GP Taylor: If we throw out our tradition, the Church is finally doomed

IT was a cold winter night and two altar candles lighted the empty church. The green sprigs and white flowers hung from the ends of each pew as I prayed the office of Evensong alone. I had been instructed to do this by my mentor, Chris Tubbs, on one of the few nights of the year when he was not in church.

I prayed for the Queen, her Ministers and the world. Then, in the darkness, came the sound of cloven hooves on the cold stone of the porch. I watched in horror as the door was opened slowly. The footsteps came into church although I could see

no one.

Fearing a visitation of the devil to smite the young Ordinand, I jumped to my feet. The cloven hooves trotted faster, nearer and nearer. I screamed. The untethered churchyard goat looked around the edge of the pew and began to eat the flowers. I slumped into the pew and wiped the sweat from my brow. This was the Church of England on its knees – a ship of fools.

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Twenty-five years and three parishes later, I worry for the state of what was once a glorious institution. The Church stands even further on the edge of society than it did then.

As the rest of us watch the World Cup Final, the Church of England will meet under the guidance of Rowan Cantuar and Sentamu Ebor to discuss one of the most critical and divisive pieces of legislation brought before the Church since Henry VIII wanted a quickie divorce – Women in the Episcopate.

Sexual equality is a fact and a positive thing for our society. It has made the world a far better place. In the Church, the ordination of women to the priesthood has radically altered ministry for all time. Yet, 16 years later, the ramifications are still being felt. Now a measure to allow women to be Bishops is likely to split the Church forever.

Many people outside the Church don't know what all the fuss is about and even more don't really care. They see the Church as outdated, moribund and dead from the neck down. This will be seen as a stupid argument of men being better than women – which it is certainly not.

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Faith to them is of no use and plays no part of their lives, and yet the Church of England battles on. In most villages and towns you will see the spire, hear the bells and avail yourself of its Services. Some will visit once a year or three times a lifetime. Hatch them, Match them, Dispatch them is what the Church is really good at.

But soon that could be a thing of the past. I know many priests who will leave and I believe it will be far more than can be imagined. Some will go to Rome and others will set up Anglican Churches under the care of Bishops from other countries. The debate in Synod is so explosive it could destroy the Church.

According to some, 2,000 years of tradition and Biblical teaching is about to be thrown out. What will happen is that the churches that leave will be those that are Evangelical, Charismatic or Anglo Catholic. Financially, these are the ones that give most to central funds. Within 10 years, their lack of donations of up to 22m could seriously damage the future of the church.

Wallace Benn, the Bishop of Lewes, said: "In the end this is an issue about our view of Holy Scripture and this is why it matters to us so much as ministers of the Word."

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I find that challenging. It begs the questions – are faith and religion open to the same pressures and norms as ordinary life? Is it acceptable in the 21st century to have an institution that has its own rules different from the world's? Can you change the decrees of the Bible that Christians believe are the inspired words of God? If you join a golf club you expect to adhere to the rules of golf and not change them if they seem old-fashioned. Christianity is about belief in a supernatural God that imparts faith in a supernatural way. Should God's teachings be altered because they no longer fit our views on gender?

As a Christian, I take my teaching from the New Testament, the words of Jesus and the traditions of the Church. The law of Leviticus does not bind me. In many ways I wish that many of the problematical passages of Scripture didn't exist. But, they do and like them or not I have to go along with them. And even though I don't like it, the Bible is very clear to me on women bishops.

The world isn't beating down the door of Islam to force it to have female Imans. So why is the Church singled out for such treatment?

Another astonishing thing is that those who disagree with the idea of women bishops have no protection or safeguards. It's a like-it or lump-it deal being pushed through by so-called "liberals" who have the liberalness of Attila the Nun.

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It seems that if you don't agree with them, then you are a woman-hater who probably bites the head of a hamster for tea. The views of traditionalists in the Church are being discarded.

Suddenly there is no room or tolerance for any diversity of thought. We are no longer a broad Church where we can think differently but still be in Communion. That situation is now dead. I would warn Cantaur and Ebor as God's appointed that they are leaders of the Church with its history and teachings and not Marks & Spencer. The Lord will judge His people; it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

GP Taylor is an ordained Anglican priest, writer and broadcaster. His latest novel The Vampyre Labyrinth is out soon.