This was a sad day for me at Synod.
It was sad to hear from Bishop Saibo Mabo how changing tidal patterns and sea levels are already beginning to impact on our Torres Strait Island brothers and sisters.
It was also sad because, as we passed motions encouraging defence force chaplaincy and its future development, the Synod was told of the death of another Australian soldier in Afghanistan. We stood in a minute's silent prayer.
It was sad as " during Evening Prayer " we joined in asking God's mercy for Rev David Cole from Rosemeadow Parish and for the Shillington family, as David conducts the funeral for that little boy who was so tragically killed.
"Welcoming' women bishops
In an entirely different way, for some it was sad because we were asked not just to note but to welcome the Appellate Tribunal decision saying that " although no one had really realised it " the consecration of women bishops has been legal in our denomination for some time. Sad because the proponents of this move have not taken this step by the normal denominational method of persuading enough in Synod to pass a bill for it, but by a technical court case.
I can note the reality that it's coming. But like many others, because of my conscientious reading of Scripture, I cannot welcome this decision. Just tonight I counted Synod reps from over 10 dioceses who object to this step. Some of them have been persecuted because of their views. As Bishop Glenn Davies said in the relevant debate, we pray those in favour of women bishops will genuinely work through how to care for those who decline to receive the ministry of a woman bishop.
Denying the cross of Christ?
But in some ways the saddest thing of all today was that Synod declined even to make a decision on the following straightforward motion about the cross of Christ, presented by Dr Barry Newman:
"Synod humbly acknowledges that in the determined love of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, died for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, bearing our guilt in our place, enabling our redemption from the slavery and curse of sin, our total forgiveness, no debt owing, freely given but obtained at great cost, a righteousness from God, not our own, peace with God, reconciled to him, no longer his enemies, our adoption as his children, and our salvation from the coming wrath on the Day of the Lord, and gives heartfelt thanks to Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, for his overwhelming grace, love and mercy."
Synod heard excellent speeches combining broad biblical evidence for this view along with personal appreciation for what Jesus has done for us from Sydney brothers like Bishop Al Stewart, Rev Fergus Semler, Rev Dr Mark Thompson and Bishop Peter Brain from Armidale.
Ridiculous excuses were made for not accepting this motion. A couple of speakers said the motion was flawed because it did not mention the resurrection, or Christ's work in creation. Except for the Creed, neither does the Book of Common Prayer Communion Service! And no motion of Synod ever mentions everything. And this opposition came even after the following amendment was rightly included, "acknowledging that no one metaphor, model or analogy exhausts or fully contains the mystery of God's action in Christ."
Worse still, in the end, the motion was not even voted on, by means of an unusual Synod mechanism " the "previous question". It's a provision in Standing Orders that enables people to "avoid or postpone a decision on any question". Apparently a majority of Synod members did not think they could make a decision about this central truth of the meaning of the death of Christ and its meaning for us. So they voted not to vote on it!
One lay member from another diocese said to me he needed more teaching on this. I pray he gets it. But I am not hopeful. One priest from another diocese said to me he didn't want to vote against it, but he didn't really want to vote for it either.
What's happened to Article 2 of the 39 Articles? It declares our Anglican standard of belief in "one Christ, very God and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile His Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men."
As one experienced Sydney rep commented to me: the only way the Anglican denomination can stay united is by avoiding talk about basic theology! Because if General Synod tries to talk about something as central as the death of Christ, it seems we cannot agree. Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I can tell you: the Sydney Synod reps I spoke to were very saddened by the failure of this motion.
