Bp Gandiya faces new troubles

Bishop Chad Gandiya and his family (New Zimbabwe)

From Titus on Mission:

Physical confrontation has flared up again in the Diocese of Harare as today Bp. Chad Gandiya and the congregation of St. Clare, Mangwende, were driven away from their church building just as church members were about to receive communion, the bishop reported today by telephone.

“We had completed most of the service,” said Bp. Gandiya, “and then the police came in with the priests sent by [breakaway Bp. Nolbert] Kunonga. We were all driven out and threatened by the police.” The bishop had gone to St. Clare’s for a routine pastoral visit. Mangwende is located in the area of Murewa, about an hour’s drive north of Harare, so fairly close to the center of the diocese.

“We were within our rights to hold a service there,” said Gandiya, “for the by the court ruling we [the Diocese of Harare of the Church of the Province of Central Africa] were to have opportunity to use church buildings. This happened in spite of the fact that we had gone to the police in advance and explained to them what we intended to do.

“Yet the people were so encouraging of us,” the bishop continued. “They were singing even as we were marched out and until we left the area of the church entirely. They were so glad we had come.” Gandiya said that tomorrow legal representations will be made on behalf of the diocese to prevent recurrence, and plans will be made to visit the area again soon.

Fullscale violence again Anglicans occurred before, during and after the March presidential election, in which the Mugabe regime saw Anglicans loyal to the CPCA as opposed to the regime because in the politics of the church they were opposed to Kunonga, a Mugabe ally. Many were beaten as they were driven out of churches, and CPCA loyalists had to find alternative sites for worship. Later, however, a court order divided Sundays between the two groups and authorized weekday CPCA events in churches, and fullscale confrontations subsided.

The Mangwende confrontation is a setback and indicates that Kunonga, despite dwindling popular support, continues to try to prevail in the struggle. “It is sad, really,” said Bp. Gandiya.


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Bishops of the Central African Province risk clash with State in attempt to force Lake Malawi episcopal confirmation

The Malawi Nation Newspaper

From: ANGLICAN-INFORMATION Acting Dean Bishop of Albert Chama of the Anglican Central African Province with some of his fellow bishops is pursuing a high-risk strategy of forcing the confirmation of the Venerable Francis Kaulanda as Bishop of Lake Malawi. Kaulanda’s recent ‘election’ has divided the diocese and precipitated an unprecedented number of objections including a court injunction. This has all followed the never-resolved four year long case of the previously elected bishop the Rev’d Dr. Nicholas Henderson, a London based priest, where the laity had held out against what they saw as a flawed rejection of Henderson at a Court of Confirmation in 2005.

Reported in the influential Malawi Nation newspaper on 25th September under a headline ‘Anglican bishops defy court order’, journalist Bright Sonani writes of the bishops defying the Court Injunction brought against them, as reported by us recently.
The article continues, ‘the bishops also threatened to commence criminal proceedings against leaders of the group objecting to Kaulanda’s confirmation’.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION says, this is a somewhat perverse and excessive response to a legitimate challenge, but interestingly the Malawi nation further reports: ‘Four bishops, led by Dean of the Province Albert Chama observed that the High Court in Malawi has no authority to stop the process as it is a church affair’… ‘the panel of four bishops also comprised Provincial Registrar Bob Stumbles (from Zimbabwe) and James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi’.

Readers can find the full text on our website together with that of the original injunction.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION comments that despite being graced by the much-respected figure of Vice Chancellor Bob Stumbles, who has had many legal run-ins with the civil authorities in Zimbabwe and in particular with renegade ‘Archbishop’ Nolbert Kunonga of Harare; Bishop Albert Chama and his fellow bishops are treading in a legal minefield. If they attempt to bypass the Injunction they run the risk of exposing the Province to a legal confrontation under a ‘contempt of court’. This is an uncharted area of legal opinion and it is not possible, despite the bishops’ statement of defiance, to be sure that they are not acting ultra vires.

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION considers that the Province of Central Africa has repeatedly, under Albert Chama’s oversight, been subject to forced episcopal authority, a cavalier interpretation of the Provincial canons and a reluctance to consult properly with the laity.

