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New Evangelical Bishop of Kensington Gets Pushback on Twitter
By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
December 22, 2022
The announcement that the Rt. Rev. Dr Emma Ineson, an evangelical scholar has been appointed as the Diocese of London's next Bishop of Kensington, evoked outrage on Twitter.
Ineson has impeccable evangelical credentials. She is a British Anglican bishop and academic, specializing in practical theology. Since 2021, she has served as "Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York", i.e., assistant bishop on the staffs of both archbishops. From 2014 to 2019, she was Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, an evangelical Anglican theological college; and from 2019 to 2021, she was Bishop of Penrith, the suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Carlisle; she is to become area Bishop of Kensington in spring 2023. She is a linguist with a BA degree and studied theology and graduated with a further BA degree in 1999. She holds an MPhil and PhD. She is better qualified than the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, a former nurse who holds a diploma of theology from the Univ. of Kent.
On 15 December 2022, it was announced that Ineson would be the next Bishop of Kensington, an area bishop in the Diocese of London. She will take up the appointment in spring 2023.
Pushback was certain and vicious. Twitter feed went ballistic. "Is this the same bishop responsible for the initial Lambeth Calls - specifically, the rewriting of the one on sexuality that added in Lambeth 1.10 without reference to the drafting group & lead to an embarrassing U turn?" cried Gill Cain (she/they)
"Is she getting ready for those who want alternative oversight when the Church of England introduces same sex weddings?" Said another tweet.
"What is this fast-tracking of priests with hardly more than a moment in a parish. The fact that this move is in London is also quite a statement from the CofE. I'm struggling to believe it really is committed to inclusion." - BarchesterJupiter
"Is the Church of England committed to SAYING it is committed to inclusion, anti-racism, anti-homophobia. BUT the actions she this is simply NOT TRUE.
"Anti-gay church said what?"
"Homophobes rising through the ranks!" -- Matthew Drapper
The Church of England is lining up the anti-gay pieces on the board, I see. It's like they are speed running the destruction of the church. For what?
"No matter how much the Church claims it's inclusive, it keeps nurturing backwards evangelicalism and its racist, homophobic, xenophobic BS by promoting homophobes, racists, and xenophobes. Staggering."-- Joseph Barnes
"Imagine signing a letter condemning lgbt+ people, running an international conference which disinvites lgbt+ spouses, then attempts to reaffirm anti lgbt+ motion but fails and then being promoted to be Bishop to a city one of the highest lgbt+ populations in Europe. Unbelievable." --Charlie Bell
But it was not all negative. "A great appointment - the best!" cried Stuart Blakley
"Many congratulations, Bishop Emma - welcome to Kensington!" -Paul Cowley MBE
"Congratulations, great news," said Dave Harries.
"Many congratulations on this appointment and all the best for this new role." -- Fr. Peter Wojcik
Of course, the real issue is homosexual behavior which both Scripture, history and tradition say is wrong. We will know more when Synod meets in 2023 to decide the fate of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) report and whether same-sex marriage is finally and irrevocably brokered into the church. If that happens, all hell will break loose with the Anglican Province of Uganda already threatening to cut ties to the Church of England making it a fait accompli.
A source told VOL that Ineson is actively involved in conservative groups in and around General Synod and is well respected in evangelical circles. "Welby probably wanted her out of Lambeth Palace to make way for some box-ticking appointment."
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