Anglican Conflict: A Battle with 'Eternal Significance'

The recent non-invitation of two wayward bishops to a decennial global Anglican meeting produced a media frenzy this week. But what does all this mean?

"First of all, it is clear that the Archbishop of Canterbury faces an impossible task - he is confronted by two irreconcilable truth claims," stated Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, newly installed missionary bishop of CANA (Convocation of Anglicans in North America) - an orthodox Anglican splinter group and offshoot of the Church of Nigeria.

Minns was one of the bishops whose name was not included in the first batch of invitations to the Lambeth Conference (2008) that were sent out on Tuesday. He oversees some 34 congregations that have split with the Episcopal Church - the U.S. arm of Anglicanism - and placed themselves under the leadership of Archbishop Peter J. Akinola of the Church of Nigeria. The breakaway group of Anglicans had departed from the Episcopal Church because of the church body's departure from Christian orthodoxy, which was highlighted by the 2003 consecration of an openly gay bishop.