This talk of 'polity', when serious ethical and theological principles are clearly at stake, might at first seem evasive or even frivolous; but this is not so. The Americans are not wrong to take matters of 'polity' seriously. There are fundamental issues at stake; and they are, overwhelmingly American issues, reflecting in the ecclesial sphere disputes which have repeatedly affected the political life of the United States.

This weekend's ceremony will provide false comfort to those who seek certainty in an uncertain world. But in truth, it will serve only to inflame the differences we have been struggling with. When there is so much that brings us together as brothers and sisters in Christ, in a Church that has always celebrated and respected a wide variety of opinions, it is painful to see our shared ministry and faith overshadowed by our differences.

It turns out that the Episcopal Church, in the spirit of ecumenism, is secretly working with the Presbyterians, who have been at this a little longer than the Episcopal Church has. In fact, a small group of Presbyterian leaders and attorneys worked out a detailed strategy on how to defeat any local Presbyterian church that tried to leave with its property. The secret Presbyterian plan made the leaked Via Media USA "Day After" plan, penned by Joan Gundersen in 2005, sound like child's play.

Reviewing recent Anglican history, she noted: "None of [the] instruments of union or their pronouncements had any legally binding legislative or juridical force." The Windsor report was nevertheless "written in a tone of presumptive legitimacy", and set forth "a new authoritarian polity for the Anglican Communion.