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Anglican provinces are like spokes linked to the hub of the archbishop of Canterbury. Thus far, Rowan Williams, who as a bishop ordained a gay person to the priesthood, has given great license to the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada to ignore the 1998 vote. Some scholars have argued that Williams's hands are tied because individual Anglican provinces are independent. But conservatives believe Williams has the authority under church law to sever ties with a rogue province for reasonable cause. In this case, that cause would be violating the spirit of the 1998 Lambeth vote and scriptural teaching against homosexual practice.

The South to South meetings bring together Anglican leaders from Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The number of active Anglicans in the United Kingdom and Episcopalians (as they are known in the United States) has been in steady decline for decades. But in the developing world, Anglican growth has been exceeding overall population growth by two or three times. Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, parts of South America, Malaysia, and Singapore have all emerged as hot houses for evangelism, church planting, and traditional missions work for Anglicans.

Meanwhile, Anglicans in the West have been battling over theology, homosexuality, and the authority of Scripture. For years, the Anglican/Episcopal left has won nearly every significant battle in terms of policy and practice in Western provinces. The left has further undermined conservatives by persistently saying conservatives are motivated by fear and hatred of homosexuals. Also, after the 1998 Lambeth meeting, a few Anglican leaders alleged that African Anglicans were, in effect, bought off by conservatives. The charges have never been fully corroborated, nor have they gone away.

Forums for conservative Anglicans of all stripes have been hard to come by. But in mid-November, an estimated 3,000 conservatives are expected to gather for the Hope and a Future conference. It will be held in Pittsburgh, one of the few remaining strongholds for conservative Episcopalians in the United States.

Leaders are trying hard for a huge turnout. Oddly enough, they have turned to non-Episcopalians as headline speakers, including Southern Baptist Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter, known for blasting "sin in the church" in her Just Give Me Jesus speaking tours). Eight Global South archbishops and many other conservative bishops from North America will also attend.

These actions by conservatives are not happening in a vacuum. Meanwhile:

• More and more individual congregations are leaving the Episcopal Church (USA). In Florida, six conservative churches are negotiating with their bishop to leave while retaining their church buildings.
• Via Media, an organization of liberal congregations in conservative dioceses, are laying the groundwork for retaining their church property in case the Episcopal Church (USA) formally splits in 2006 at its General Convention, according to Religion News Service.
• Archbishop of Canterbury Williams has given interim protection to evangelical Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti of Recife, Brazil, after he and at least 30 other evangelical priests were threatened with excommunication by Brazil's liberal Archibishop Orlando Santo de Olivera. The embattled conservatives have been placed by Williams under the authority of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. There has been no penalty to Archbishop Santo. He was attempting to oust Cavalcanti and excommunicate evangelical clergy.

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November (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49