I came across this survey of English priests in the News Telegraph, from Britian. The following excerpt came from an article entitled: Clergy vote Rowan Williams as ‘one of the least effective’ modern archbishops by Chris Hastings, Elizabeth Day and Gary Anderson (Filed: 12/09/2004).

“The poor showing for Dr Williams may reflect the fact that he is a relative newcomer to the post and also the continuing unease among some clergy about the way he has handled the issue of homosexual ordination.
“Dr Williams was more successful in a question on the most inspirational living Christian, finishing second – but ahead of the Pope and Nelson Mandela. However, he received only half the votes of Desmond Tutu, the Nobel prize winning anti-apartheid campaigner, who took 25 per cent of the vote.
“The most treasured Biblical passage named by the 205 clergy who participated in the poll was John, Chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.” The Gospel of St John was the most popular book in the Bible, amassing 53 votes.
“Psalm 139 which begins “O Lord, thou has searched me, and known me”, was voted the favourite psalm. The leading parable was that of the prodigal son, which won 44 per cent of the vote.
“When asked to vote for their favourite hymn, the clergy, perhaps surprisingly, chose a contemporary offering, Here I am Lord – which was written in 1981 by Daniel Schutte – ahead of traditional favourites such as Amazing Grace and Jerusalem.
“St Peter, who was described by one voter as “a bad ‘un made good” for his denial of Christ and subsequent repentance, was chosen as the favourite saint ahead of St Francis of Assisi and St Paul. The deadliest of the seven sins was pride, which was considered to be the root of most evil.”

Today, I skipped my Ascetical Theology class and went, with four fellow seminarians, to hear Archbishop Akinola, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, and primary instigator of the reactionary elements within the Anglican Communion over the consecration of Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire.
I wanted to hear from the man himself what he was thinking and doing concerning all the controversies. I came away greatly saddened, because I realized that there will be no reconciliation between him and the American Church. He is a Christian, and we are not, if we accept homosexuals.
The meeting was held at St. George’s Church of the Parish of Calvary/St. George. The Rev. Pike, Rector, introduced Akinola in glowing terms. There were about 40 people present.
Akinola is establishing a worldwide church under himself as Primate and Metropolitan. His church in America will be very small, but that is not stopping him.

This was posted on the House of Bishops/Deputies listserv. It kind of puts things into perspective – there is nothing new under the sun. I love the last line!

A letter dated April, 1871 — Huntington, England. It helps to imagine similar conversations 133 years from now.
“Lizzie Swain is about being married to a young Wesleyan Minister Joseph who is a native of St. Albans and young Ted Potts at Leighton is going into the Wesleyan Ministry. He has passed his examination at the Quarterly meeting and will have to pass a more searching one at the District Meeting in May but I believe he will pass as he has got some stuff in him. Methodism may last his time tho’ I doubt it will last much longer. It is too rigid and unelastic to be permanent. The Church Government is too much in the hands of the clergy and the Theology is too fixed to bear the strain of the inevitable tendency of modern thought. Our Church of England is the same. No church with rigidly defined articles will be able to stand the violent theological upheaving which has set in and which will assuredly go on. Our Church of England is already rent into sections by it and will soon split up into 3 if not more divisions. The High Church or Ritualists, The Low Church or Evangelicals and the Broad Church or Comprehnsionists or as they are humoursously styled The Attitudinarians The Latitudinarians and The Platitudinarians.”