This state of affairs has undermined confidence in the Province to a serious extent. It is hardly surprising therefore that matters have been made worse by the still ‘lost file’ referring to the Lilongwe High Court injunction brought by lay leader Charles Wemba and his colleagues and reported by us in our last release. Priests and people in the Diocese of Lake Malawi are now openly questioning whether the Provincial Bishops, who would inevitably benefit from a suspension of the case due to a missing file, are in any way implicated in the ‘lost’ documentation. In the absence of any comment or explanation from Albert Chama and the bishops it is inevitable that more suspicions will be aroused, including those of the civil authorities whose jurisdiction the bishops have denied.

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Globalizing the Culture Wars

Now we have a better picture of what we have previously seen in glimpses: the systematic use of African Christians to serve the agenda of the American Right.

In my opinion the choice of homosexuality was tactically superb for the strategists of the religious culture war.

It brought together almost all evangelicals who had been deeply divided on the issue of the ordination of women. It brought them together with the socially conservative churches in Africa, the Caribbean, the middle east and the far east on an issue which was of concern but peripheral to the many much more pressing concerns they faced.

Homosexuality gave conservative Christians an enemy which couldn’t fight back. A shibboleth to divide friend from foe. A clear focus to bring all the divided conservative groups into a single battle formation. Even those bishops who did not want to be part of the war shied away from standing up for the rights of gay people in the church. And the (largely unspoken) emotional punch of homophobia helped sustain the battle over many years.

It was also utterly immoral.

It was immoral to use people as though they were tools, to use those who are often marginal to the church to enhance the power of the few, to not care (at the very best) about the individuals who would be hurt and whose faith would be damaged as a secondary but inevitable consequence.

Now Kapya Kaoma, An Anglican Priest from Zambia, has systematically studied the presence of the American religious right in Nigeria, Kenyan and Uganda and their use of those churches to bolster their own, American, agenda.

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Press Release follows:

Groundbreaking PRA Investigation Exposes Influence of U.S. Religious Conservatives in Promoting Homophobia in Africa

Webpage ~ Full report (.pdf) ~ Executive summary (.pdf)

U.S. Christian Right also mobilizes African clerics in U.S. “culture war” over ordination of LGBT clergy

Sexual minorities in Africa have become collateral damage to our domestic conflicts and culture wars as U.S. conservative evangelicals and those opposing gay pastors and bishops within mainline Protestant denominations woo Africans in their American fight, a groundbreaking investigation by Political Research Associates (PRA) has discovered.

Globalizing the Culture Wars: U.S. Conservatives, African Churches, and Homophobia, a new report by the Reverend Kapya Kaoma, PRA Project Director, exposes the U.S. Right’s promotion of an agenda in Africa that aims to criminalize homosexuality and otherwise infringe upon the human rights of LGBT people while also mobilizing African clerics in U.S. culture war battles. U.S. social conservatives, who are in the minority in mainline churches, depend on African religious leaders to legitimize their positions as their growing numbers makes African Christians more influential globally. These partnerships have succeeded in slowing the mainline Protestant churches’ recognition of the full equality of LGBT people. It’s working despite the real movement toward full equality within denominations, because of the sensitivity of liberals to the question of colonialism. Are we being insensitive to the realities of Africa? But, Kaoma argues, although U.S. conservatives have organized African religious leaders as a visible force opposing LGBT equality, it is not true that all of Africa takes this stand.

In the United States, Kaoma focuses on “renewal” groups in The Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church USA, and Presbyterian Church USA; U.S conservative evangelicals; and the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a neoconservative think tank that has sought to undermine Protestant denominations’ tradition of progressive social justice work for decades.

In Africa, Kaoma investigates ties U.S. conservatives have established with religious leaders in Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya and the impact of homophobia exported from the United States to these Anglophone countries.

As Kaoma argues, the U.S. Right – once isolated in Africa for supporting pro-apartheid, White supremacist regimes – has successfully reinvented itself as the mainstream of U.S. evangelicalism. Through their extensive communications networks in Africa, social welfare projects, Bible schools, and educational materials, U.S. religious conservatives warn of the dangers of homosexuals and present themselves as the true representatives of U.S. evangelicalism, so helping to marginalize Africans’ relationships with mainline Protestant churches.

