And it looks like a some of those bishops would prefer to become schismatic.

Several leading liberal Episcopalians said yesterday that they would rather accept a schism than accede to a demand from leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion for what they view as an unconscionable rollback of the U.S. church's position on gay rights.

The defiant reaction to the communique issued by the primates, or heads, of the Anglican Communion's 38 national churches on Monday at the conclusion of a weeklong meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, reflected a growing feeling on both sides of the dispute that time for compromise is running out.

"Yes, I would accept schism," said Bishop Steven Charleston, president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. "I would be willing to accept being told I'm not in communion with places like Nigeria if it meant I could continue to be in a position of justice and morality. If the price I pay is that I'm not considered to be part of a flawed communion, then so be it."

I can't help but notice two things about Bishop Charleston's statement.

First, his apparent anger over the choice seems rather amusing, considering that he and his liberal brethren have been making precisely such demands of conservative Episcopalians for years, demanding conformity with the flawed theology of the liberal leadership of the American branch of Anglicanism.

The second thing I notice is an implicit imperialism/racism in his words -- it seems that the good(?) bishop feels that following the leadership of the thriving, vibrant Anglican communities of non-white Third World countries like Nigeria is beneath him and his liberal American colleagues.

I'll be interested in seeing what impact this communique has on court cases involving parishes that have split with liberal Anglican bishops around the country.

Posted by: Greg at 11:23 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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