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According to the SPREAD paper, as liberal church leaders have advanced their agenda, they have repeatedly undermined the credibility of Scripture and Scripture's governing authority over church practice and teaching. Many Reformation standards were set in the Articles of Religion, published in the Book of Common Prayer.

But in the late 1970s and 1980s, the Episcopal Church:

• Downgraded the articles to "historic" status and deleted reference to them in their constitution.
• Amended the ordination vow so clergy were no longer required to drive away "strange doctrine."
• Dropped the word "Protestant" from its official name.

The SPREAD paper says these changes created a new framework to permit liberals in the 1990s to ordain homosexuals and perform same-sex unions. Events in the Episcopal Church USA came to a global crescendo when the diocese of New Hampshire picked the openly gay Robinson as its next bishop. He was consecrated in late 2003.

In the wake of the Robinson's consecration, conservatives have attempted to isolate the Episcopal Church (USA), its top leaders, and Robinson himself. But the Anglican Church of Canada is following a path toward the same destination of full acceptance of homosexual behavior as normative. Also, this year, Church of England leaders for the first time are considering a move to permit homosexual priests who take a vow of celibacy to live openly with a partner.

These developments have thrown the Anglican Communion into uncharted waters and a crisis of historic proportions. But among nearly all Global South Anglicans, homosexuality is largely a non-issue since they affirm that sexual relations must be confined to the marriage of one man and one woman.

As a result, many Global South leaders support isolating Anglican provinces, such as North America. According to the SPREAD paper, Archbishop Rowan Williams is supportive of the left's agenda. Conservatives are coming to the conclusion that they cannot count on Williams as an ally.

That's why, after 100 pages of analysis, the SPREAD paper advises:

"Provinces and bishops who leave the Anglican Communion should form an association of like-minded churches to carry the gospel to the whole world."

Privately, conservatives told CT that they are not unified on whether to create a new entity now or wait until the next global meeting, Lambeth 2008. Some worry waiting another 18 months plays into the hands of liberals who, conservatives say, have proven brilliantly skillful in playing "the long game" of wearing down their opposition with meetings and dialogue.

Many of the delegates were given copies of the SPREAD petition, 14 boxes of which were held up in Egyptian customs for three days, after the final day of the conference. The concluding hymn after worship on Sunday, October 30, was "Onward Christian Soldiers."

Timothy C. Morgan is deputy managing editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The full text of the Global South's statement, what is now being called TRUMPET III, is at the Anglican Communion News Service's website.

Discussion follows at TitusOneNine.

Classical Anglican Net News has links to other news coverage and commentary.

The American Anglican Council applauded the document. The group has more discussion on its weblog.

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November (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49