The investigation’s release could not be timelier, as the Ugandan parliament considers the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. Language in that bill echoes the false and malicious charges made in Uganda by U.S antigay activist and Holocaust revisionist Scott Lively that western gays are conspiring to take over Uganda and even the world.

"We need to stand up against the U.S. Christian Right peddling homophobia in Africa," said Kaoma, who in recent weeks asked U.S. evangelist Rick Warren to denounce the bill and distance himself from its supporters. "I heard church people in Uganda say they would go door to door to root out LGBT people and now our brothers and sisters are being further targeted by proposed legislation criminalizing them and threatening them with death. The scapegoating must stop."

While the American side of the story is known to LGBT activists and their allies witnessing struggles over LGBT clergy within Protestant denominations in the United States, what’s been missing has been the effect of the Right’s proxy wars on Africa itself. Kaoma’s report finally brings this larger, truly global picture into focus.

“Just as the United States and other northern societies routinely dump our outlawed or expired chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and cultural detritus on African and other Third World countries, we now export a political discourse and public policies our own society has discarded as outdated and dangerous,” writes PRA executive director Tarso Luís Ramos in the report’s foreword. “Africa’s antigay campaigns are to a substantial degree made in the U.S.A.”

Leaders within mainline Protestant denominations hailed the report.

"The exploitation of African Christians by right-wing organizations in the United States is reprehensible. Where were these individuals and organizations and their leaders during the struggles against colonialism and apartheid? They certainly were not standing in solidarity with the people of Africa. Today, they use a variety of corrupt practices and methods in a vain attempt to turn back the tide of history. This report reveals the truth about what is going on and should be required reading for American church leaders," said Jim Winkler, the general secretary of the international public policy and social justice agency of The United Methodist Church.

For his 16-month investigation, Kaoma, an Anglican priest from Zambia, traveled in the United States and Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria, attended the notorious antigay conference of Uganda’s Family Life Network in March, and documented concerns among the region’s clergy that U.S. conservatives are contributing to corruption among bishops with their lax requirements for donated funds.

Although written primarily for a U.S. audience, Globalizing the Culture Wars is certain to cause a stir in English-speaking Africa, where conservative U.S. evangelicals have for too long escaped the close scrutiny of African social justice activists and movements.

Kapya John Kaoma
Project Director Kapya John Kaoma is an Anglican priest from Zambia now leading churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. A doctoral candidate at Boston University School of Theology, he has studied in evangelical schools in Zambia and the United Kingdom. From 1998 to 2001, he served as dean of St. John’s Cathedral in Mutare, Zimbabwe and lecturer at Africa University, where he coauthored a text in ethics, Unity in Diversity. From 2001 to 2002, he was academic dean of St. John’s Anglican Seminary in Kitwe, Zambia, where he launched its women’s studies and church school training programs. An active campaigner for women’s reproductive rights, Kaoma is a passionate activist for social witness in the world.

Political Research Associates
Political Research Associates (PRA) is a progressive think tank devoted to supporting movements that are building a more just and inclusive democratic society. We expose movements, institutions, and ideologies that undermine human rights, with a focus on the U.S. political Right. Political Research Associates seeks to advance progressive thinking and action by providing accurate, research-based, information, analysis, and referrals.

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Diocese of Lake Malawi - Central African Province accused of bribing Court official

High Court Buildings, Lilongwe (Photo Daily Mail)

Diocese of Lake Malawi - Central African Province accused

of bribing Court official

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports that an inter-party court hearing to have been held in the High Court of Malawi, Lilongwe on Monday 9th November seems to have run into trouble. An unprecedented 150 laity of the Diocese of Lake Malawi had petitioned for an injunction against the confirmation of the Archdeacon of Lilongwe, the Venerable Francis Kaulanda as the next Bishop of Lake Malawi. The Diocese is currently divided in opinion whether to accept Kaulanda who has been accused of financial mismanagement.

At the same time the Central African Bishops have planned to conduct a ‘Court of Confirmation’ to confirm Kaulanda and the newly elected Bishop of Northern Malawi Fr Leslie Mtekateka on Saturday 14th November. This they are keen, almost desperate it seems, to complete. A successful court case brought against the Bishops would stop the Court of Confirmation although a recent release from the Bishops makes the implausible claim that they are not subject to civil court jurisdiction.

