Right This Very Minute
Theology - N.T. Wrights and Wrongs
Written by Douglas Wilson
Thursday, 06 December 2012
Allow me to take just a brief moment to respond to some of the arguments presented here by Brad Littlejohn, in response to my recent interactions with N.T. Wright on the question of women's ordination.
Brad has a three basic problems with my take on the N.T. Wright business with women bishops.
First, he is concerned that conservatives not dismiss the liberals
with "the very same sort of arrogance and incomprehension" that (he
acknowledges) they treat us with. Now I quite agree that we ought not to
act like they do, and so I don't. But it is not arrogance to take
Wright to task for exegesis that he feels sheepish about, and which he
introduced to us with a very British self-deprecating cough. As those
who follow this blog know, I have honored Wright (and a bunch of his
work) plenty in this space. But on this issue he has beclowned himself,
and we are not fooling anybody by declining to say so.
Showing posts with label Ordination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ordination. Show all posts
Friday, 21 December 2012
Friday, 30 November 2012
Douglas Wilson's Letter From America
Serious Scholars Clown Car Review
Theology - N.T. Wrights and Wrongs
Written by Douglas Wilson
Monday, 26 November 2012
In the previous post, I took N.T. Wright to task for trifling with the text of 1 Tim. 2:12, and for insulting our intelligence. A discussion broke out in the comments about whether I had been too cavalier and dismissive of Wright. So here's a little something about all that.
In the first place, I did not refer to him as Entie Wright. I think that should count for something. In the second place, as one commenter pointed out, I have on numerous occasions been appreciative of Wright's contributions and scholarship. I have read a number of his books, and have learned a bunch. I am not walking any of that back. I just yesterday after church recommended one of his books (Surprised by Hope) to a parishioner. But third, and this is the main point now (a point which every successful Bible teacher ought to take to heart), he is a bibilical expositor, not a rock star, and not a celebrity.
Every expositor is capable of error, obviously, but sometimes the error is of a kind that is followed immediately with a clap of thunder.
Theology - N.T. Wrights and Wrongs
Written by Douglas Wilson
Monday, 26 November 2012
In the previous post, I took N.T. Wright to task for trifling with the text of 1 Tim. 2:12, and for insulting our intelligence. A discussion broke out in the comments about whether I had been too cavalier and dismissive of Wright. So here's a little something about all that.
In the first place, I did not refer to him as Entie Wright. I think that should count for something. In the second place, as one commenter pointed out, I have on numerous occasions been appreciative of Wright's contributions and scholarship. I have read a number of his books, and have learned a bunch. I am not walking any of that back. I just yesterday after church recommended one of his books (Surprised by Hope) to a parishioner. But third, and this is the main point now (a point which every successful Bible teacher ought to take to heart), he is a bibilical expositor, not a rock star, and not a celebrity.
Every expositor is capable of error, obviously, but sometimes the error is of a kind that is followed immediately with a clap of thunder.
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Douglas Wilson's Letter From America (About the Anglican Church)
Squeezing Harder Than That
Theology - N.T. Wrights and Wrongs
Written by Douglas Wilson
Friday, 23 November 2012
The Church of England just recently said no to women bishops. There were howls of outrage from all the predictable quarters, for whom such a troglodyte move is just smack-the-forehead baffling.
Now I can understand a vote against women bishops as a preliminary move to try to undo the ordination of women priests. And I can understand a vote for women bishops as the next logical step after having established the practice of ordaining women priests. What I don't get is the affirming the ordination of women priests and opposing them as bishops. The pig, once swallowed by the python, has to move on down the line.
Also what I don't get is the attempt by men like N.T. Wright to pretend that women's ordination is a matter of biblical obedience, as opposed to floating down the Whig view of history on an inner tube, right over the falls of progress. He attempts to do that here -- read the whole thing.
Wright tries to be the crusty conservative,
Theology - N.T. Wrights and Wrongs
Written by Douglas Wilson
Friday, 23 November 2012
The Church of England just recently said no to women bishops. There were howls of outrage from all the predictable quarters, for whom such a troglodyte move is just smack-the-forehead baffling.
Now I can understand a vote against women bishops as a preliminary move to try to undo the ordination of women priests. And I can understand a vote for women bishops as the next logical step after having established the practice of ordaining women priests. What I don't get is the affirming the ordination of women priests and opposing them as bishops. The pig, once swallowed by the python, has to move on down the line.
Also what I don't get is the attempt by men like N.T. Wright to pretend that women's ordination is a matter of biblical obedience, as opposed to floating down the Whig view of history on an inner tube, right over the falls of progress. He attempts to do that here -- read the whole thing.
Wright tries to be the crusty conservative,
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
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:
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:
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