Hilary Clinton - an inspiration to us all
I see that the Rev Christina Bradley has broken radio silence and finally revealed her deep sense of hurt supporting the old adage that if you can't win the argument, don't bother, just cry.
If you missed it this story concerns two presbyterian churches in Portadown that traditionally held a joint Christmas service. Only this year they didn't cos the other Minister (Stafford Carson - which sounds like a made up presbyterian name I would have used) refused to share his pulpit with a lady.
Rev Christina Bradley told Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence it was hard not to take it personally.
"People say 'well it's not meant personally', but it hurts me right down," she said.
"I can't go for a sex change just because some people don't like it that the Lord called me as a minister.
"But it touches my entire essence."
And there you have it - a nice little summary of the Catholic position - that there is an essential difference between men and women which no operation or decree by synod or assembly can change.
We had some suitably weasly words from Presbyterian Moderator Dr John Finlay.
Dr Finlay said: "We are quite unequivocal as far as women are eligible in the same terms as men and our stance on gender equality is absolutely clear on that one, and nobody is allowed to frustrate the law of the church, either an individual or a body. So that's one side of it. The other side of the story is that, as a church, we allow those who have reservations about the role of women in ministry to exercise freedom of conscience, so that nobody is forced to act contrary to their own personal opinions."
So we are "unequivocal" but "the other side of the story is". Someone should explain what "uneqivocal" means.
And lets hope our Church never gets into that sort of pickle. Did I hear another bishop refusing to allow the use of the Extraordinary Form?
