Ten days ago, at their bishops’ General Synod, the Church of England voted to bless same-sex unions.

Church of England priests will be permitted to bless the civil marriages of same-sex couples in a profound shift in the church’s stance on homosexuality after a historic vote by its governing body.

The first blessings for gay couples could happen this summer. Individual churches will be encouraged to state clearly whether they will offer blessings to avoid confusion and disappointment.

After an impassioned debate lasting more than eight hours, the C of E’s national assembly, the General Synod, voted by 250 votes to 181 to back a proposal by bishops intended to end years of painful divisions and disagreement over sexuality.

But emotionally charged speeches from those advocating full equality for LGBTQ+ Christians and those arguing that traditional biblical teaching on marriage and sex must be upheld signalled that the debate is set to continue.

Conservatives managed to hold the traditional tenet in the synod’s final language…

…Conservatives narrowly succeeded in amending the motion to state that the church’s doctrine of marriage – that it is between a man and a woman – was unchanged. Although progressives were dismayed by the amendment, it may have encouraged some traditionalists to cast their votes in favour of the main motion.

…and then their archbishops made the announcement of the profound change in direction.

…The archbishops said: “For the first time, the C of E will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church.

The fall-out was pretty swift on the conservative side, with Anglican clerics like Reverend Calvin Robinson speaking out the entire time…

The traditional Christian view of marriage is between one man and one woman, and sex outside of marriage is sinful, unable to be blessed by God.

Church of England joins the Episcopal Church of USA and Anglican Church of Canada in preaching a false gospel.pic.twitter.com/6OS76tiYoI

— Calvin Robinson (@calvinrobinson) February 12, 2023

… while the leaders of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) publicly chastised the woke Canterbury crowd. Considering the number of faithful involved with the predominantly African Church, that should have been considered a warning shot.

“Church of England has now joined those Provinces with which communion is impaired.“

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) covers around 75% of Anglicans around the world. https://t.co/3AjqKqMZih

— Calvin Robinson (@calvinrobinson) February 9, 2023

It wasn’t and on Monday, the conservative Archbishops made it official. They let the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, know he was no longer the boss of them.

"You were given the choice between war & dishonour. You chose dishonour, you will have war."

Anglican church leaders around the world oust Archbishop of Canterbury as their head in historic blow for Church following decision to bless of same-sex unionshttps://t.co/HwxakwktPH

— Ben Harris-Quinney (@B_HQ) February 20, 2023

Conservative Anglican archbishops on Monday said the Church of England had forfeited its traditional leadership role in the worldwide Anglican Communion by approving the blessing of same-sex relationships earlier this month, opening a historic rift in one of the world’s biggest Christian denominations.

“The Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith,” the archbishops wrote, adding that their fidelity to traditional teaching makes it impossible for them to remain connected to it or to other Anglican churches that have adopted liberal teaching on homosexuality. “This breaks our hearts and we pray for the revisionist provinces to return” to tradition.

The statement said the archbishops were “no longer able to recognize the present Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Hon & Most Revd Justin Welby, as the ‘first among equals’” among Anglican bishops worldwide.

The outspoken denunciation of the Church of England by 12 leading Anglican archbishops from around the world marks a watershed in a long-running crisis of unity in the Anglican Communion over teaching and practice on homosexuality.

Again, the number of faithful Anglican followers this encompasses is staggering, especially if all, or even a majority of churches in the Communion sign off on it.

…Conservative Anglican churches, including some in Africa that represent nearly half of the world’s estimated 100 million Anglicans, have already broken off relations with churches that espouse liberal teaching and practice on homosexuality, including the Episcopal Church in the U.S.

..The full impact of Monday’s statement will depend on how many of the 42 national Anglican churches sign on. Absent among the signatories was Archbishop Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba of the Church of Nigeria, the largest member church in the Anglican Communion with 25 million adherents in 2020, according to the World Christian Database..

The Archbishop of Canterbury, after years of trying to tapdance between progressives and traditionalists, has egg all over his face, and a thoroughly weakened position.

…“It would very difficult for Archbishop Welby to restore his position—and that of the Church of England—after this, unless, perhaps, he were to get the English bishops to row back from their recent proposals to bless same-sex sexual relationships,” said the Rev. Lee Gatiss, director of the Church Society, a group that promotes traditional teaching in the Church of England.

Should the schism happen, the fear is progressives would then have free rein to run amok and completely rejigger the Church, leaving traditional Christian teachings and faith-based values behind (“Christophobic behavior” as Rev Robinson calls it.).

Run amok is usually what happens when progressives take control of anything, so I think the remaining Church of England types in England should just bank on it. It’s not looking good for the home team. While I’m sure they’re all patting themselves on the back for their inclusivity and modern approach, when those C of E congregations start shrinking? No doubt they’ll be the most surprised.