I offer this image in good humor as a bit of a metaphor for what's happening to the Episcopal Church. I used to be quite interested in astronomy. This is the Cartwheel Galaxy, taken by Hubble. A smaller galaxy hit a larger galaxy head on, right through its core. Mind you, galaxies are mainly empty space, so it passed right through - most likely no stars have smashed into each other. The gravitational interactions created a ring where several billion new stars are forming - hence the cartwheel. When galaxies 'collide', a lot of stars also get flung off into empty space. I believe our Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy are due to collide in several billion years. Our galaxies are spiral galaxies, but will likely merge to become an elliptical galaxy. More info here: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/galaxy_collides_020507-1.html

This is where it gets a bit partisan, but I see the ultra-conservatives in the Anglican Church (e.g. Akinola) as that small, intruder galaxy. When I say ultra-conservatives, I mean the minority of conservatives who believe that homosexuality is a simple problem that can be solved by persecuting the LGBT community in the legal arena as well as the religious one. I believe some African churches have already ordained priests and bishops in the US. I also believe that they will eventually leave the Episcopal Church. Conservative US bishops have already petitioned the Archbishop of Canterbury to oversee them directly, and they will likely ask to be recognized as the 'Anglican franchise' in the US. Either way, the Episcopal Church will likely not be quite the same. Perhaps events won't be quite as drastic as the Cartwheel galaxy (most merging galaxies become elliptical disk-shaped galaxies, which is the most common galaxy shape), but certainly some sparks will fly, harsh words will be exchanged, parishes will leave.

One should keep the big picture in mind. When galaxies collide, those collisions take place over billions of years. It will take about 3 billion years for Andromeda and the Milky Way to collide. The sun has been around for about 5 billion years, and it will be around for about 5 billion years more. The universe is 13.7 billion years old, plus or minus a bit. The Anglican Communion is only a few hundred years old. In just one hundred years, I will certainly be dead, barring drastic improvements in medical technology. In the eyes of the universe and in the eyes of its Creator, the struggles of the Episcopal Church are not even an eyeblink. We on both sides of the debate must focus on loving our neighbors and even our enemies, for (if traditional Christian teachings on the afterlife are correct) we will hopefully be spending eternity with them, and with God.