The Anglican Civil War

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----------------------- Anglicanism, a house divided against itself, can't survive its civil war in one piece, says Giles Fraser Giles Fraser Saturday November 10, 2007 Guardian TheAmerican civil war began with the secession of South Carolina from the UnitedStates. They left so as to defend their "right" not to have a liberal agendaimposed on them by campaigning progressives from the north. Interfering do-goodersweren't going to force proudly independent southerners to accept that slaverywas wicked. Parallels with the escalating crisis within American Anglicanismare now being made. The diocese of Pittsburgh, led by Bishop Bob Duncan,has just voted to quit the Episcopal church, and other conservative diocesesin the south might follow suit. They are sick to death of liberals tellingthem that gay is the new black. They want independence to protect their homophobia.And so they have reinvented the idea of the confederacy. Whateverelse can be said about this analysis - and conservatives do their nut aboutit - this is the script through which liberal US Christians understand thetheological culture wars over homosexuality. To them the argument over gaybishops is manifestly a civil-rights issue that requires strong leadershipand moral determination: General Grant and Abraham Lincoln. That is why USprogressives are so frustrated with Rowan Williams, for the only thing hehas in common with Lincoln is the beard. In 1858 Lincolnfamously quoted from Matthew 12:25 to insist that "a house divided againstitself cannot stand". For Lincoln, all talk of compromise was useless: theidea that each state determines its own attitude to slavery was morally indefensibleand politically unsustainable. The nightmare for Williams is that if Lincoln'sbasic philosophy is correct then Anglicanism is in deep trouble - and sotoo is the Church of England, which is, almost by design, a house dividedagainst itself. The fact that 46 members of the church's general synod, itsparliament, have this week written to Bishop Duncan expressing their supportfor his secessionism, bodes very ill. Effectively, theC of E is a peace treaty between Puritans and Catholics forged in responseto the religious culture wars of the 16th and 17th centuries that drenchedEurope in blood. As a reaction, compromise and a deep dislike of ideologybecame the defining genius of the English church - and, through that, theEnglish national character. The C of E was a peculiar settlement that keptmost Christians, despite their huge theological differences, around the samecommunion table. The moral of the American civil war - at least for progressives- is that what is right requires strength of purpose to force through thecause of justice. In contrast, the moral of the English civil war is thatunqualified belief in one's own rightness can lead to violent and destructivechaos. Thus far the Archbishop of Canterbury has maintainedthe traditional Anglican via media with impeccable impartiality, trying tohold things together with a generous policy of being kinder to his enemiesthan his friends. But the truth is, the only people who now believe thatAnglicanism can survive the current crisis in one piece are those holed upin Lambeth Palace. Both conservatives and liberals agree that a house dividedcannot stand. The battle lines are drawn. Conservative theologians once defendedslavery by refusing to accept the Bible as radically inclusive. Similarly,today's conservative theologians are twisting the Bible into bad news forhomosexuals rather than good news for all. It'sthe very opposite of the gospel message of God's generous and inclusive love. Thehead of the US church, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, has threatened theneo-confederate leadership with disciplinary action. Some US liberals hopeshe is leading the church to a new Gettysburg, a decisive victory over prejudice.Yet they may also recall that Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest days inUS history. The fight for right is seldom cost-free. And this fight willbe no exception. Glory, glory. Alleluia. · The Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the vicar of Putney, is currently on placement at All Saints in Pasadena, California