Friday, August 5, 2011

Marian Episcopacy

At last the full text of Bishop Victoria Matthew's address to the WATCH/Open Synod meeting in England at the beginning of July is on the web, courtesy of Thinking Anglicans. The whole is well worth a read, but here are a couple of excerpts with an element of provocation (i.e. provoking us to think differently)!

"So again let me say that speaking about the idea of women in the episcopate does seem a bit odd to me. Believe in it? I live the reality. But let me also say that if you are experiencing this conversation and my presence as something of a disaster, an earthquake happening out of the blue, than please know you will be a casualty if you do not actually engage the earthquake. Sitting in shock as your house comes down in not healthy. Earthquakes require response and recovery because the one thing that will not happen is that they go away and life continues as normal. Earthquakes change your experience of life and knowing that is the first step to a healthy and life-saving response."

Bishop Victoria speaks clearly and powerfully about the role of Mary Magdalene as Apostle to the Apostles, but also says this about Mary the Mother of Jesus as sacramental leader:

"I suggest to you that Paul was enough of an Alpha male that he was most interested in gathering the leaders. Both male and female Christians are his target. This strongly suggests to me that women held positions of leadership in the early church and that this was recognized and acted on by Saul. But as a catholic as well as evangelical Christian I find the strongest argument is the Virgin Mary who grows in her womb the body and blood of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. She is therefore the first celebrant of the Eucharist. “Let it be according to your word.” "

Bishop Victoria also has some very interesting and moving things to say about being a woman bishop in relation to bishops of Anglican and other churches who do not agree with woman bishops.

12 comments:

Brother David said...

Here is another sermon on the episcopacy, that also touches upon the Magdalene apostleship;
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/services.sermons.php?id=397

carl jacobs said...

Speaking from experience, you don't "engage an earthquake." You ride it out, and hope nothing falls on your head. If you are experiencing the advent of women bishops as an earthquake, then all you can do is assess the damage after the fact, and see if there is anything to salvage. It's very possible that life will not be able to continue as before. Sometimes the earthquake does so much damage, there is nothing to do but rip down the building and construct a replacement elsewhere.

carl

Bryden Black said...

There is a certain, not to say delicious, irony (given the present RCC stand-off) in +VM's making Mary, the Mother of Jesus, so central.

Of course St Luke makes her an archetypal disciple, so that we may all become "mothers of Jesus", bringing forth "a hundred-fold harvest", as we "ponder" the word and "obey" it faithfully.

Interestingly, she is too both utterly 'evangelical' (in her attention to the word) and supremely 'charismatic' (in her prayerful openness to the Holy Spirit).

These things might teach us all something as well ...

Peter Carrell said...

REMINDERS to commenters: despite my having broken my own rule recently, the rule is, NO anonymous commenters, and especially not those making snide remarks!

Peter Carrell said...

What a sad world, Carl, is the world in which women bishops shift tectonic plates. They are just human beings like everyone else in the church. Nothing to fear!

carl jacobs said...

Peter Carrell

It's not about fear. It's about principle. It's about faithfulness to Scriptural authority, and refusing to allow external norms to drive exegesis. To cast the argument in terms of fear is to trivialize the conflict.

The bishop chose an interesting metaphor. Remember that the damage from the earthquake is inflicted upon existing structures. Those who find their structure uninhabitable may be rendered homeless for a time, but they will construct another. What of those who insist on saying in a building the foundation of which has been hopelessly compromised? How long before they are consumed by the collapsing rubble?

carl

Anonymous said...

"What a sad world, is the world in which gay bishops shift tectonic plates. They are just human beings like everyone else in the church. Nothing to fear!"

Alison

Peter Carrell said...

Hi Carl,
God created and redeemed human beings. Human beings are either male or female. Together we make up the church, one body of Christ. The foundation of that body is the gospel and the head (or capstone) of that body is Christ. The only compromise which can shake the foundation is compromise of the gospel. The gospel does not divide the world into male and female divisions so that if one crosses over from one to the other then the gospel is compromised.

If women bishops constitute an earthquake for a church then what is being cracked up or liquefied is a presumption that has taken on concrete form (perhaps hardening over centuries) that the gospel includes division of society and church into separated, non-contaminating male and female roles. The gospel does not.

Indeed, on the contrary, as Bishop Victoria's address reminds us, women as much as men were instrumental in proclaiming the gospel: that God has come among us in human flesh and God has been raised from the dead. Bishops, whether male or female, are gospel ministers. So long as they preach the gospel they strengthen the foundation of the church.

Peter Carrell said...

Hi Alison,
Indeed, if 'gay' is a morally, theologically neutral word like 'man' or 'woman', then wht you say is agreeable.

But the Anglican Communion is not yet agreed on that neutrality, so some shifting has been taking place in recent years.

Bryden Black said...

Actually Carl; I rather like your critique of the earthquake metaphor. Such subliminal things are worth pointing out; thanks!

Tho, of course, I happen to agree with WO, to both priesthood and episcopacy.

Anonymous said...

The Anglican Communion is not yet agreed on the neutrality of the word 'man' or 'woman' in relation to ordination or leadership. It is astonishing that you suggest that when the context of your own post is discussion about this very point! So some shifting has been taking place in recent years.

Alison

Peter Carrell said...

Hi Alison,
As far as I am aware the presence of women, including as women bishops at bishops' events, is a matter of neutrality for the Communion, even though within some member countries the question of women in ministry leadership is not necessarily neutral (most notably, at the moment, the Church of England).

In saying the above I am aware of some allegations that some primates may have some kind of anti-communion thing about Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori being present at primatial meetings. But I am not aware of these allegations being proven.

A key event (IMHO) is the Lambeth Conference. For say 1998 and 2008, are you aware of any bishops who did not attend because there would be female bishops present?