My Lady Bishop

Not being a member, it's not really my place to offer comment on what the Church of England decides to do, however, some of thee reasoning behind the move to ordain women in its ranks as bishops does open itself up to comment on the grounds of offences against logic, if nothing else. 

Another reason for comment is that the model of the Anglican Communion is one that many in the Catholic Church would (frighteningly) have us follow. Therefore revealing its inaccuracies and inconsistencies is a work of pastoral care within the Church. 

One further reason is that, while I can concede the right to dress more or less how you please, I find cross-dressing a rather strange choice for those wishing to be taken seriously and I can't help seeing a lady in a dog-collar as someone dressed up in something outlandish or at least just plain silly. (No doubt, this puts me somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun and a completely un-reconstucted male chauvinist.)

Putting aside all the theological arguments - which I think  are overwhelming and no matter what I think are the settled doctrine of the Church - I keep hearing that the non-ordination of women (as bishops or priests) puts Christians out of step with modern society (in the Western liberal world, of course!)  That it seems incomprehensible to those who are not Christians.  If I may make so bold - there are many teachings at the core of Christianity that are incomprehensible  and out of step in the minds of non-believers: the Incarnation, the Redemption, eternal life, etc etc.  Should we therefore also jettison these?  If so, we would be left with no Church at all, no faith at all, no Christianity at all. Which seems a rather odd way to go about living and proclaiming the Gospel.  So lets not think that we must use the Anglican template as a good one to adopt. Pulling out the ground from underneath us won't be any help at all to us in making ourselves look logical or sensible to the world around us.  Staying true to our core principles and our own foundation documents (to use some modern phrases) might just make it possible to be taken seriously.