Messier Yet: The Case of the ACNA

Another hard-hitting critique from Touchstone's S.M. Hutchens, which follows an earlier one entitled The Conservative Episcopalian Mess.  Recent OJC comments on ACNA's mess can be read here, here, here and here.

It appears the fix is in.  One ACNA priest comments with reference to "Messier yet":

Well-written and well-reasoned, especially the part about churchmanship being a red herring.

A year ago, I'd have thought that the issue was probably going to fade away because of the lack of support for WO among the bishops as a whole. I.e., WO would die by attrition as the current female presbyters retire and few new ones are ordained.

Since then, I've heard an increasing reframing of the discussion (including by folks at the highest level of church authority) as to whether or not we'd continue in the "agreed" path of "dual-integrity," as if that was the plan in ACNA from the beginning rather than a temporary solution while the bishops did some theological work on the issue. That really smells like a bait-and-switch to me.

If it is still true that the vast majority of the bishops support the historic approach to Ordained Ministry, I wish they'd just be bishops in this matter rather than politicians. And if it's not true, I wish they'd stop stringing things along and just own up to WO being the law in ACNA so that folks for whom that is a deal breaker could move on.

Yep.

Comments

[Ken]

Has there ever been a time when supporters of WO haven't stabbed others in the back?

The fact that they never take "no" for an answer tells you all you need to know about them.

[The Haunted Bookman]

There has never been any happy ending to the myth of Woman's Ordination. Nobody benefits, and everybody is led astray.

When Anglican bishops grow a pair and send some women crying (and their male enablers), there'll be more rejoicing at the Eschaton. I for one relish the day when this ghastly hydra's head is finally severed.