It now appears that on arriving at the Central Court for the ‘inter-party hearing’ on Monday representatives of the laity were told that the file relating to their case ‘has gone missing’. In Malawi two conclusions only can be drawn in such circumstances either the file has genuinely been lost or bribery or lobbying of court officials has taken place. The latter is the opinion of those representing the laity.

We publish below a communication received from the chief petitioner on behalf of the laity, Charles Wemba:

‘The 9th Nov 2009 was the date that the High Court in Lilongwe scheduled an ‘inter-party hearing’ between the Court of Confirmation officials (the bishops) and the Objectors. On that day, we, the Objectors, reported at the Court at 8am, as the hearing was to commence at 8.30am. After waiting for two hours, the Court Clerk told us that the hearing had been adjourned until further notice because “the case file has gone missing”. When we asked the whereabouts of the other party; the Court Clerk told us that he had phoned them, through their Lawyer, not to come.

Before we dispersed for our respective homes, we thought of collecting a document that would act as an evidence of our presence at the High Court and a reason why we were sent back unheard. Unexpectedly, the Court Clerk was in Court for another case. We were then informed by other officials of the High Court that it was outside the High Court’s procedures for a Court Clerk on his/her own to send back parties, and remain silent without informing his/her superiors. They were alarmed to hear that the other party (the bishops) has been informed by phone.

By 3pm, we approached the Court Registrar, who was still not aware of the development. He called the Court Clerk for questioning. This time the Court Clerk changed his statement. He claimed to have told the other party in person and not on phone. Now we wonder if this was the case how we the Objectors did not come across the other party between 8am to 3pm?

We consider that this is evident enough that the Anglican Church is controlling the Courts through bribery or some other way. Have the bishops or the diocese connived with the Court Clerk? By the look of things it was agreed that they (Diocese side) should never come to Court and then let us the Objectors be sent away unnoticed. In the end the Judge would then have removed the Injunction on the basis of the Objectors not coming to Court to be heard, hence Francis Kuyacha (his original name)/Kaulanda would be confirmed unopposed as per Bishops Chama/Mchombo/Tengatenga’s wishes.

I understand some people went to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to seek advice on the Court Clerks Issue.’

On behalf of the petitioners:
Charles Wemba

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION states that something is clearly very wrong concerning this case and requests that an explanation should be forthcoming from the Central African Bishops about what looks like interference of a serious nature in a Civil Court.

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Diocese of Upper Shire, Malawi – time flies
On a lighter note the debate rages as to the correct age of the world’s youngest bishop Brighton Malasa? Priests and people of the diocese claim he was 30 years of age when elected and is now 31. He has himself claimed in Malawi to be 34 years of age and during a recent visit to the parish of St Alban, North Harrow, London U.K., stated that he is 39 years of age. Any advance on this?

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Neo-colonial homophobia?

UGANDA: Helping Hand For Homophobia From U.S. Christians
By Christi van der Westhuizen
CAPE TOWN, Nov 11 (IPS) -

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill under consideration in Uganda was sparked by a conference in Kampala earlier this year at which fundamentalist Christians from the U.S. identified homosexuality as a threat to "family values".

The draconian law will institute the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" and criminalise human rights work.

Christopher Senyonjo, a retired Anglican bishop from Uganda, and Reverend Jide Macauley, from Nigeria's House of Rainbow church, told IPS that a conference took place on March 5-7 this year, arranged by Stephen Langa, the director of a Ugandan fundamentalist Christian grouping called Family Life Network (FLN).

The FLN invited speakers attached to U.S.-based religious and "educational" organisations that propagate the idea that homosexuality is an "illness" that can be "cured".

....

Senyonjo's position is that even if the Bible is interpreted as against homosexuality - which he adds is not necessarily the correct interpretation - the church should provide pastoral care rather than punishment. He was excluded from further participation at the conference when his position became known. It is suspected that Lively, whose "Defend the Family" website promotes several homophobic books, also met with a number of Ugandan parliamentarians.

