Now that summer at last has arrived, most sensible people have turned their thoughts to beaches, baseball, and the fine art of grilling bratwurst.
Unfortunately for Anglicans, it is their lot to have church politics on their minds. There are dark rumors of schism afoot, hints of plots both liberal and conservative, and more statements issued and meetings held than anyone can possibly keep track of. None of it is enjoyable, and all of it serves as a distraction from baseball (or cricket, depending on how Anglican one is). Be that as it may, any Anglican who cares about his church ought to understand that a great deal depends on what happens in the coming months. If orthodox Anglicans do not hold together, there is a good chance that everything will come apart—and there appears to be a good chance that orthodox Anglicans will not hold together.
As Hylden sees it, orthodox Anglicans have the upper hand in the Anglican Covenant process, if they would only realize it. In such a scenario, the Covenant (think of it as a baseline of beliefs all Anglicans have to hold in common) will be presented in such a way that the Episcopal church will be placed outside of the full communion of Anglicans, though they would retain an "associate" designation. This would leave the door open for a new "official" (read "orthodox") leadership to be instituted for all who wish to remain in the full Anglican communion.
The question here is, is this really what is going on? Many orthodox observers here seem to be of the mind that Rowan Williams is not resolutely in their favor. The fear is that the covenant will be watered down to the point that the autonomy of the individual churches will be held inviolate, to all practical purposes. Williams unwillingness to give clear signals on the matter have prompted some to decide that the battle for the covenant may not be worth it:
Added to this, there have been reports for several weeks now that a certain number of conservative Episcopal dioceses plan to break from the American church this summer, despite the fact that they would likely be forfeiting their Lambeth invitations by doing so. The number varies, but it is thought to be as many as five, with Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy, Springfield, and San Joaquin as the likeliest to go.
For years, Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh has led an admirably conservative group called the Anglican Network that aimed to reform the Episcopal Church from within, but reports are that he has given up. He apparently has not taken the rest of the network with him—South Carolina, Central Florida, Dallas, Albany, and the Rio Grande have backed away from his breakaway plan—but nevertheless the strategy seems to be to join up with several “Common Cause” partners, such as the Rwandan and Nigerian groups (AMiA and CANA), and together take their stand against the Episcopal Church.
By bypassing Lambeth and the covenant process, some speculate that Duncan intends to form a new orthodox Anglican province by creating facts on the ground, hopefully gaining the approval of influential Global South provinces and thereby forcing the hand of the rest of the communion. The logic of the move would seem to run thus: If the new Duncan-led church is accepted by the others, then fine; Canterbury and the primates will have proven themselves worthy. But if not, then the rest of the Anglican Communion can be left to go its merry heretical way, with the truly orthodox Anglicans now detached from the dead weight of Canterbury and led by the Global South.
I agree with Hylden that such a plan, as a tactic, is at best frought with danger, and at worst likely to be a complete failure.
However, tactics aren't everything. For many orthodox believers, they do not want to be put into a position where a watered down covenant puts them forever in the wrong. They do not want to be put in a position where they have to "revolt" because they lost the covenant vote. Making their stand now keeps it a theological one, as opposed to merely a question of church politics. The appeal of that, especially to folks of an orthodox temperament, shouldn't be underestimated.
Sadly, things will probably get worse before they get better, if they are to get better at all. The level of tension in the Anglican world has so far risen along with the summer heat, and the sweltering atmosphere has filled up with misinformation, distrust, and confusion. It is all very distressing, and the average Anglican might be excused for engaging in wild conspiracy theories, slightly deranged plots and schemes, and mild bouts of despair. But, hopefully, not too much despair. There is a great deal riding on what happens in the coming months. And if orthodox Anglicans this summer cannot manage to keep their heads without losing their cool, an old maxim from G.K. Chesterton (modified slightly) may well turn out to be grimly apropos: “The Anglican Communion ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
It would be most ironic if that wry old English Catholic prophet were proved right—and it would likely mean the end of Anglicanism if he were.
It is going to be a long hot summer.
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