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A large part of the problem has been the very terms of debate. The Windsor Report is symptomatic. The report spends many a word lamenting the "hurt and alienation" felt by Anglicans, and little on the profound theological issues that have caused not just bad feelings but an objective crisis. The commission members said they were reluctant to chastise anyone with biblical admonitions because that wasn't in their purview. Whatever the reason, to believe that Episcopal protocol is the key to holding things together in this crisis is as foolish as a builder believing that fixing the plumbing will shore up a sinking foundation. In less tumultuous times, Episcopal plumbing is important, but when the building teeters toward collapse, something else needs attention. The house may be a little stinky for a while, but at least it won't collapse.

Hope for the Anglican Communion at this late stage lies in the Global South, especially Africa. Philip Jenkins, author of the contemporary classic The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, has argued, "There can be no doubt that the emerging Christian world will be anchored in the Southern continents." This is certainly true of the Anglican Communion, especially because of the bold, incisive leadership of primates like Nigeria's Peter Akinola.

Regarding the Windsor Report, Akinola recently said, "It fails to confront the reality that a small, economically privileged group of people has sought to subvert the Christian faith and impose their new and false doctrine on the wider community."

Regarding the North American Church, he added, "We have been filled with grief as we have witnessed the decline of the North American Church that was once filled with missionary zeal and yet now seems determined to bury itself in a deadly embrace with the spirit of the age."

Regarding the North's attempts to dissuade Southern bishops from offering care to North American parishes stranded in liberal dioceses, he said, "We will not be intimidated."

The international primates will gather in February to consider the Windsor Report. That will be a splendid opportunity for the Northern primates to acknowledge their failure to deal adequately with the crisis, and let Africans like Akinola remind them what the gospel, full of grace and truth, looks like.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

A collection of all Christianity Today's coverage of the Anglican Communion is available on our website, including:

Advice Rejected | Lambeth Commission report leaves church in disarray. (Nov. 10, 2004)

'African Church Has Come of Age,' Say African Anglican Bishops | It now faces the dual threat of Western heresy and militant Islam. (Oct. 27, 2004)

N.T. Wright: Anglican Report Is 'Fireproofing the House' | Top theologian on Lambeth Commission talks about what happened behind the scenes, whether the report should have been tougher, and why it's critical of some conservative bishops. (Oct. 21, 2004)

Windsor Report Leaves Conservative Episcopalians Hopping Mad | Conservative network leader: "The disease of the U.S. church has found its way into this report." (Oct. 19, 2004)

Stronger Action Needed, Say Global Anglican Leaders | "The primates will add teeth" to Windsor Report, conservatives predict, hope. (Oct. 19, 2004)

Disappointed Anglican Conservatives Mull Options, Threaten Revolt | Americans must belong to Episcopal Church, report says. (Oct. 19, 2004)

Report Rebukes Episcopalians for Disunity but Declines Sanctions | U.S. church in limbo as conservative dissidents mull their options. (Oct. 18, 2004)

Weblog: Anglican Report Treats Conservatives Harsher than Liberals | News, predictions that commission would sanction Episcopal Church were greatly exaggerated. (Oct. 18, 2004)

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December 2004, Vol. 48, No. 12