The consecration of V. Gene Robinson as an openly gay bishop of New Hampshire has divided the Anglican Community, a historic pillar of Christianity embraced by seventy million people in 164 countries. Most Anglican groups outside the United States oppose the ordination of gay clergy. After Robinson's consecration, overseas bishops jointly announced that they were in a ""state of impaired communion"" with the 2.3 million-member US Branch of the Episcopal Church--a step short of declaring a full schism.
In A Church at War, journalist Stephen Bates assesses the current state and...