The Archbishop of Canterbury's Pyrrhic Victory

When Rowan Williams was designated Archbishop of Canterbury by Queen Elizabeth II after being nominated by Prime Minister Tony Blair, we spectators throughout the Anglican Communion knew that he was a liberal, but hoped he would act as a statesman and not be partisan, and that was the impression of his first years until his Sabbatical. Since then, however, he has implemented a coherent political strategy to impose an unlimited inclusiveness agenda in which all beliefs and behaviours have a place at the cost of biblical revelation and truth.

The decision not to act on the recommendations of the Primate's Meeting and not to call a meeting of this group before the Lambeth Conference in 2008, while inviting to Lambeth North American and Canadian bishops is evidence of this. The decision that the Lambeth Conference would neither deliberate nor make decisions, but would be merely a conversation period, superficially applying the african tradition of "indaba" is evidence of this.

The concern to strengthen the ACC and to weaken the Primate's Meeting and the creation not only of a Permanent Comission of Primates but of a Permanent Comission of the Anglican Communion, is evidence of this. These are all measures which carry through the Archbishop's agenda. The revisionists appear to have taken control of the central structures of the Communion. At the moment they seem to be victorious. However, is this not a Pyrrhic victory?

On account of the dubious legality involved in these measures of control, there is a clear deficit in terms of their legitimacy. The revisionists can control the registered trade mark of Anglicanism, but they can't control the Anglicans. If on the one hand people are voting with their feet, going to Rome, Constantinople, Geneva or to "continuing" or break away Anglican churches - or simply staying put - with every illegitimate measure which comes to pass the orthodox majority are being pushed into forming networks, making Anglicanism into a phenomenon of two facets, which are antagonistic rather than simply different.

It is clear that the conservative majority are not simply going to wait for Rowan Williams to retire given that History demands some urgent decisions be taken.

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