Those Horrible Conservative Anglicans

 Entertaining Apoplexy

We have been largely amused at the intemperate venting of spleen over the Anglican Church's decision not to ordain women as bishops.  For some it is a sign of the end of the world.  For others it is a deadly insult to modern educated progressive Man, er--Person.  Still others see it as an embarrassing anachronism. 

Granted the Anglican Church is in all sorts of strife and bother over this--largely because of inconsistency.  It has recognised female bishops in countries such as New Zealand and the United States.  It has ordained women as priests, curates, ministers, archdeacons--whatever they might be called.  So why does the "office" of bishop represent the Rubicon beyond which "you shall not pass"?  Granted episcopally governed churches are hierarchical and bishops represent the locus of church authority and power.  But how compelling is this case when the Bible's teachings on the matter of men exclusively holding office have been re-interpreted or ignored or glossed to mean something else for all other ordained offices in the Anglican Church.  If those arguments are compelling for vicars, they must be equally compelling for bishops--surely.

These peccadilloes notwithstanding the outrage has been diverting.  Here is a sample from a correspondent for The Guardian:

Godly Divisions

Leaving Egypt

The Blaze recently cross-posted an article on the state of the Episcopal Church in the United States.  It is being crushed under the weight of its own putrescence.  More and more congregations, and now dioceses are breaking away.  They are following in the footsteps of our father, Moses (Hebrews 11: 24--27).  What's left is a ghoulish spectre of a diabolical aping of the Christian faith.  The works of Modor writ large.