What do I make of it? When I get more details, I will have a better understanding. Meanwhile here are my initial reactions.

In the short term it doesn’t appear to mean much. Our three USA delegates will not be going to the next Anglican Consultative Council meeting. Not necessarily a big deal.

In the long term it appears to be most serious because of two reasons: (1) the question of the unity of the Anglican Communion seems up in the air; (2) obviously the forces within the Communion who oppose what we have done are far more powerful than the Episcopal Church, and they are intent on pushing this issue until the Anglican Communion is broken and the Episcopal Church is cannibalized by foreign bishops. This is the worst-case scenario in my opinion, but a dream-come-true scenario for some other people.

A more moderate scenario would see a series of dated separations, e.g., no North American bishops invited to Lambeth until 2018 or to the Anglican Consultative Council until 2010. Give everyone some time.

An American Revolution scenario would be closer to our origins in the late 18th century. We would restate our intent to be an autonomous Church but ready to be in communion with others of the Anglican tradition. Then go it alone as we did before.

Then there could be the Balkanization of the Anglican Communion, where different provinces ally with a few like-minded provinces.

Here’s an odd thought. If the Rev. Jeffrey Johns, a gay man, had accepted his appointment as a bishop in England when it was offered a few years ago, would the primates of the Anglican Communion kick England and its two Archbishops out of the Anglican Consultative Council?

Who is deciding what about whom? Who is in charge around here? We will soon find out about “authority” in the Anglican Communion. A case in point. The Anglican Consultative Council is the only global Anglican body in which lay people and priests can participate. They have their own authority. Then how come the Primates (Archbishops) can dictate to the laity and clergy about who can or cannot attend the meetings of the Anglican Consultative Council? I can understand if the Primates want to exclude the Primates of North America. But now it seems the Primates have appointed themselves to call the shots for everyone. Who says? Is the Anglican Communion democratic? Or do archbishops dictate in matters of authority?

Keep in mind that the Episcopal Church meticulously adhered to all of its Constitution and Canons in the election of the Bishop of New Hampshire. We are not guilty of lawlessness. And since there is no Constitution and Canons for the Anglican Communion, no group has a legal right to discipline us for carrying out our proper procedure. It would be arbitrary and lawless for an Anglican body to punish us when we have broken no law.

The Lambeth Conference 1998 passed a resolution saying that homosexuality is incompatible with Holy Scriptures. But a Lambeth resolution is only a mind-of-the-house opinion which is not binding on any province and threatens no action against provinces which disregard its opinion.

The homosexual issue in all of this is like a tiny snowball that gets rolled along, picking up more layers of snow until a full-blown snowman is created. Layers of Biblical interpretation, imaging the spirit of Jesus, anti-women’s ordination zeal, hatred of gays and lesbians, rising racial and national pride, influx of monies from U.S. family foundations, opportunities for personal aggrandizement, blackmail, deep cultural divides, legal maneuvering to steal land and monies, self-loathing, and fury are all part of the layers that surround the present conflict. Yes, it is about sex—and so much more.

The one missing dimension, i.e., on the ground relationships. The Diocese of California has many lay people and a few clergy working throughout the Anglican Communion. In Honduras, Guatemala, Uganda, India, Malawi, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, Taiwan, China, Japan, and others. People to people. The bonds of affection between Anglicans are real, closer than the relationships among primates. And . . . the Episcopal Church has official dialogues with the Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, and on and on. The only people in the world who don’t want to talk with us are the Anglicans. Something is upside down, inside out.

Personally I am not afraid of where the Holy Spirit and we are headed. Painful, yes. Unfortunate, certainly. Necessary, by all means. As long as we seek to respond genuinely to the light of Jesus Christ shining in our part of the world and as long as we genuinely seek unity in the Body of Christ, we will be where we are called to be. It is a matter of the Spirit.

--The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing
Bishop