Game Theory and the Anglican Communion
Canada Goose sale „When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” So utters Queen Cersei in the medieval themed HBO television series, Game of Thrones. Canada Goose sale
canada goose uk shop I have only seen one episode of this celebrated programme (on an airplane), which is known for plot lines full of intrigue, fierce battles, betrayal and a high dosage of sex. canada goose uk shop
uk canada goose outlet I suppose I have no stomach for the series, since such a storyline is familiar to anyone paying close attention to the current situation in the Anglican Communion. uk canada goose outlet
canada goose store For a „Game of Mitres” is unfolding within and among the churches of the Communion. It is a contest over power and influence and over the future course of the international family of churches. It will determine who has the legitimacy to define the very buy canada goose jacket nature of the Anglican tradition. canada goose store
In what follows, I want to reflect on the present trajectory of the political situation in the Anglican Communion and explore the dilemmas that confront its leaders. My discussion is rather longer than usual, due to the complexity of the situation, but buy canada goose jacket cheap also because I would like to approach it from a rather uncommon and novel angle. I will explore the tensions in the Anglican churches by drawing on „Game Theory,” which offers a canada goose deals theoretical analysis of cooperation. I then conclude by identifying issues that might encourage key players in the current international Anglican „game” to resist the temptation to embrace further fragmentation, and instead risk working for reconciliation.
A „Game of Canada Goose sale Mitres”
Precisely when one locates the cause of serious tensions in the Communion no longer matters. Did it start in earnest during the conflict over homosexuality at the 1998 Lambeth Conference? Or following the episcopal consecration of a partnered gay man canada goose black friday sale by the Episcopal Church in the United States in 2003? Or in the wake of the formation of the Global Anglican Future Conference () by leaders of some churches in the Global South as an alternative to the 2008 Lambeth Conference? Or perhaps even further back in history?
Regardless of its origins, influential voices are now clearly seeking to pull the Communion in different directions, as many declare that the status quo will not hold.
canada goose clearance The host of this „game” is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Canada Goose online who has organised a „gathering of Primates” on 11 16 canada goose coats January 2016. When this meeting was initiated in September, the announcement was shrouded with uncertainty and confusion. This was partly due to rumours circulated by Archbishop’s Welby’s staff, which suggested he was contemplating a „new, looser federation” of churches that would be in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, but not necessarily with other member churches. canada goose clearance
A more immediate source of tension, however, is the invitation offered by Archbishop Welby to Archbishop Foley Beach, the Primate of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). This is a province composed of congregations that have withdrawn from the American and Canadian churches, and is thus not recognised by the Primates of those two provinces. Justin Welby’s initial press release stated that Archbishop Foley will be present for „part of the time.” The vagueness of this detail has fuelled the fears and strategic manoeuvring of some keys players.
Canada Goose Outlet In the build up to this meeting, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, the Primate of Kenya and chairperson of, set the cat among the pigeons in a statement in mid December. After announcing that he and the other Primates were willing to attend the meeting, his message contained a very clear threat: that their canada goose clearance continued presence will be dependent upon Archbishop Welby ensuring that participation in the Anglican Communion is canada goose outlet „the governed by robust commitments to biblical teaching and morality.” In other words, the Communion must rule out acceptance of homosexuality, and must shun any member churches who fall short of their expectations on this issue. Archbishop Wabukala’s additional warning to Justin Welby was even more pointed: „We do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury.” Canada Goose Outlet
Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, recently opened up a different front on Archbishop Welby’s left flank. In a journal article and on BBC radio, Percy argues that the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury are „out of kilter with the rest of the UK” on canada goose store the issue of sexuality, and that Archbishop Welby’s leadership style is unsuited to the challenges confronting both the Church of England and the Communion. Percy calls upon Justin Welby to defend the „liberty of conscience” in the church, and suggests that „this gathering of Archbishops ought to be an easy win.” How so? He argues that Justin Welby should call upon all Primates to renounce homophobia and the persecution of LGBTQ persons in the church: „As fellow believers, they should be received as such in Anglican churches across the globe.” It remains unclear what game Percy thinks the Communion is playing in order to conceive this as potentially an „easy win.”
