THE creation of Anglican Mainstream, an organisation designed to bring evangelicals together in the battle against homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, could lead to a “Church within a Church”, leading liberals have claimed.

They fear that the network, which involves most of the leading evangelical groups in this country and clergy and primates from around the world, will lead to a parallel jurisdiction which could threaten the authority of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

One churchman said the network could act as a Trojan Horse, to enable conservative, evangelical values to infiltrate and then hijack the agenda of the Anglican Church.

One of those present at the founding meeting in Oxford on June 25 was Andrew Carey, a columnist in The Church of England Newspaper, the evangelical tabloid, and a son of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton.

Philip Giddings, the Reading University politics lecturer who chaired the founding meeting, led the opposition in the diocese to the appointment of Dr Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading.

He was also the only adviser to the Right Rev Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, who told him during the initial consultations that the appointment should not be made.

Dr Giddings said: “Anglican Mainstream is no more than a network at the moment. We have no constitution, no organisation, no funds.”

However, sources told The Times that the possibility of using Anglican Mainstream bishops to provide alternative Episcopal supervision for disaffected evangelical parishes has been discussed.

The two evangelical primates connected with Anglican Mainstream are the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, the Archbishop of the West Indies, and the Right Rev Gregory Venables, the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone of America. Both are leading opponents of Dr John.

Archbishop Gomez said that the spotlight will now move to the United States, where the General Convention is expected to ratify the election of Canon Gene Robinson, a gay bishop who is in an active relationship. The convention, the US equivalent of the General Synod, will also debate a motion to draw up rites for same-sex blessings next month.

Archbishop Gomez said: “If Gene Robinson is elected, that will create a far more serious problem than Jeffrey John. There will be some kind of decision.

“There is a group of conservative bishops in America who, if it goes ahead, will be seeking some other alignment within the Anglican Communion.”

The authority of Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been damaged by the Dr John affair.

Liberals fear he will not now be able to resist the conservative agenda, even though he is a liberal homophile. One said: “We are starting to suspect that Rowan Williams is a closet evangelical.”

Although Lambeth Palace denied it, there is speculation that Anglican Mainstream was a factor that contributed to the Archbishop’s change of mind over Dr John.

The Rev Richard Thomas, director of communications in the Oxford diocese, is so concerned that he has resigned as communications director for Name (Network for Anglicans in Mission and Evangelism), believing there to be a conflict of interest. He said: “My fear is that Anglican Mainstream has established itself as a potential network for alternative Episcopal oversight in direct opposition to the structures of the Anglican Communion.” Anglican Mainstream and Name had too many supporters in common for him to remain involved.

Name was set up after the 1998 Lambeth Conference to further the cause of mission in the Church. Dr Williams is its patron, although he cut other links when he moved from Wales to Canterbury.

American supporters of Anglican Mainstream include Canon David Anderson, chairman of the American Anglican Council (AAC). Urging churchgoers in Connecticut to join his network last summer, he said: “This is the most exciting time to be an Anglican since the days when Bloody Mary was burning people at the stake every day.”

The Right Rev Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh and First Vice-President of the AAC, said that there was “a great deal of co-ordination” between theologians of the AAC and the Anglican Mainstream network.

Bishop Duncan said that the withdrawal of Dr John would save the Church of England from schism, but he was less optimistic about the Anglican Church in the US and Canada.

He said that the blessing of same-sex marriages by the Bishop of New Westminster in Canada, plus the likely election of Canon Robinson, may ultimately destroy the Episcopalian Church.

“The likelihood that in the States and Canada there will be a split is much greater,” he said.

“It’s not going to be worked out overnight.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Time-worn Freddie gives up Test matches
• Brighton company 'involved in cyber attack'
• The art of survival: it's all in the mind