Following the CoE debate on women bishops

Later this week the Church of England General Synod will begin debate women bishops. Teacher, and General Synod member, Justin Brett gives an extensive lesson on how the debate is structured, and where the major turning points are. It's too good to excerpt. If you want to understand the debate as it unfolds, read Brett's lesson now.

(From the official Outline Agenda it appears that Saturday is the major day of debate on Women in the Episcopate.)

Christina Rees has written A Response to the Archbishops’ Amendments. She concludes:

To submit these amendments, which have not been discussed before by the Revision Committee, is to take them out of the careful process and puts the Synod in the position of voting on something that has not been subject to the same degree of scrutiny that all the other submissions have been subject to. As several people have observed, this is reminiscent of the process surrounding the passing of the Act of Synod in November 1993, when General Synod was presented with proposals it had not had time to debate before in Synod or in the dioceses. The Act of Synod was presented as a solution by the bishops and General Synod was put under immense pressure to pass it. If nothing else, we should have learned from that experience, that if something does not make theological sense, don’t do it.
H/T Thinking Anglicans.

Posted by John B. Chilton on July 7, 2010 12:40 PM | |
Comments (2)

The debate is scheduled for at least two days, Saturday, and then Monday. If needed, there is some time available on Tuesday as well.

Posted by Simon Sarmiento [TypeKey Profile Page] | July 7, 2010 1:33 PM

You know, we can always learn even from those who are different. As a Deputy to General Convention, I found two late comments interesting. It seems that time is not given to debate a matter unless (1) someone announces the intent to speak in opposition, and (2) a certain minimum number of members of Synod agree that they have an interest in debating the matter. Recently on the listserve of the President of the House of Deputies we were discussing how to be more effecient, in light of the fact that Convention in 2012 is to be shortened by two days. I think we might want to consider such measures. Sure, they'd cut off some folks who want to tell everyone just what a good thing to do this or that measure is (including myself, perhaps); but if no one has expressed opposition, it suggests everyone already believes the measure is a good thing to do. Interesting, isn't it?

Marshall Scott

Posted by Execute [TypeKey Profile Page] | July 7, 2010 2:06 PM

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