From the London Guardian-
That the US Episcopal Church has elected a lesbian as a bishop should come as no more of a surprise than learning that the future of the Anglican Communion is once again in jeopardy. The trajectory of each has been clear to church watchers for almost a decade, so talk of schism and turmoil is not so much premature as it is tardy and, quite frankly, a statement of the bleeding obvious.
As recently as July the US Episcopal Church announced its decision to open "any ordained ministry" to gay and lesbian people. Last weekend they did just that – congratulations Mary Glasspool. You never wanted to be a "single issue person" but you are anyway. Not to be outdone on the flouting of the moratoria – three laughable "bans" aimed at keeping the Communion together – malcontents on the conservative evangelical side last year announced their decision to launch a parallel network for like-minded Anglicans, and there were accusations of heresy and apostasy thrown about in Jerusalem with gay abandon.
Although the existence of the Global Anglican Futures Conference (Gafcon) in itself is not breaking a ban, conservatives, whether in Pittsburgh, Abuja or Oxford, like rattling their sabres, threatening to break away because of the progressives ruining "their" church. Before the launch of Gafcon and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca), Anglican churches in Africa intervened in US parishes where there was a difference in opinion over homosexuality by providing religious leadership that is more conservative, a practice that continues to this day.
More here-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2009/dec/07/election-lesbian-bishop-divides-anglicans
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