The Anglican Church is Unraveling

I have been expecting this for years, ever since the Episcopal Church ordained a actively gay bishop. Many Anglicans disagree with the Church's stance on homosexual priests and bishops, and with the leadership of the Church being wishy-washy on the issue, they have decided to move away from the Church. Not only are they separating themselves from the main Church, but they are barring liberal priests and bishops from entering their churches.

Liberal bishops who support homosexual priests are to be barred from entering some churches and money intended for Anglican coffers will be withheld.

In a dramatic escalation in the Church of England's civil war over homosexual clergy, scores of evangelical churches will break their historic links with liberal bishops who oversee their parishes.

The deepening of the conflict represents the "ultimate" protest by conservative clergy against liberal bishops' support for homosexual priests who have used the Civil Partnerships Act to "marry" their boyfriends.

The rebel clerics are setting up a panel of retired bishops to provide pastoral care to parishes in dioceses run by liberal bishops. The move is similar to the provision of "flying bishops" to opponents of women priests when they were first ordained in 1994.

Up to 100 churches have said that they intend to split from their bishops and seek support from the new panel. That is likely to mark only the beginning of the schism, however, as the panel of conservative bishops will provide an attractive alternative to other disaffected parishes.

This schism will finalize itself in the next few years, as those churches that disagree with the Church's stance will form their own community, along with the majority of the Anglican Churches in Africa and Asia that hold those same conservative views. This schism is the correct action to take, because to rid yourself of corruption, you must cut out the corrupting portion. I hate to see it, but it must be done.


Mr Minority