Women as bishops / edited by James Rigney with Mark D. Chapman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rigney, James.

Chapman, Mark D. (Mark David), 1960-

Charlton Yarnall Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Church of England.

Women bishops.

Physical Description:

ix, 200 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Mowbray, 2008.

Summary:

Women as Bishops sets out the theological case for the ordination of women bishops in the Church of England. A distinguished assemblage of contributors put forth lively arguments in favour of the idea that it is not only possible, but desirable, that women be consecrated as bishops in the Church. Furthermore this groundbreaking collection asserts that it is timely to proceed with such plans now.

The book features contributions from Oxford theologians Mark Chapman, Charlotte Methuen and Jane Shaw as well as figures from the Old Catholic and Methodist Churches and a discussion from leading Roman Catholic proponent for women's ordination, John Wijngaards. Charlotte Methuen and Barry Norris begin the discussion fittingly with considerations of validity and competence. This becomes further examined in the response from David Stancliffe (Bishop of Salisbury) and Tom Wright (Bishop of Durham) to Cardinal Kasper's controversial address to the Church of England House of Bishops meeting in 2006. Separate chapters deal specifically with the criticisms raised by the Roman Catholic bishops of England and Wales and by conservative Anglo-Catholics. As a result the debate is given a clear, scholarly voice from a Catholic perspective in favour of women bishops. This seeks to address the hitherto lack of positive reflection on this crucial issue facing the Church today.

Contents:

1 The Calling of Women as Bishops / Jane Shaw 6

2 The Concept of Validity / Barry Norris 14

3 'To Visit, Repress, Reform, Correct, Restrain and Amend': Historical Reflections on the Competence of the Church of England / Charlotte Methuen 21

4 Women Bishops? Views in the Roman Catholic Church, Official and Otherwise / John Wijngaards 31

5 Methodism and Women Bishops / David Carter 43

6 Episcopal-synodical Church Structure: Some Reflections on Issues of Synodality and Authority from an Old Catholic Perspective / Angela Berlis 62

7 Women with Oversight: Evidence from the Early Church / Charlotte Methuen 72

8 Anglo-Catholics and the Myths of Episcopacy / Mark D. Chapman 92

9 Women Bishops: A Response to Cardinal Kasper / Tom Wright, David Stancliffe 110

10 Epilogue: Recent Developments in the Women Bishops Debate / Mark D. Chapman 124

Appendix Affirming Catholicism Documents on the Women Bishops Debate

Document 1 Letter from Richard Jenkins, Director of Affirming Catholicism to Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford (3 November 2005) 131

Document 2 Developing the Proposals in the Guildford Report (2 April 2006) 139

Document 3 Submission to the Women Bishops Legislative Drafting Group by the Standing Committee of Affirming Catholicism (30 March 2007) 152

Document 4 Letter from the Revd Jonathan Clark to Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, with Clarifications to Submission (7 September 2007) 190.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page 200) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charlton Yarnall Fund.

ISBN:

0567032248

9780567032249

OCLC:

156890964