Perhaps I'm seeing black helicopters following me latley, but perhaps the liberals were hoping to get women's ordination in before the perceived unification, to be a trojan horse for female priests in the Catholic Church. ?!?
I think the situation was slightly more complicated. There were many of us who were immensely encouraged by the progress of the ARCIC discussions in the early 1980s, which we believed would lead to full communion. Indeed some of us proceeded to ordination in that hope and expectation. However,recent history has confirmed the suspicion that it is impossible for Anglicans to undertake any meaningful ecumenical dialogue, being essential a ecclesial body (or federation of independent provinces) containing (at least) three mutually incompatible theologies. It's not so much a conspiracy by the Anglican liberals which has scuppered hopes of Anglican - Roman Catholic unity but a fatal flaw in Anglican polity itself. Unity can now only be achieved by talking to sympathetic groups within Anglicanism and not through the established channels and structures. The ecumenical project has entered a new dimension.
Thank you for that, Father. As I stated, I was only speculating and your account seems closer to the mark. I agree (and have posted about it) there are three, incompatible theologies in Anglicanism. I also agree we have entered a new dimension: the evangelicals will go their own way and prosper, the liberal Laodiceans will stay put and wither on the vine. The Catholics will either form a new organization, made from ACs within the Communion and the myriad breakaway AC organizations without (which seems unlikely at this point), or end up going to Rome: en masse if Rome permits it, individually, if she does not.
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