Schism: Battle lines

VirtueOnline analyses the opposing forces.

David Virtue's article is undoubtedly correct that the liberals have enough of the upper hand to impose their views , making full use of the law but, although the liberal bishops can sue the orthodox parishes

...for their properties, inhibit and depose the priests... they cannot stop the hemorrhaging of the church. You cannot sue individuals for leaving the church. (The first parish in Northern California left this week)

Indeed, what was once a trickle is threatening to become a flood.

...the revolution has already started with the advent of CANA - the Nigerian Anglican church in North America, now with its own bishop Martyn Minns. Events have overtaken Dr. Williams. And what about the Anglican Mission in America, it is well established as an alternative Anglican presence in the U.S. and the Diocese of Recife in Brazil dumped their Primate and sought ecclesiastical refuge under orthodox Southern Cone Primate Greg Venables. The mutiny is already underway. Dozens of other parishes now have African bishops and call themselves "Anglican" not Episcopalian. One seminary T(E)SM has even dropped the word "Episcopal" from its mast head.

Virtue points out that the controversy is in effect between two quite different views of religion. He asks,

Why can't Williams stand up and say, 'The Episcopal Church has abandoned any semblance of the Christian faith, it is done, it is over, you're not coming to Lambeth, and you will wither and die because you have no Good News to proclaim, and there is no such thing as an inclusive church because the church cannot baptize unrepentant sexual sin.' How difficult would that be to say?

For someone who has shown little, if any, signs of decisive leadership, very difficult if not impossible.

Other reports:

Dallas Episcopalians Mull Break from Denomination. The Christian Post, (24th August, 2006).

New York summit to bridge Amercian divide. The Church of England Newspaper, (25th August, 2006)