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Senyonjo and Macauley were in South Africa to attend the first African dialogue on Nov 2-5 between clergy and activists working for LGBTI rights. It was co-hosted by the South Africa-based Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM), a Christian organisation which promotes the full participation of LGBTI people in religious communities, and Namibia’s Rainbow Project, a non-governmental organisation working to safeguard sexual diversity.

More here

Fair comment on BNP leader

The Sunday Sun isn't my usual reading, nor swearing customary here, but as we're all grown ups ...


Nov 8 2009 by Michael Kelly, Sunday Sun

ONE of the funniest stories of the week involved Tauriq Khalid, who was charged with using racially abusive threatening behaviour to BNP leader Nick Griffin.

Griffin claimed Mr Khalid called him a “white b******” in his home town of Burnley, Lancashire, in November last year.

However, the defendant insisted he called him a “f****** w*****”.

After a three-day trial at Preston Court, the jury took just 45 minutes to agree with Mr Khalid that he had called Griffin a “f****** w*****”, decided it was fair comment, and cleared him.

It restores your faith in the system of justice in Britain.

Small victory at Durham

Jonathan Clatworthy (General Secretary of the MCU) and I spoke in a debate at Durham University's Union Society on Friday October 30th.

The motion was:

This House would consecrate gay bishops.

Opposing us was Bishop Wallace Benn (Lewis) and Phelim

McIntyre.

The debating chamber was full (I was told to expect 300, but I'm not sure it was that many).

Anyway voting was by acclamation (shouting) - and, to my surprise, when they shouted it was at least 2 to 1 in favour of the motion.

A small and pyrrhic victory and, at least in retrospect, most enjoyable.

Paul Bagshaw

Speak out against Uganda’s proposed “Anti-Homosexuality” Bill

Image from Gays without Borders

Lesbian and Gay Christians speak out against Uganda’s proposed “Anti-Homosexuality” Bill

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement joins with people around the world in condemning a proposed Bill before the Ugandan parliament which could lead, in some cases, to the death penalty for homosexual acts.

A Private Member’s Bill being proposed in Uganda is among the world’s most draconian legislation against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people. The Bill which aims to “deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional heterosexual family” has widespread support from a number of Ugandan MPs, and it, would seem, considerable government support.

The planned Bill would legislate against responsible education and information about homosexuality, and support for homosexuals. Punishments could range from 3 years imprisonment to the death sentence. A catch all clause in the Bill even covers any Ugandan homosexuals who might break the law while abroad. Clause 17 of the Bill also makes anyone charged under the Act liable to extradition.

The Bill would also hold responsible for illegal activities those who are in positions of trust, from Church leaders to organisations aimed at helping people living with HIV/AIDS. The Bill says that all people in positions of trust are obligated to aid in enforcing the law. This means anyone with “power and control over other people because of your knowledge and official position”, and includes anyone who ”exercises religious, political, economic or social authority“.

Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda and can be punished with life imprisonment. But the anti-homosexuality legislation, proposed by ruling party MP David Bahati on October 14th 2009, was designed to "fill the gaps" in the provisions of existing laws.

A coalition of human rights and civil society groups led by Human Rights Watch have blasted the measure for attacking human rights protections and placing "everybody" at risk – including parents, teachers, landlords, doctors, media and religious leaders and those who provide counselling to anyone struggling with their sexuality or work with those infected with HIV/AIDS. Anyone who does not report an offence within 24 hours of their gaining knowledge of such is liable to prosecution.

Rev. Sharon Ferguson, Chief Executive of LGCM, said: “I am horrified at the possibility that this law might be passed. It is entirely unjust, cruel and can only strike terror in the hearts of LGBT people, their families, friends and supporters. I am particularly distressed that many Christian groups including Churches in the Anglican Communion in Uganda appear to be supporting the proposals.

“The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement appeal to all people of faith regardless of their views on homosexuality to roundly condemn this Bill. The discussion we need to have right now is not about the morality of homosexuality but the morality of this law. We are grateful that Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, the largest evangelical church in the US, has spoken out clearly against this Bill but too many other Christian leaders are woefully silent. Christians of all backgrounds must unite in taking action against this Bill."

