Muriel Lylie Porter OAM (née Carter, born 15 May 1948) is an Australian journalist based in Melbourne, Victoria. She is a frequent contributor to The Age newspaper and The Melbourne Anglican diocesan newspaper, for which she mostly writes about issues concerning the Anglican Church of Australia in which she is a prominent layperson.[1] Porter is a representative of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne on the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia.

Muriel Porter

Born
Muriel Lylie Carter

(1948-05-05) 5 May 1948 (age 75)
NationalityAustralian
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Journalist, author
Known forCritique of the Anglican Church of Australia

She is critical of megachurches and is an advocate of the ordination of women,[2][3] homosexual unions and allowing non-celibate homosexual people to become clergy.[citation needed] She was involved in the formation of an Anglican submission recommending abortion be legalised in Victoria. She is also the author of several books, including The New Puritans: the rise of fundamentalism in the Anglican Church,[4] a book which is a critique of evangelicals in the Anglican Church.

Background and career edit

Muriel Porter was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to Richard John Carter and Thelma Edith Richards. She was educated at Riverside Girls High School in Gladesville, the University of New England, the Australian National University, the Australian Catholic University and the University of Melbourne.[5] Her PhD thesis was titled The defence of the marriage of priests in the English Reformation (1998).[6]

Porter began a career in journalism as a cadet at the Sydney Morning Herald and then worked for a number of different newspapers including the Cambridge Evening News.[citation needed]

Porter was a member of staff at RMIT University in the journalism program and holds an honorary position at the University of Melbourne, lecturing on historical and philosophical studies.[7]

In 2002, Porter was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community as an advocate for women's and social justice issues, and to the Anglican Church of Australia.[8]

Theological views edit

Porter's theological view points are liberal.[citation needed] Liturgically she is in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. She has been very active in campaigning for women's ordination in the Diocese of Melbourne and in the Anglican Church in Australia where she serves on the church's general synod.

Published works edit

  • Beyond the twelve: women disciples in the Gospels (1989)
  • Women in the church: the great ordination debate in Australia (1989)
  • Land of the spirit?: the Australian religious experience (1990)
  • Sex, marriage and the church : patterns of change (1996)
  • Sex, power & the clergy (2003)
  • The new puritans: the rise of fundamentalism in the Anglican Church (2006)[9]
  • Women in purple : women bishops in Australia (2008)[10]
  • Sydney Anglicans and the Threat to World Anglicanism: The Sydney Experiment (2011)[2]
  • New exile? The future of Anglicanism (2015)[11]
  • A man called Johnny Mac: Selected writings of Bishop John McIntyre (2015)[12]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Muriel Porter". Griffith Review. Griffith University. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b Thompson, Mark (31 August 2011). "Opinion: Serious flaws in Muriel Porter's misguided polemic". Religion and Ethics. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  3. ^ Porter, Muriel (15 July 2014). "Opinion: Conservative Anglicans have women priests in their sights". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. ^ Zwartz, Barney. "The New Puritans: The Rise of Fundamentalism in the Anglican Church". Book Reviews. The Age. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  5. ^ Pearce, Suzannah, ed. (17 November 2006). "Porter, Muriel Lylie". Who's Who in Australia Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
  6. ^ Porter, Muriel (1988). "The defence of the marriage of priests in the English Reformation". Trove. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Dr Muriel Porter". Find an expert. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Search: PORTER, Muriel Lylie". It's an honour. Australian Government. 10 June 2002. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Dr Muriel Porter and Anglican Bishop John McIntyre on the 'New Puritans'". The Religion Report. Australia: ABC Radio National. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006.
  10. ^ Porter, Muriel (2008). Women in purple : women bishops in Australia. Mulgrave, Vic.: John Garratt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920721-68-8. OCLC 271861398.
  11. ^ Porter, Muriel. "A new exile? The future of Anglicanism". Trove. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  12. ^ McIntyre, John (31 December 2016). A man called John Mac : selected writings of Bishop John McIntyre. Porter, Muriel, 1948–. Northcote, Vic. ISBN 978-1-925208-94-8. OCLC 932260317.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links edit