I am much exercised at the moment as to the unfolding situation in the Church of England. Those of us who have always wished to stress the catholic inheritance of the CoE have now reached the point at which it is going to be unimaginably difficult to remain in this ecclesial community for very much longer.
Following the decision to allow the priestly ordination of women back in 1992, the CoE developed the strange, novel and ungrammatical notion of the 'two integrities'. This arose not out of a genuine desire to be accommodating to those who simply wished to maintain an orthodox stance; but rather, out of a utilitarian desire to get the legislation permitting the ordination of women through the General Synod. If anyone doubts this, and would call me cynical, I would simply say that the recent decisions of the Synod to allow no accommodation of our position show clearly that there is no lasting place for us, in spite of the solemn promises of the past of an enduring and honoured place.
The 'two integrities', whilst introducing great anomaly into Anglican ecclesiology, at least created a space for us to occupy whilst a process (open-ended, we were told) of reception began. This is now to come to an end. There will be nowhere for us in the CoE. I have reached the point now where, even if something is done for us (which seems a forlorn hope), I'm not sure whether I want to stay in communion with those who would create a church and, indeed, a body of doctrine according to their own specifications. Apart from being in communion with the Church Commisissioners, what is there to be said for it, when any space made available would be grudging, provisional and temporary?
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