GAFCON: Spokes without a Wheel

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8458

[VirtueOnline] 21 Jun 2008--"Bishops have responded to God's call to action by holding a public gathering at GAFCON. As they gather, they will look again to God's call for future action in faithful leadership of their Anglican Churches." (Concluding paragraph of "The Way, The Truth and the Life: Theological Resources for a Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future")

As they gather they will look again.

Sounds to me like the visual counterpart to the "conversation" metaphor. The latter image is one of speaking or engaging in dialog. In reality people come together and make a display of putting off decisions. There may be a lot of talk between conflicted parties, but typically nothing is resolved. It becomes apparent that the resolution of differences was never the primary purpose of the gathering. The "conversation" may even have been a subterfuge.

I do not believe that the GAFCON fathers are engaged in a ploy to obfuscate or obstruct, mimicking their liberal counterparts who have utilized "conversation" as a tactical weapon of choice. I do sense that the primary lesson to be gained from the past 30 years of "conversation" has been missed. The lesson, in the form of a question, is this: how do you make the decision to cut the cancer out of your body when you know it is killing you? Perhaps our clouded decision making is a form of delirium, a sign that the body is slipping into a coma.