Lutherans Praise Anglican Support for Women Bishops

[Levahddi]

Lutherans Praise Anglican Support for Women Bishops



By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Jul. 11 2008 08:54 AM EDT



The Church of Norway praised the recent decision by the Church of England to allow women bishops, as both sides of the vote remain deeply divided.

Related
Church of England Confirms Support for Women Bishops (http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080708/church-of-england-confirms-support-for-women-bishops.htm)

"The Church of England has taken a bold and mature action knowing well the immediate costs involved," the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, which the majority of Norwegians are members of, said in a statement Thursday.
The General Synod of the Church of England voted Monday after a six-hour debate to support consecrating women as bishops. But it rejected safeguards that supporters of male-only priesthood had sought.
http://www.christianpost.com/article...en-bishops.htm (http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080711/lutherans-praise-anglican-support-for-women-bishops.htm)

[Till]

Excuse me, but living in the UK I do not regard this decision by the Synod of the CoE as praiseworthy and I wish the representatives of the Church of Norway would have remained quiet.

The matter will most likely cause many Conservative Anglo-Catholics to leave the Church of England and join Rome. Unfortunately they do not seem to consider joining a Conservative Lutheran church.

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Excuse me, but living in the UK I do not regard this decision by the Synod of the CoE as praiseworthy and I wish the representatives of the Church of Norway would have remained quiet.

The matter will most likely cause many Conservative Anglo-Catholics to leave the Church of England and join Rome. Unfortunately they do not seem to consider joining a Conservative Lutheran church.

Because of the term Lutheran, and the recent Lutheran/Anglican fellowship agreement, we are all painted with the same brush.

We have had a few disgruntled Anglicans come to a service, looking for a new Church home. They are offended by our practice of "closed Communion", and never come back. Even when Pastor explains it in a loving way.

It seems they come because of one or two issues: Female clergy and Bishops, and/or Anglican attitudes towards homosexuality. The rest of Anglican doctrine is just fine in their eyes. They do not want to be catechized, they want membership to be on their own terms.

I guess we can't be all things to all people.

[RadMan]

Now that is why some see the RCC and EO as a solid Orthodox religion. Because they do not waver and everyone knows where they stand when they join the denom. They havn't changed for centuries. People that think they might be interested in Lutheranism see articles like this and they have doubts. People see one Lutheran sect advocate women pastors and another that doesn't and they see one that has closed communion and another one that doesn't. It makes them wonder if we don't believe what we preach and that we waffle back and forth or believe everything that is "relevant". We as Lutherans have lost credibility and are just another "fad" among thousands of "happy-clappy" churches.

[seajoy]

Sadly enough, Rad, you are correct in your statements. Good post.

[Korah]

Excuse me, but living in the UK I do not regard this decision by the Synod of the CoE as praiseworthy and I wish the representatives of the Church of Norway would have remained quiet.

The matter will most likely cause many Conservative Anglo-Catholics to leave the Church of England and join Rome. Unfortunately they do not seem to consider joining a Conservative Lutheran church.
I was one of those "Conservative Anglo-Catholics" you're talking about.
I tried the Reformed Episcopal Church in 2003-2004, but they're staunchly Calvinistic, quite unacceptable to an Anglo-Catholic--indeed it is the direct descendent schismatic body from the Evangelicals who lost out 135 years ago. Even now in 2008, there is no glimmer on the horizon in the US of a significant Anglo-Catholic middle ground. I liked the Episcopal Church just the way it was (basically Anglo-Catholic ever since their triumph over the Evangelicals in the middle of the 19th Century), so the obvious choice for me was their Concordat partner, the ELCA. The ELCA is basically right by Liturgical Renewal standards, but in my church we skip over most of it and I go to the later contemporary worship anyway.
Returning to Rome is impossible for me as it claims too much that can thus be disproven. I would if I could.
Korah

[Till]

I was one of those "Conservative Anglo-Catholics" you're talking about.
I tried the Reformed Episcopal Church in 2003-2004, but they're staunchly Calvinistic, quite unacceptable to an Anglo-Catholic--indeed it is the direct descendent schismatic body from the Evangelicals who lost out 135 years ago. Even now in 2008, there is no glimmer on the horizon in the US of a significant Anglo-Catholic middle ground. I liked the Episcopal Church just the way it was (basically Anglo-Catholic ever since their triumph over the Evangelicals in the middle of the 19th Century), so the obvious choice for me was their Concordat partner, the ELCA. The ELCA is basically right by Liturgical Renewal standards, but in my church we skip over most of it and I go to the later contemporary worship anyway.
Returning to Rome is impossible for me as it claims too much that can thus be disproven. I would if I could.
Korah

So I guess it was Mr. Robinson that made you leave, right?

[Korah]

So I guess it was Mr. Robinson that made you leave, right?
Vicki Gene Robinson was just what exposed the rot that was already in the Episcopal Church. At that August 2003 General Convention they voted not just in favor of consecrating an active homosexual, they also voted down a resolution in favor of the Scriptures. And I soon found out the the Episcopal Church had already consecrated divorced and remarried men as bishops. I had already disapproved of designating women as bishops, usually pretty poor choices at that. I had already been in a Ministry program in 1993-97 in which the leader was on her way to becoming a priest, even though she is lesbian.
I still could have stayed Episcopalian if the Presiding Bishop had not violated his promise to the Archbishop of Canterbury and gone ahead and presided at the consecration of Robinson. He's actually worse than Robinson. And since then they elected a woman as Presiding Bishop who is even worse than the two of them together.
A personal note: of the many bishops who assisted at that consecration, one was conducting a religious class at my university in 1965. Another I had had twice substituting (in his "retirement) at parishes I attended. I liked them both. Even more unusual is that the Pastor of my parish in Davis, California got re-married in his third marriage while I was there, and I liked him and his (priest) wife. He is Barry Beisner, who became about 2007 the Episcopal Bishop of Northern California. So now the Episcopal Church has violated I Timother 3 not just in consecrating a homosexual bishop, several re-married bishops, but now a twice-remarried bishop.
As those of you know who are following the other threads in which I am involved here in TCL, I'm not one who is a rigid Biblicist. However, all the above was contumacious "spitting in the eyes" of those Episcopalians who were or are too Evangelical or Anglo-Catholic to tolerate much if any of the above.
Korah

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Now that is why some see the RCC and EO as a solid Orthodox religion. Because they do not waver and everyone knows where they stand when they join the denom. They havn't changed for centuries. People that think they might be interested in Lutheranism see articles like this and they have doubts. People see one Lutheran sect advocate women pastors and another that doesn't and they see one that has closed communion and another one that doesn't. It makes them wonder if we don't believe what we preach and that we waffle back and forth or believe everything that is "relevant". We as Lutherans have lost credibility and are just another "fad" among thousands of "happy-clappy" churches.

Right on! http://www3.christianforums.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif :thumbsup: I wish I had your perception John. Thanks for tying things together. Mark

[BabyLutheran]

We only clap in my ELCA church after a baptism! lol

And no hymns written after 1950