canada goose black friday sale Private conversations I have had with some senior church leaders have not been optimistic about the approaching gathering of Primates. Some have mused aloud over who will leave the room first: Canada and the United States (due to the presence of Foley Beach), or the leaders (due to their objection to the positions on sexuality of Canada and the United States). As I have discussed such scenarios with others, a key variable for them is who else might leave the room to accompany the aggrieved parties. Such possibilities led one insider to admit to me: „If this meeting gets past day three, I’ll be very surprised.” Game of Mitres, indeed. canada goose black friday sale
The Communion’s „Prisoner’s Dilemma”
cheap canada goose uk The more I have observed such political manoeuvring and strategising, the more the principles of Game Canada Goose Outlet Theory have come to mind. Game Theory employs mathematical principles to analyse situations where different people decide whether or not to cooperate. It is perhaps best known through its popularisation in the Hollywood film A Beautiful Mind (2001), starring Russell Crowe. cheap canada goose uk
canada goose uk outlet In one scene, Crowe’s character, John Nash (one of the developers of Game Theory), is sitting in a pub searching for both female companionship and a topic for his doctoral dissertation. Upon seeing a beautiful Canada Goose Parka blond woman enter the room, one of Nash’s friends quotes Adam Smith, „Every man for himself.” The situation inspires Nash’s primary intellectual insight: canada goose uk outlet
buy canada goose jacket „Adam Smith needs revision! cheap Canada Goose If we all go for the blond, we block each other. Not a single one of us is going to get her. So then we all go for her friends, but they all give us the cold shoulder, because nobody likes to be second choice. But what if no one goes for the blond? We don’t get in each other’s way, and we don’t insult the girls. It’s the only way to win.” buy canada goose jacket
canada goose coats The sexism inherent to this conclusion aside, the scene is intended to illustrate what theorists call a „cooperation game.” The combined decisions taken by each person involved results is what is called a „Nash equilibrium.” This is http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org the outcome of a game in which each player adopts a strategy that he or she thinks is the best reply to the actions of others. canada goose coats
Canada Goose Coats On Sale What does the current political posturing within the Anglican Communion look like through the lens of Game Theory? Canada Goose Coats On Sale
Canada Goose Parka One possibility that presents itself is to consider the situation with reference to what is known as the „Prisoner’s Dilemma.” This is an imagined scenario in which two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of having committing a crime together. They are being interviewed in separate rooms so they cannot communicate. The option of betraying the other prisoner promises the highest degree of self benefit, whereas remaining silent benefits the group but contains the most personal risk. canadian goose jacket Most analysts of the game suggest that the usual outcome of such situations is that both prisoners will betray the other. canada goose Such a „Nash equilibrium” results in a win for the police, and a loss for both prisoners. If that is indeed the post January „Nash Equilibrium” in the Communion, the true victors will be those critics of Christianity who presume that conflict in the church reveals that „God isn’t love. God is politics and God always has been.” Canada Goose Parka
A more generous game theorist, however, might compare the current situation confronting Archbishop Welby with a different game: a „Stag Hunt.” In this hypothetical scenario, two people go out on a hunt. Each can choose to pursue a stag or a rabbit, and each player must choose without knowing the choice of the other. Successfully hunting a stag requires the help of the other person, but one can obtain a rabbit by oneself. A rabbit is worth much less than a stag. Choosing to hunt a rabbit involves the least risk and promises at some minimal reward. The „Nash equilibrium” concept suggests that the most likely result of this game is that both individuals will hunt rabbits, unless there is considerable prior communication between them.
What do the choices confronting the Primates at their January meeting look like if approached through the concept of a Stag Hunt? The first two options available resemble those found in the „Prisoner’s Dilemma”: go for a minimal victory by challenging their opponent Primates (that is, hunt a rabbit) or remain passive. However, the Stag Hunt brings into view the potential benefits of risking cooperation and introducing a new spirit of trust into Communion relations.
canadian goose jacket In the current cynical climate within the Anglican Communion, however, few expect the Primates to possess the collective will to risk hunting for a new breakthrough. canadian goose jacket
Canada Goose online Game Theory is clearly not founded on Christian principles. It presumes individual decision making will be motivated solely by rational self interest. The model thus leaves no place for notions like Christian faith or hope, let alone the working of the Holy Spirit or the power of prayer. But if the theory captures the ways in which some Primates are themselves construing the situation in Canada Goose Jackets the church, then the possible outcomes of the January meeting may currently be confined to exactly those parameters mapped out by the „Prisoner’s Dilemma.” Canada Goose online.
