishop Iker who feels we need to take seriously the Roman Catholics and Orthodox on the ordination of bishops feels about married bishops. And, just for fun, it would be of some interest to see just how he believes ACNA common consent is served by some internal jurisdictions to ACNA ordaining women as priests and others not.
But none of this is news to those who read the proposed constitution of the ACNA, which should it become a province would not be a third province of North America (as some would say) but rather the province of something other than the Anglican Communion related to the See of Canterbury, or the replacement province in the AC, replacing The Episcopal Church and The Anglican Church of Canada.
The weaseling effort of the Common Cause Partners and the emerging ACNA entity to introduce a "third province" is a sham. ACNA and the two whose jurisdiction it would completely overlap - namely TEC and ACoC- are incompatible primarily because the Jerusalem Declaration (which ACNA signs) rejects those churches and leadership that have denied orthodox faith, and mean TEC and ACoC. There is no "Third Province" contemplated, rather there is the attempt to usurp the place of these two churches with a new improved version.
Oh I'm SURE that the Roman Catholic and Orthodox practice concerning unmarried Bishop's is not applicable to Anglicanism. Just as the separatist get to pick and choose which parts of the Scriptures they want to enforce, the will likewise regain the ability to pick and choose from the practices of 80% of the world's Christians.
ReplyDeleteOf course the issue of the ordination of women will eventually cause even these puritans to begin fighting and separating from each other.
As far as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches are concerned, Iker is nothing more than a layman playing dressup.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how he feels about the fact taht the RC and OC both say Iker, Duncan and al those people are not even ordained. They have no valid ordiantion. Hummmmmmmm and those are the people Iker wants to make happy?
ReplyDeleteIt must be wonderful to have MPD.
Gays, women, all the same. As long as it's nothing that directly affects the former bishops. I wish one could challenge them on this selectivity.
ReplyDeleteBTW the secure word is "mates". heh.
IT
Yes, Robert, and sooner rather than later...
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of even having a third denomination if you have to shackle yourself to whatever the first two decide to do?
ReplyDeleteno usurpation...... the ABC will ask TECUSA and its satellites to sign the covenant his CDG provides.....when TECUSA et al walk away, the AC will need to encourage a North American presence which has no issue signing and abiding by the covenant - of course, TECUSA is capable of signing but not respecting the covenant (eg BO33 precendent) so maybe the AC has a few more years before it has to accept that TECUSA is on another trajectory to most of the AC (but now the markets have reduced TECUSA's wealth dramatically, influence at Lambeth Palace is going to be diminished (let's be honest, TECUSA basically pays for the Lambeth conference so the ABC had to invite nearly all TECUSA bishops) - but now, perhaps more truthfulness will be expected as TECUSA cannot splash the cash as easily as it once could)
ReplyDeleteSound and fury from the unobservant, because it seems difficult for the ABC to expect TEC to accede to a covenant to which it is now determined the Church of England cannot legally accede.
ReplyDeleteThere are enough provinces leery of this covenant, that I think it is pretty much dead in the water.
I'm no fan of Iker's, but nonetheless I want to share something I learned many years ago; that the Roman Catholic Church's position on married clergy is not on the same level as their position on WO. The RCC considers the former merely doctrine (a teaching of the church) while the latter is held to be dogma (an infallible, divinely inspired teaching.)
ReplyDeleteI became curious about the subject in the 80s when married Episcopal priests started leaving ECUSA for Rome. One such person was even installed at a local RC parish here in Fort Worth. I couldn't understand how that could be allowed, so I called the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth to find out. I was put through to a very, very nice woman who explained to me the doctrine/dogma distinction.
I remember her courtesy and friendliness as well as I do her explanation.
Cheers
My Greek Orthodox friend tells me that priests in their tradition can be married, but Bishops must be celibate.
ReplyDeleteIker better be careful what he wishes for.....
IT
It seems that in Romans 16:7 that Junia/Junias was most likely a woman apostle. Evidence from the earliest manuscripts and some of the church fathers point to this, ie. Jerome, Origen of Alexandria, and John Chrysostom. Later church notables include Hatto of Vercelli, Theophylack and Peter Abelard. See www.godswordto women.org/juniapreato.htm. I know many will point to Paul to the Corinthians concerning women's behavior in church, but I think that it is important to remember that specific contexts such as what was going on in the church at Corinth would not be the more applicable and universal as a more general context where women were in leadership roles in the early church as a whole as we see with Junia and Phoebe.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say the history of women in leadership is complex, and certainly in the ancient Roman world few women participated in leadership roles and in commerce as did Lydia which makes Paul's greeting even more significant.
It would be a shame for a church community to close off a channel for the Spirit to work in their midst. Remember not all women clergy are revisionist; many that I know are orthodox, very intelligent, pastoral and good leaders.
Thanks,
Judith Warren-Brown