Church of England: We Hate Women, Too!

Never mind that women have been ordained in the Episcopal Church for decades. Never mind that women are dynamically serving communities all over the world. Never mind that theologically everyone agreed long ago that once you began ordaining women the question was over and women bishops were inevitable.

Now, the radical right members of the Church of England -- who were always furious women have been treated as equal to men -- are now striking out and threatening schism if any woman becomes a bishop.

And why not? Attacking Christians who want to serve others but happen to be gay has been a bonanza for the radical right members of the Church. They've been able to turn their backs on the Church's most salient characteristic -- a warm, open-hearted approach to theology that leaves room for differences and for different parishes to proceed at different paces -- for the close-minded narrow idea that we already understand God completely and couldn't possibly ever gain in that knowledge through prayer and discussion.

The far right has been able to destroy amity and peace within parishes, urging people to break with their friends and neighbors, ignore Church law, attack the loving authority of their bishops and reach out to other radicals anywhere in the world who are willing to close their hearts and minds. With success like that, why would they stop the progress of the present? Now they want to roll back the advances of the past. Yes, this is the Church of England and not the Episcopal Church in the US (which already has female bishops and, of course, an openly gay one). But the independence that has always characterized the worldwide communion of the Episcopal Church is clearly under attack. And if they can succeed in England, the fringe members will certainly have a dramatic impact on the US.

Up next: a reappraisal on slavery.