Condemning as "flawed" Dr Williams's recent declaration that the way forward lay in a "twin-track" Anglican Communion, thirteen liberal groups revealed plans to bring same-sex blessings and gay ordination to England, as has happened in the Episcopal Church in the US. Their strategy will be to attempt to win the General Synod, the Church's governing body currently dominated by evangelicals, over to the liberal cause. The opportunity will come next year when the quinquennial elections for a new synod are due, wrote Gledhill.

"Liberals from organizations such as Inclusive Church, set up and led by Giles Fraser, the new canon chancellor of St Paul's, and the long-established Modern Churchpeople's Union, will attempt to win key seats throughout the Church's 44 dioceses in what look likely to be the hardest fought elections since the synod came into being in 1970 and which could turn into a battle for the soul of the established Church," she wrote.

It is schism in all but name. Dr. Williams has viewed that the actions, taken at GC2009 allowing non-celibate pansexualists to all orders of ministry and rites for same-sex blessings, should not be seen in "apocalyptic terms of schism and excommunication", but rather as "two styles of being Anglican". In Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future, Dr. Williams has relegated liberal Churches like the Episcopal Church to an inferior position in a two-tier Communion.

This has lead to liberals and homosexuals crying foul. Organizations as diverse as women priests, lesbian and gay Christians, liberal Affirming Catholics and evangelicals have joined forces to condemn Dr. Williams's response as being "flawed". They intend to plan their own strategy in order to effect the same innovations in England as have been made in North America and that have plunged the Anglican Communion into schism.

"We wish to reaffirm our loyalty to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the scriptures, our commitment to the Anglican way, and our celebration of and thanksgiving for the tradition and life of the Church of England," the liberal groups said.

Referring to Dr. Williams's reference to same-sex unions as a "chosen life-style" and his assertion that those who have made such a commitment are analogous to "a heterosexual person living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond", they accused Dr. Williams of being inconsistent in the light of past statements he has made, which gave the impression of a more liberal stance. (See the Body's Grace)

Signatories to the letter, such as Inclusive Church, are planning a survey of all gay and lesbian clergy in the Church of England. They believe that in some dioceses, such as London and Southwark, the number may be as high as one in five. They also intend to conduct a survey to find out how many same-sex blessings have been carried out in secret.

A number of voices have been raised in England challenging the notion that the liberals can coalesce into a body and win. One senior cleric told VOL, "Their battle plan won't work: anyone trying to get elected on that ticket is doomed. And what is more, there will be few liberal bishops left in 12 months' time - anyone identifying himself as a gay campaigner will very likely face episcopal displeasure. I think they have missed the tide in England - the future here is firmly Evangelical."

The Rev. Peter Ould, an ex-gay Church of England priest (and evangelical), criticized Williams for saying that the voices of gay, bisexual and trans people have not been adequately heard within recent discussions. "I find this hard to believe. There have been numerous consultations, uncountable Diocesan and Deanery panels, seminars and discussions on the issue. Every time you go to a Church political event (e.g. Synod) the stands are there."

"If anything, England (and the wider United Kingdom) is the place where the discussion has happened, but the real problem for Inclusive Church is that despite a generation of talking and listening, the conservatives haven't changed their mind because no good Biblical argument has been presented to support endorsing, let alone blessing, homosexual relationships. All that the revisionist groups have to go on is '"justice'".

The Rev. John P. Richardson writing at his blog http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/ asked has "open warfare" been declared in the Church of England? He observed that the release of the statement by a number of Anglican groups is in Anglican-speak, "fighting talk".

He also noted that evangelicals are not united naming three evangelical groupings listed as signatories to the statement including Accepting Evangelicals, Courage and the Evangelical Fellowship of Lesbian and Gay Anglicans. "This is symptomatic of the 'drift' in evangelicalism generally, which now means that in some quarters, the acceptance of same-sex relationships is regarded as a personal matter and a subject for dialogue rather than correction."

"I am therefore personally adopting a 'wait and see' approach as to whether this is, indeed, part of a greater plan or merely a letting-off-of-steam."

Richardson noted that at least the "liberals" managed to get their act together enough to issue a joint statement. The orthodox have managed no such thing, citing mutual hostilities between evangelicals. That is not encouraging. What all this really calls for, however, is immediate and courageous clarity from Evangelicals, and all the orthodox, writes Richardson.

Ironically, it was only a few months ago that the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a coalition of nearly 2,000 Evangelicals met in London, with the endorsement of the Queen, to confess the historic faith and talk up the church's genuine mission of evangelism and discipleship. Such illustrious figures as Southern Cone Archbishop Greg Venables lent their voices of support along with other evangelical luminaries including Archbishop Robert Duncan and Canadian Anglican Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC).

One would have to be somewhat blind not to see that GAFCON, AC-NA and FCA are a new Anglican super structure in the making.

Of course, TEC's Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is not without a certain amount of resourcefulness of her own. You will recall the 16 flags that flew at GC2006 and her oft-repeated "I am Presiding Bishop of TEC" and then reeling off her 16 diocesan franchises in the face of Dr. Rowan Williams in Jamaica. There are rumors that she is interested in forging more permanent links between liberal parishes in England and The Episcopal Church, rather as orthodox African and Southern Cone provinces have done in setting up orthodox dioceses in the US (now under one umbrella). If Jefferts Schori did set up an outpost in London, it would be to commit ecclesiastical suicide. Not only would it be a slap in the face to Rowan Williams, it is doubtful that the liberal loving Anglican Consultative Council could justify such a move and would be forced to take sides. Even they do not want to run afoul of Synod as their funding comes in part from them as well as TEC. By her actions, the ACC might also be rendered irrelevant.

Even as the ecclesiastical battle heightens and looms larger, property battles will continue in The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. Millions of dollars worth of properties are at stake and millions of dollars will be spent defending or taking these properties away from their rightful owners.

William Wantland, Bishop of Eau Claire (ret) and assisting Bishop of Ft. Worth, spoke prophetically in 2006 at the Forward in Faith Convocation in Chicago, when he said, "I wish I could tell you that things are going to be simple and clear cut, and quick. It's not. Different people are at different places in their life, and there are different areas in which there is an attempt made to find ways of either living together intentioned or for amicable separation if there is no other way. But in many places, it is almost what it is like unfortunately going on in the Middle East today warfare. 'You dare challenge me, I will kill you. I will take your property.' "

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