Bishop Alan Wilson on women bishops

There's a post at The Tablet's blog from an Anglican about the amendments made to the women bishops legislation in the Anglican Church which will, in effect, let conservatives (those who don't believe women can be priests/bishops) always and ever have only male priests/bishops to deal with.

He's a conservative not in favor of women bishops and he seems surprised at the reaction of liberals to these amendments. He writes .... The chief problem is that many of the most ardent supporters of women bishops, whilst liberal in their theology, are decidedly illiberal in their attitude towards those with whom they disagree.. This complaintt shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be liberal. A liberal attitude is not synonymous with "anything goes". Having a liberal attitude means that you thirst for social justice, so no, a liberal will not say that those who discriminate against others have the right to do so.

Thinking Anglicans has a lot of links about the amendments, including those to posts by Andrew Brown and Bishop Alan Wilson ... Women bishops: some media reports and blog reactions.

Here's just a bit from Bishop Alan's post ...

Cooking the Curate’s Egg

[...] Down the road leading here two mantras have pullulated behind the discussion:

(1) “This isn't, of course, about gender. Perish the Thought.”

This assertion is a lie. It is, and it always was. Discriminatory is as discriminatory does. It is not for the discriminator to judge the matter, based on their intentions, but those discriminated against, based on what actually happens. All else is illusion.

(2) “This is about theology not discrimination.”

This assertion is a lie. However you tart it up, Trevor Huddleston showed us years ago, discriminating is actually a theological assertion. Imagine, as I have attempted sincerely to do, that there is a theology that justifies treating women, against their will and calling, as inferior. I can't conceive of such a thing, but let's suspend disbelief for a moment. What is the difference between that noble theology and cultural prejudice dressed in voodoo? At no time in the past five years has anyone showed me. All that unites reactionaries in this matter seems to be a cultural prejudice against seeing women in positions of authority, reinforced by a reactionary subculture. It is every bit as much drawn from the contemporary world’s values as progressive aspiration. It’s just drawn from the reactionary quarter of them.