Bishops in Central Africa - court case in Malawi - continuing trouble in Zimbabwe and who is to be the next Central African Archbishop?

Who will get to be the next Archbishop of Central Africa?

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION thanks those readers who have written in wondering what has happened to our newscasts. Some of you had feared that we had closed down – an answer to prayer for some of the provincial bishops perhaps!

The truth is simpler, not much has been going on in the Central African Province recently. However, we do now have some news updates as follows:

Zambia and Botswana: Remain two countries of the four in the Province where ecclesiastical matters are proceeding normally.

However, in: -

Zimbabwe: A newly deteriorating political situation continues to frustrate progress in the Anglican Church most particularly in the Diocese of Harare. Self-proclaimed ‘Archbishop of Zimbabwe’ and one time Unification Church (Moonie) lecturer Nolbert Kunonga is proving as obdurate as his friend and mentor President Robert Mugabe. Prayers please, for Dr Chad Gandiya the new Bishop of Harare who is deliberately playing a lower key role than his immediate predecessor Bishop Sebastian Bakare. This does not make Bishop Gandiya’s task any easier or less dangerous.

Malawi: After Zimbabwe the most damaged part of the Province, caused almost entirely by the actions of the provincial bishops and their predilection for ‘command style’ management riding roughshod over the will and needs of the people.

Diocese of Upper Shire: There has been a surprise development where the Anglican Communion’s youngest bishop Brighton Malasa was eventually consecrated earlier this year. The original court injunction brought by three priests against Malasa’s selection by the provincial bishops, which had been lifted, has now been allowed on appeal.

This presents an interesting conundrum. If the case is pursued and is successful Malasa, although remaining a bishop, would probably have his tenure of the diocese nullified as being in contempt of a civil court. Opinion is divided in the diocese whether the court case should be continued or not. We will report on developments.

Diocese of Lake Malawi: Acting Dean Albert Chama is quoted as saying recently “I am prepared to leave the Diocese of Lake Malawi without a bishop for twenty years if I have to” this sounds like and has been taken as a threat.

Nevertheless, the provincial bishops have asked the High Court in Lilongwe to call for an ‘inter-party hearing’ on Monday 9th November in order to try and “talk the laity out” of their objections to the Venerable Francis Kaulanda’s confirmation as Bishop of Lake Malawi. If this were to be successful and the lay-called court injunction were to be lifted, Kaulanda and Northern Malawi provincial bishops’ candidate Leslie Mtekateka would be confirmed at a Court of Confirmation to be held by the provincial bishops on Saturday 14th November.

The next Archbishop of Central Africa: If acting Dean Albert Chama is eventually able to overcome resistance to his episcopal choices and all vacancies are filled the next critical stage for the Province of Central Africa will be the ‘election’of a new Archbishop. As in African ecclesiastical politics the Archbishop has much more direct power than his counterparts in the Anglican Communion whoever succeeds the previous regime of Archbishop Bernard Malango will have the opportunity to pull the Province out of its current malaise or push it in ever deeper.

We will be reporting comparatively on the potential frontrunners in a future edition.

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Pope plays for keeps

Gotcha!

The Vatican is setting up special arrangements to welcome disaffected catholic-leaning Anglicans into the one true Church.

The announcement caught everyone by surprise, not lease Vatican-based journalists. An account of their disorientation and consequent questions is here.

The impact in England is likely to be numerically insignificant. The bigger impact is the casual discarding of decades of careful ecumenical discussion. The Pope clearly prefers the certainty of an estimated 1/2m conservative adherents immediately to the slow, improbable and probably undesirable process of greater theological understanding and mutual acceptance.

The main body concerned are the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) (Wikipedia) said to be strong in Zimbabwe and Tanzania with smaller groups in various parts of the world.

The manner of the announcement also seems to have been 'humiliating' to Rowan Williams who was informed (not consulted) just the night before the press conference.

And in the US the decision could pose a dilemma to Forward in Faith members who have only recently signed up with ACNA, notwithstanding the determined opposition of some of the conservative evangelicals in that grouping.

What does seem to be happening, if by different routes, is the slicing away of conservatives from the main body of Anglicanism, one stroke at a time.