Experts on the church across the theological spectrum agreed that most splinter Christian groups withered over time. But they said that the Common Cause statement could not be easily dismissed, given how tense relations were in the Anglican Communion, the world\u2019s third-largest Christian body.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve set up a timetable that means that they are moving forward,\u201d\u009d said the Rev. Ephraim Radner, a leading Episcopal conservative and professor of historical theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto. \u201cThey will ask for recognition as an alternative to the Episcopal Church even before there\u2019s been a resolution to the actual status of Episcopal Church in the Communion.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
In February, the archbishops of the communion\u2019s provinces, or regional churches, issued the directive on gay bishops and on same-sex unions to which the Episcopal bishops responded earlier this week. The archbishops, various Anglican bodies and the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the communion, must now weigh that response and their next steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeking recognition by these provinces looks to be part of an effort to replace the Episcopal Church with their new and improved province,\u201d\u009d said the Rev. Mark Harris, a member of the Executive Council, which governs the Episcopal Church between the conventions it holds every three years. Common Cause is \u201choping to use the argument that a majority of the provinces recognize them and not us.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n