To open minded people of goodwill and human compassion the decision of the Synod to block the appointment of women bishops beggars belief. In fact the majority of every voting component of the church and its members wish to proceed, but a small and selfish minority have been able to exploit checks in the voting system to over-ride the wishes of the majority. It is not surprising that there is near universal dismay.
The proposition that somehow men are closer to God than women and more favoured by him, is, by any enlightened and modern interpretation of Christian values, utterly absurd. Christianity is, of course, a faith, not a scientifically or even an historically proven, fact. Like all faiths it is free to believe in whatsoever or whomsoever it wishes and ascribe to the object of its devotion whatever practices it may demand.
However, it is not as easy as that. Faith is not, and must not be allowed to become, a licence for prejudice. If it does it ceases to be a proclamation for the greater good and becomes a corrupting influence in which evil dwells. For the Church of England there is an additional responsibility. It enjoys great privilege and status in the fabric of national life in the United Kingdom, because it is a pillar of the State within the muddle of the Unwritten Constitution. It is a part of the law making process through the House of Lords. It has a duty to help ensure that the laws of the land are upheld and is obligated to set an example by obeying them.
It is against the law to practice prejudice against women in the workplace, either by the employer or by other employees. As the Church of England is the employer of its clergy, it can lawfully refuse the appointment of women to any office, simply because they are women, only because by prior concession, it is exempt from the law. This was to give it time to bring itself up to modern practice; time which has clearly been misspent. Moreover it sets an appalling example, and encourages the worst prejudices to fester in the glow of tainted acceptability.
Parliament would be within its rights to demand its Church falls into line. If some crackpot activists still stand in the way, then Parliament would be right to cancel its immunity from the equality laws. It could also disestablish the Church of England and remove all its constitutional privileges.
Meanwhile the Church of England is a laughing stock.