From the Revd James Paice and others
Sir, - We are pleased to hear that at last the Church of England
is making provision for those clergy who believe in a biblical and
complementarian view of ministry, by the announcement that the next
Bishop of Maidstone will be a conservative Evangelical. We have
waited many years for this provision, ever since so-called "flying
bishops" were introduced, all of whom have been Anglo-Catholic.
Key will be the detail, of course, of whether such a bishop is
allowed to conduct ministry unimpeded in every diocese, and also
whether he will be allowed to conduct ministry alone. But we are
grateful for this provision.
To expect one person to cover the whole of the country, however,
is to risk that someone fails before he even starts. Can we suggest
that the Bishop of Maidstone cover the Province of Canterbury? And
that the Archbishop of York now make similar provision for the
other half of the Church of England? Perhaps even in the vacant
suffragan see of Hull?
James Paice, Adam Young, Gavin Ashenden, Nigel Atkinson, David
Craven, Rob Desics as from St Luke's, Wimbledon Park, London
SW19 8BZ
From Mr Peter Lewis
Sir, - Where has Robin Goodgame (Letters, 28
November) been for the past 50 years, if he does not know that
some men have been "fast-tracked" to senior posts with very little
experience of other posts? I will not go into examples from the
1970s and 1980s based on public-school connections or aristocratic
family links rather than on evident talent; but I would ask him to
look at a happier, recent, example: the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The speed with which Archbishop Welby moved from Liverpool to
Durham and then Canterbury suggests a good model for how some of
the very able women might need to spend little time "progressing"
(if that is the right word) to very high office indeed.
This speedy recognition of one person's gifts has been of
immense value to the Church. I am confident that there are also
women of such ability, and that the result of their rapid progress
will be as happy as it has been in the Archbishop's case.
PETER LEWIS
4 Yokecliffe Hill
Wirksworth DE4 4PE