Saturday, February 25, 2006

What?!? No Anglican Fudge at GS ’06??

It’s unwise to ever underestimate the capability of Anglicans to fudge matters. But I have a bold prediction: Anglican Fudge will not be served at the Episcopal Church’s General Convention this year. And the fall out will be a split in the Anglican Communion sooner rather than later.

Oh, Griswold et al will serve up resolutions saying how wonderful it is to be a part of the Anglican Communion etc. etc. And they would like to fudge the whole convention so as to make it more difficult to boot them out of the Anglican Communion. But they will fail.

They will fail to cook up their Anglican fudge at GS ’06 ironically because forces from their own camp won’t let them.

I expect the Diocese of California will elect one of the two gay-with-partner nominees as bishop, making that particular issue impossible to fudge. That bishop will be confirmed at the General Convention, blowing up any pretense of supposedly abiding by the Windsor Report and the Dromantine Communique.

In addition, the Executive Council’s decision to jump the gun and affiliate ECUSA with the abortion lobby Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) will not go unchallenged at the convention. Since it’s exceedingly unlikely the convention will reverse the decision, but will affirm it (if perhaps indirectly by suppressing an attempt to vote on it), this will be yet another big red flag of apostasy at the convention for all to see.

So although only a couple months ago I thought GS ’06 would be a Fudge Fest, the liberals themselves are sabotaging that tactic.

The fall out will be a more swift and certain split in the Anglican Communion. The Global South will not tolerate ECUSA being allowed to remain as members of Anglican Communion. Either ECUSA bishops (or at least most of them) are kicked out of Lambeth in 2008 or the Global South will walk out. And that’s only if the Communion stays together until Lambeth.

Here in the U. S., what the orthodox in ECUSA will do is not so clear cut. There will surely be a conservative walk out at GS ’06. But many conservatives will stay in ECUSA, including perhaps even Network leader Bishop Duncan. And, as the comments on that link indicate, the conservatives themselves would then sadly split with not a little acrimony.

I do pray I’m wrong on that last prediction.

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