With the once a decade Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England in August, the divide between those calling for the Anglican Church to embrace gay clergy and those calling for it to return to a traditional biblical interpretation has gotten even wider.

In 2003 Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Church. Since then, conservative bishops have called on the church leadership to condemn parishes, particularly in the U.S., England and Canada, for breaking with traditional biblical interpretation.

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Over 100 bishops, including Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen, have announced they will boycott the Lambeth Conference. Many of these boycotting bishops attended the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Jerusalem in mid-June, which brought together 1148 delegates, including 291 bishops, to discuss the future of the Anglican Church.

When GAFCON was first announced, there were predictions that some would call for conservative church leaders to break away from the global church and set up a separate communion. However, in a written statement, GAFCON representatives said that they would remain part of the Anglican Church, but in countries where the Anglican Communion has been more liberally interpreted, particularly with regards to sexuality, they will set up alternative conservative parishes to free church members from ‘churches under false leadership.’

In the lead-up to Lambeth, two same-sex unions of Anglican clergy have further intensified the debate. Bishop Robinson entered into a civil union in the U.S. state of New Hampshire with his long-time partner Mark Andrew on June 7.

Following Bishop Robinson’s civil union, two English clergy – Rev. Peter Cowell and Rev. David Lord – entered into a same-sex union in St. Bartholomew Church. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have called for an inquiry into the union, saying in a joint statement, ‘we have heard the reports of the recent service… with very great concern.’

Bishop Robinson, despite the controversy and boycott, said he will attend the Lambeth Conference, though he has not received an official invitation from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

‘I think it’s important that the six hundred bishops or so that are planning to attend not be allowed to forget that they have gay and lesbian faithful Anglicans in their flock,’ Bishop Robinson told Pink News of his decision to attend.

‘I think we are always bound by the Gospel to point out injustice and set about rectifying it.’