Lest we think that the American branch of the Anglican Church is the only one with significant internal controversy, here’s a story about recent news that threatens the internal unity of Anglicanism in Australia:
“The Anglican Church’s highest court has cleared the way for women bishops – but the Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, will carry on the fight against them.
The Appellate Tribunal, by a 4-3 majority, found there is no constitutional barrier to women becoming bishops in the Australian church. The decision could lead one day to a woman leading the Australian church.
The Church of England, mother church of the world’s 77 million Anglicans, voted a year ago to consecrate women bishops.
But the Australian decision to break the stained glass ceiling is likely to exacerbate divisions in church ranks. The national church is considering ways to provide oversight to traditionalists unwilling to accept women bishops.
Dr Jensen, who opposes women exercising headship over men in the church as priests or as bishops, predicted the ‘innovation’ would ‘inevitably create ongoing difficulties around the church for decades to come’.
‘Those who are opposed to this development base their objection on conscientious grounds as a matter of biblical principle,’ Dr Jensen said.
Australia’s primate, the Brisbane Archbishop, Dr Phillip Aspinall, one of four tribunal members to vote in favour of women bishops, said the ruling was a milestone.”
Read the rest here.