There will be no mass break up of the CofE, they appreciate accommodation as a theological as well as social virtue. A few will go off to Rome, but not many, a few will go independent, but not many, and the church will have a new progressive face. The new centre will not be as tolerant as the old, they will demand obedience and the wings will be gradually squeezed to eccentric irrelevancy.
Not so in Scotland. Admittedly we have seen the anglification of the CofS due to increasing standardisation of viewpoint courtesy of the influence of the media, and a drastic weakening appreciation of and understanding of theology courtesy of our method of training ministers. However, there is a core difference in denominations.
As Malcolm [Duff] points out the centre no longer holds. That viewpoint which evangelicals could once deride as Auld Kirk, traditional, cautious and always seeing problems with anything new or enthusiastic, the view represented by the ex-Moderators in the play pen at the Assembly, has gone. Progressives, always more adroit politically and with greater access to and sympathy from the media have, as with the CofE, taken over the centre ground.
The big difference in denominations is that we have a centrifugal force at our core. In our history principle has usually come before compromise. At times this has been self destructive hair splitting, at other times it has meant awe inspiring faithfulness. The neo-Protestant progressive centre has little understanding of our history. They look south today and see that nothing terribly dreadful has happened or will happen, the CofE will continue under progressive management and a few trouble makers will have disappeared.
Perhaps the first paragraph above will be proven correct, i.e. that the progressives will take over the Church of England and squeeze out the orthodox evangelicals and anglo-catholics.
But if so, there will be consequences. The progressives have already found in North America that winning their victory has not turned out as they expected. I expect that the progressives in CofE will find the same thing, probably in somewhat different circumstances, but nevertheless still a hollow victory.
The first commenter on the article may well be correct – evangelicals who wish to leave the CofS may be best served by just going over to the Free Church of Scotland, which is reportedly ready to make practical compromises with its evangelical brethren.