Mawer, Percy, and the See of Sheffield: what if Conservative politicians had supported Philip North?

Sep 25, 2017 by Jill

by Archbishop Cranmer:

Sir Philip Mawer’s report on the circumstances surrounding the nomination of Bishop Philip North to the See of Sheffield makes interesting reading, in particular what it means for the ‘mutual flourishing’ of both proponents of women priests and bishops, and those unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests. By exhorting the House of Bishops to commission a group “with balanced membership” to review “what would mutual flourishing look like – for me, for you, and for the Church”, the concept is not merely kicked into the long grass; it is abrogated.

“Mutuality… means that those of differing conviction will be committed to making it possible for each other to flourish.” Yet what mutual agreement on the definition of ‘mutual flourishing’ can come from a group with a “balanced membership”, which must, by definition, be half-composed of those for whom there can be no mutual flourishing between those who believe women may be validly sacramentally ordained and those who work and pray for the extinction of women priests and bishops in the Church of England? Where is the ‘mutuality’ between the belief in valid sacramental equality, and what Professor Martyn Percy termed the “sacralised sexism” of bishops like Philip North? Is there really a walkable via media to be found beyond the fluffy verbiage of perpetual fudge? If we are to “Ban conservative bishops until we have gender equality“, how exactly are those conservative bishops (and like-minded priests and laity) supposed to flourish?

Or is Professor Percy to be barred from membership of Mawer’s proposed mutuality review group on account of his anti-mutuality convictions?

Actually, the Mawer review is nowhere near as interesting as Percy’s response to it, which came via Christian Today. And no paragraph was as interesting as this one:

Read here

Watch: Gavin Ashenden on so-called ‘mutual flourishing’ (scroll to around 7.15)